Meet the girl with no skin care routine. Bring on the hate, give me all the best secrets, tell me which products, and lay all the tips on me. I have heard it all and yet I can’t bring myself to stick to a routine. I have a few products I use occasionally when I feel that my skin needs a little extra boost, but as I was using my Aquaphor chapstick the other night, I had a thought — what can this do for my face?
Intrigued by this idea, I decided to try it out for myself. I used the skin care products that I occasionally use, a face oil and a moisturizer, then added the thin Aquaphor layer over the top. With no fragrance or irritating products, I could truly put it all over, from my forehead to my lips and everywhere in between. In the morning I could feel it on my skin. It felt refreshed and softer, glowing a little more than usual. I could see the difference. After doing some more research, here are the tips that I have personally, but remember that this experience may be different for everyone!
Aquaphor vs. Vaseline
The first important consideration is your product. Both Aquaphor and Vaseline are occlusive, meaning they won’t add anything to your skin, rather they’ll work to lock in what is already there. They are also both non-comedogenic, meaning that the product itself will not get into you pores and clog them up. These are great qualities.
The biggest difference is that Aquaphor has an ingredient that attracts moisture, so while it won’t add any, it will try to bring it out in your skin. It also has lanolin which is a product that some people are allergic to.
Oily and Acne Prone
Creating a barrier with these products means that everything is getting locked in, meaning that both the good and the bad are stuck on your face. Cleaning your face and adding products allows a lot more of the good, but a critique of this barrier is that the natural dead skin cells and remaining bacteria are also trapped. People with oily or acne prone skin are told to be aware because this could be unhelpful in creating benefits for your skin. As a solution, people have recommended using this technique only on the parts of your face where you can use a little hydration.
Bottom Line: You Know Yourself
With any product or trend the most important thing is that you know yourself. You know what is normal for your face and skin, so if you try this technique and love it, that’s amazing! But if you try it and decide that is doesn’t seem to be working, then there is no harm in stopping. The barrier created by slugging gives your skin time to help itself, but suddenly taking that barrier away if you don’t like it isn’t going to have a negative impact. Try it out and see for yourself!