You take special care of your skin and follow a skin care routine every day. From cleansing to toning and moisturizing the skin. But have you ever used face serum for your skin? Have you ever thought about how and why it is important for your skin? Face serum is as important and beneficial for our skin’s daily routine as other things related to skin care. Today in this article we know about face serum.
What is a face serum?
Serum is a product that contains powerful ingredients and can be applied directly on the skin. But cleansing the skin is necessary before applying face serum and applying moisturizer is necessary after applying. Serum is made up of small molecules that have high penetration power and deliver a high concentration of active ingredients.
Why is serum important for you?
Face serums bring great results for those who are suffering from anti-aging, dark spots, hyperpigmentation, acne, clogged pores, dehydration [ 1 ]. Today, we understand the important reasons behind it here –
1. To reduce dark spots: Daily UV rays make our skin dull and colorless. In such a situation, face serum contains pure glycolic acid, which makes the skin glowing and also gives a new complexion. After using it daily, after just two weeks, you will notice that the dark spots on your face have started reducing. And after four weeks, fine lines and wrinkles also start reducing.
2. To brighten dull skin: As we age, our skin starts losing its glow. In such a situation, face serums become essential for the skin, which cleanse the skin and bring back the glow [ 2 ]. Many serums contain golden micro-reflectors, which illuminate the look of the skin and give a youthful skin by cell renewal.
3. For anti-aging: If you want a good anti-aging product for yourself, then you should use face serum. For anti-aging, you should choose a hydrating serum containing hyaluronic acid. This face serum gives your skin a youthful look and also removes your wrinkles. A research conducted by The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology made it clear that face serum plays an important role in reducing fine lines and wrinkles on the face [ 3 ]. You will start seeing the difference after just two to three weeks of use. Some face serums come with vitamin C, these are also best for anti-aging.
4. To help with moisture and volume: As you age, your skin starts losing moisture and volume. Especially on the cheeks and under the eyes, using a face serum containing hyaluronic acid works for volume and moisture retention in these parts of the face. For this, you have to take 2-3 drops of face serum on your fingers and apply it on the entire face. Keep in mind that you have to keep applying it until it is completely absorbed.
5. To remove acne: Face serums play an important role in the care of acne prone skin. They contain benzoyl peroxide and salicyclic acid, which slowly reduce and make acne disappear.
6. To exfoliate the skin: By now you must have realized that exfoliating the skin is an important part of the skin care routine. For this you also use face scrub but face serum gives better results than face scrub. It contains lactic acid and folic acid, which surfaces the skin and gives it a smooth feel and even tone.
7. To hydrate skin: If your skin feels dry and dull, it means you need more than just a moisturizer. Instead of relying on your face cream, you can use a hydrating face serum [ 4 ] to add moisture to your dry skin . For this, you should apply a hydrating serum containing hyaluronic acid on wet skin so that the skin gets more hydrogen!
What Kind Of Serum You Should Choose?
There are many types of serums available in the market, which are made to cure fine lines, wrinkles, dark spots, dull skin etc. Before choosing a good face serum for yourself, you should keep the following things in mind-
1. Skin type: You should know your skin type. Also, what kind of ingredients are going on your skin. You don’t want to have dry skin and use a face serum that is making your skin even drier.
2. Skin related problems: Before buying any face serum, think about why you want to buy a face serum? Do you want to buy a face serum to reduce wrinkles or because of the dark spots that have started appearing on your face due to the intense sunlight.
These ingredients should be there in your face serum
1. Hydrates like ceramides work like cement for the skin and prevent water from escaping from the skin. That is, they keep your skin hydrated.
2. Antioxidants like vitamin C and grape seed extract protect the skin from damage caused by sunlight. Also, fight the signs of ageing.
3. Anti-inflammatories like zinc, arnica and goldenseal relieve skin redness and protect against cell damage caused by inflammation.
4. Plant-based ingredients like licorice help lighten skin tone and fade dark spots.
How to use a serum?
Now that you know how using face serum can bring life to our dull skin, it is also important to know how to apply the serum in the best way so that our skin can get maximum benefit from it. The right way to apply face serum for you –
1. You should clean your skin with a cleanser to protect it from any kind of dirt, dust, excess oil or impurities.
2. You should take 2 drops of the serum of your choice on your fingers and apply a thin layer of it on the skin by massaging it so that it gets absorbed well by your skin.
3. After using face serum, you should apply your favorite eye cream around the eyes.
4. Any skin care routine is incomplete without a moisturizer. Especially during the day when you are applying a face serum. So, do not forget to apply a good moisturizer after the face serum.
5. It is important to apply sunscreen of SPF 30 or more during the day to protect yourself from the sun.
6. Face serum can be applied both day and night. Face serum should be applied after skin cleansing and patted dry. If you are applying serum at night, then keep in mind not to do too much layering. Night cream or moisturizer forms a heavy layer. Therefore, apply only one of the two things at night, serum or moisturizer.
Serum Makeup Hacks
1. Using serum is very easy, but you must do a patch test before applying it on your face. It is possible that the serum you have purchased may not suit your skin.
2. A basic principle of using serum is to use it in small quantities. Serum contains potent ingredients, so it should not be used in large quantities. Using it in large quantities can cause skin irritation.
3. The first step in any skincare routine is cleansing the skin. Hence, you should cleanse your skin before applying a serum.
4. People with dry skin should apply the serum only on wet skin because it penetrates well into moist skin.
5. People with sensitive skin should wait for their skin to dry. Otherwise, it will slow down the penetration of the serum, which can lead to skin irritation.
Benefits of Face Serum
There are many benefits of face serum which you will realize only when you keep using it continuously for a few days. Some of these benefits are as follows –
- Face serum contains collagen content, due to which you will see improvement in your skin texture. Your skin will also look more beautiful and healthier than ever before.
- With the regular use of serum, the dark spots on your skin will reduce and if there are marks of years old pimples, then they will also gradually start reducing.
- If you have open pores on your skin, they will reduce, along with blackheads, whiteheads will also start reducing.
- If there is swelling under your eyes, then regular use of under eye serum has the ability to reduce it.
- Daily and regular use of face serum reduces breakouts and leaves your skin feeling fresh and moisturized.
Frequently Asked Questions – (FAQ)
1. Can we use face serum daily?
Serum should be used daily, only then will it show better results. But keep in mind that use it in very small quantity i.e. only 2 drops because it contains concentrated amount of active ingredients. The result of serum depends on the type of serum. Usually it takes 4-6 weeks to see better results.
2. Do facial serums really work?
You should start using face serums in your late 20s or early 30s because this is the time when the effects of ageing start showing on the face. Adding face serum to your skin care regimen improves the quality of your skin and also protects it. After all, the skin is the largest organ of our body!
3. Are Hair Serum and Face Serum Same?
Hair serum and face serum are two different things. Hair serum adds shine to the hair by creating a protective layer on the hair and prevents it from tangling. On the other hand, face serum evens out the skin tone and removes dark spots, fine lines and wrinkles.
4. Are face serums and beauty oils two different names for the same thing?
Serums are water-based and contain potent ingredients that penetrate deep into the skin. On the other hand, face oils work on the surface of the skin to retain moisture in the skin. The texture of face oils is thick and oily. It also takes time to penetrate deep into the skin. Face oils are usually for dry skin. However, there are many face oils that are non-comedogenic and can be used for oily skin as well.
Conclusion
Serum is a light weight moisturizer, which moisturizes your skin, so it can also be called a lightweight moisturizer. To give your skin more hydration, you should also use a barrier repair moisturizer along with face serum.