Safeguard Your Skin: How to Patch Test Any Skincare Product Like a Pro
Learn how to patch test a skincare product to avoid uninvited allergies and reactions
Hey, guys, welcome and welcome back to skincare junkies. I hope you all are doing great and having fun in life.
Thank you so much for clicking your way into my little corner. I really appreciate it a lot.
So, we all know the excitement of purchasing a new skincare product and the urge to immediately open it up and slather it onto our faces. I know we all have been there — me too in my earlier skincare days.
But ever since I wreaked havoc of inflammation and irritation on my face, I never dared to do that thing again.
As good and exciting as it may feel to purchase a fancy skincare product that I finally decided to splurge on, I still won’t put it on my face without “patch-testing” it before.
You guys must’ve already known about patch testing, but lemme explain it a little bit once, just out of courtesy to our fellow beginner friends.
So, my novice skincare junkies, patch testing means testing any new skincare product on any part of your body other than your face to see if it causes any allergic reaction or irritation.
If it causes any reactions like inflammation, irritation, or some sort of allergy, then thank yourself for not directly putting it on your face and causing an epidemic.
And if it didn’t cause any reaction, then congrats now you can FINALLY put your new skincare product on your face, like obviously.
You might be thinking this one thing (perhaps!), “Do I really need to go through all this trouble just to try a new skincare product?”
Yeah, an absolutely valid question.
Imagine you’re about to buy a fancy sports car (just imagine even if you can’t buy one; hehe, jk, don’t take it personally).
You saw the car, loved its looks, and its features also looked promising, so you decided to purchase it without a test drive (because you were excited as hell).
But then later, when you actually drove that car, you found out that it handles like a rusty shopping cart and makes weird noises.
They fooled you (hehe), and you got rigged.
So, it works the same way for a skincare product; its packaging may be fancy (like that sports car), and its ingredients and benefits (your imaginary sports car’s features) might sound really promising too, but when you actually try it on your face, it may react and even cause some pesky allergic reactions.
So, it’s better to do a patch test (test drive) before putting it on your face.
I know that analogy was a bit stupid (maybe), but I hope you get the point.
I might be a new writer right now, but not a new skincare enthusiast, so yeah, I can tell you, after having done a lot of experiments with my face, including this not-taking-a-test drive one, that please do a patch test before putting any new skincare product on your face. You’ll thank me later.
So, after wasting a lot of your time with that stupid analogy, let’s finally dive into the nitty-gritty of how to patch test like a pro:
Step 1: Choose Your Patch Test Area
So, first things first, pick a small and inconspicuous area of your skin to do a patch test. Choose an area that’s similar to your face’s skin, so it’s easier for you to compare.
You can do a patch test on your wrist or elbow, behind your ears, or the side of your neck because they all have delicate skin, much like your face’s skin.
I personally like to do a patch test on my neck; it’s just a personal preference, but you can choose whichever of the above-mentioned parts you like the most.
Step 2: Cleanse the Area
So, after choosing your favorite body part for a patch test, now cleanse that area really well before putting the product on. Make sure that area’s clean and dry before you put the product on.
PS: I know you won’t make an effort to do this step. But it’s important to make sure that you don’t have any dirt or sweat in that area.
So you can avoid any second-guessing if the product reacts on your face even after patch testing.
Step 3: Apply a Small Amount of Product
Now comes the fun part! Take a tiny amount of the product you want to test and dab it onto that patch test area. Don’t slather on a heavy and thick layer of that product, but just apply enough to cover up that patch test area.
Step 4: Wait Patiently
After applying the product, now’s the time to play the waiting game. Leave that patch test area untouched for at least a good 24 hours.
Until then, go out and chill, but don’t touch that patch test area.
This’ll give your skin enough time to react if it’s not so happy with that product.
Step 5: Observe Any Reactions
After 24 hours, you can now take a look at that patch test area and see how your skin looks and feels. If your skin didn’t like that product, it’d have turned red and irritated.
You may also experience inflamed and irritated skin. And your skin may even break out and develop some sort of weird allergy because of that damn product. (Now thank yourself for taking a test drive and not slathering that product directly onto your face!)
In my personal experience, I’d have some products show a reaction right after applying them, so pay close attention to this thing, and if you experience any itching, swelling, irritation, or any other signs, then immediately wash that area with water.
If the reaction’s really bad, then use cold compresses and petroleum jelly on that area; you’ll feel much better. If it’s a major reaction, then please visit your dermat.
Step 6: Proceed with Caution
If your skin shows no adverse reactions after the patch test period, then congratulations! Your skin has approved that product happily. Now you can confidently incorporate that product into your skincare routine.
Final Thoughts
So, there you have it, guys! How to patch test your new skincare products like a pro. Be it a serum, moisturizer, or even sunscreen, they all can have harmful chemicals in them that your skin might not like.
So, that’s why it’s really important for you to patch-test every single product that you want to use to see if your skin approves it happily or not.
Thank you so much for reading all the way through; it really means a lot. So just to express my gratitude for that, here’s my FREE and exclusive cheat sheet for you that I haven’t shared anywhere else till now.
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Until next time, stay tuned and happy skincaring🥰. Tysm for reading again❤️.
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Disclaimer: The information provided in this blog is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional skincare advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
