How To Manage Skincare as A Research Student

Being a research student means you always feel like you’re running out of time. Balancing academics, an active lifestyle, and life responsibilities can be a huge challenge. To top it all off, skincare can be elaborate and confusing with commercials and social media reviews about some kind of “life-changing product” every week. A few tips that have helped me balance my morning writing sessions and skincare routine are mentioned below. Be warned, this might not work for everyone, but if you’re looking for a quick and easy way of taking care of yourself while you’re on a schedule, this could work out for you, maybe?

Sunscreen in my desk drawer- At all times!

I know this has been said many times and you are probably weary of it being drilled on social media 24/7. Sunscreen should be an important part of your skincare routine, although it is possible to forget this in the crazy frenzy of research. If you’re the kind of person who needs to do a morning face cleanse, then keep your sunscreen near your skincare products as the first product in line. This way your eye won’t miss it while you get ready to go out. If you’re like me and don’t do a morning cleanse, you could keep your moisturizer and sunscreen near your bedside and apply it as soon as you wake up. It works for me! Although I’d still recommend that you tweak your routine according to your skin type and personal preference.

Even when I’m my desk studying, be it at home, on campus, or at the library; I keep my sunscreen in the drawer or on the table. This way I won’t forget reapplication and neither will you. Another tip that has really helped me is: keeping drugstore, affordable sunscreens in my bag, dresser, and even near the corridor window where I sit down to read sometimes. Just make sure it is in a cool, dry place so the sunscreen doesn’t degrade too fast.

Research Driven Mornings: Nutrition

Nutrition is important for health, and even skincare. Whatever we eat could help our skin, hair and nails too. No wonder half the world is trying to brainwash us into eating supplements for aesthetic purposes. However, it is important to focus that you always eat a balanced and nutritious diet. It should be able to sustain your body and mind. It is difficult to study, write or read when I haven’t had a meal that has sufficient caloric intake to help me focus.

Therefore, eating a nutrition packed breakfast can do wonders! Especially, if you are a morning person. I make sure that I consume omega foods during the day and add in fruits, vegetables and enough protein in case I have to make a few extra rounds at the library. This keeps me energetic and in turn helps skin and hair too. Whenever I do take supplements, I try to take them in the morning. This way I can et my body do its work and focus on research for the rest of the day. So, make sure your nutrition is not only for aesthetic purposes, but also for the well-being of your body and mind. Taking care of your health (which includes mental health too) can do wonder for how you perform, research-wise.

Pamper Your Eyes: Screen Time Recovery

Studying on screen a lot can strain the eyes. Sometimes you might catch yourself vigorously rubbing the eye area. To make sure you recover from all the screen time and also take care of your eyes, it is important to eat well, sleep well and you might think about adding some eye products (according to skin type). There has been a lot of debate about whether eye products even work, some believe they do while others think it is just a myth.

I make sure that I apply all my face products near my eye contour area too. At end of the day, I also add a thick layer of an occlusive or very heavy moisturizer to seal the hydration in. On weekends, I try to get extra sleep. Another thing, I’ve been trying is to sleep on my back at all times to avoid any extra fluid retention when I wake up. I’m also careful to always apply sunscreen near my eye area, although this can cause irritation for some people.

Busy Bee: Create A Basic Skincare Routine

I know it can get really busy, sometimes. Some nights, I just want to collapse into bed, without washing my face. But for days like that, I make sure my routine is minimal and simple. A routine that does not entail the risk of irritation or the hassle of waiting for layers to dry. Nope, none of that.

After a through cleanse, I just apply a simple moisturizer (maybe even a basic serum, depending on my concerns but not always). Sometimes sticking to the basics can help you focus on better food, sleep and relaxation with your loved ones. I believe those things can be good for the mind and body too; in turn it could help with stress as well.

If you’re feeling run down; you could stick to cleanse, moisturize and apply sunscreen as your mantra. Not everything needs to be extensive or targeted towards the flaws we perceive to have. Sometimes it is okay to just be, without a worry.

Budget Friendly Products: Do Your Research

Avoid buying into trends, if you can. It wastes a lot of money and this can be rather difficult for research students who might be struggling with funding and expense, already. 

Wait for more' authentic' reviews and snoop around on skincare threads to see which product is worth the investment (ingredient wise- money wise). Also, some drugstore brands can be a great alternative if you're on a tight budget.  

Take a deep breath, take a day off from all your research, and take care of yourself. Until we meet again!