The easy, affordable routine to calm and balance your skin

After collectively sandblasting our faces with retinol and exfoliating acids during the pandemic years, our skin is suffering. Issues like facial eczema and perioral dermatitis are more prevalent than ever, and every dermatologist I speak to says patients come in to see them banjaxed (that’s my terminology, not theirs) from an overly elaborate skincare routine with too many active ingredients. When skin is persistently on orange alert (meltdown imminent), the best course of action is to pare everything back. To get a good sense of what’s really going on, a regimen of deliciously “bland” skincare is needed. This will help your skin to restore its barrier function, heal in its own time, and generally calm down.

If you’re parting ways with actives for a month or two, you really only need three or four products. SPF is critical and cannot be skipped – it helps to protect your skin’s barrier function. If you have a facial SPF that works for you, stick with it; there’s no need to reinvent the wheel.

Think of your pared-back products as the baked potato of skincare – comforting, nutritious, humbly delightful and easy to do even when you have one foot out of the day. A gentle, non-stripping cleanser is important for removing make-up and SPF at night. I love Naturium Purple Ginseng Cleansing Balm (€24 at Space NK). The brand is new to Ireland and this cleanser reminds me of the all-time-great Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm. It’s highly effective and (in the best sense) completely bland, emulsifying with water to leave your face softened, soothed and entirely clean.

When we’re doing less, serum isn’t critical. Skincare enthusiasts may gasp upon reading that, but your serum is a treatment product, and generally the means by which most of the active ingredients in your skincare routine are delivered. With a bland regime, we are focusing entirely on balance and barrier restoration, so set serum aside for a few weeks. Medik8 Advanced Night Restore Rejuvenating Multi-Ceramide Night Cream (€70 at medik8.com) is a lovely, rich – but not congesting or heavy – restorative moisturiser from the widely loved retinol brand. This cream does not contain retinol, but was designed to be used on skin which is treated with retinol, making it the perfect bland moisturiser for sensitised, dry or cantankerous skin. It is expensive though, and bland products don’t have to be – look to La Roche Posay or CeraVe for excellent affordable options.

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“Slugging”, or the practice of applying a heavy barrier product after skincare to trap moisture in the skin, is not for everyone. However, it can work very well. I like Eucerin Aquaphor Soothing Skin Balm (€12 at pharmacies) for the job, and I generally don’t apply it all over my face. After moisturising in the evening, I’ll apply some Aquaphor over particularly dry or sensitised areas, just to supercharge the effects of my moisturiser. It works brilliantly.

Finally, an exception that proves the rule. Let’s say you’re getting on swimmingly with your bland routine, but the appearance of a hot, angry spot tempts you to return to overdoing it on the actives. Try CeraVe Blemish Control Gel (€14 at Boots) instead. Apply it just to the affected area. The salicylic acid will help to decongest the pore but glycerine, hyaluronic acid and niacinamide will help quell the blemish’s rage. Moisturise over the top and proceed blandly.