All You Need to Know about Face Serums

Sometimes it can feel like you need a formal education degree in beauty just to make sense of the ridiculous numbers of skin care products available on the market. Finite has made this fairly simple by keeping a small range of products suitable for every skin type, check them out maybe? 

So, today, let’s talk about these fancy things called serums. How are they different from moisturizers and what added benefit do they have? 

Surprisingly enough, serums are actually magical products that can have a myriad of positive effects on your skin. If you’re wondering about the hype behind it too, let’s walk through it together. 

What is a serum?

Consider your skincare routine a three-course meal. Now consider this, if your facial cleanser is the appetizer and your dessert is your moisturizer, serums are practically the main course. Just like your main course, serums contain the most important active ingredients for nourishing your skin and keeping it healthy. 

According to Dr. Joshua Zeichner, a board-certified dermatologist, “serums are skincare products that are specifically formulated for delivering considerable concentrations of active ingredients to your skin. There are various types of face serums available in the market, each having different functions ranging from hydration to skin brightening”. 

Generally, serums are liquid or gel-based and are comparatively less thick than traditional moisturizers. Moisturizers are ideally applied after serums to lock in the moisture provided by the serum. 

Why do you need a serum?
Serums are products that have the capability of making your skincare routine a whopping success. Since they are designed to battle specific skin-related conditions, choosing the right serum as per the concern at hand will help you get the best out of your skincare routine. Whether it’s wrinkles, dark spots, dull skin, acne-prone skin, and many more, there is a serum with active ingredients for everything! So, in case there’s a skin issue you’ve been trying to battle with for a long while, serums are your best weapon. 

What are the benefits of using them?
Serums generally contain ingredients that have antioxidant properties and various other ingredients which can even out skin tone. Other benefits include:

• Better skin texture: certain ingredients in serums improve your skin texture by making it smoother, firmer, and plumper. Not only that but they can significantly decrease visible fine lines and wrinkles.

• Brighter complexion: continuous use of serum helps brighten up your skin over time. The active ingredients present in them also help reduce blemishes, dark spots, and pimples as well resulting in a more youthful and radiant appearance. 

• Lessens skin issues: regular use results in a decrease in acne breakouts, blackheads, and whiteheads by minimizing pore size to give your skin a lasting fresh look.

What type of serums should we look for?
Because of the ginormous number of serums present on the market, it can get hard to choose the right serum. The trick to choosing the right serum is fairly easy. It is a rule of thumb to look for serums containing plenty of antioxidants and hydrating agents. Doing this will help expose your skin to the active ingredients based on your skin concern. REMEMBER TO USE SERUMS AFTER CLEANSING YOUR FACE as it allows deeper penetration and amplifies the effect. 

Try one of our 6 Finite Face Serums specially curated to cater to every skin concern in the book. The best part? They suit EVERY SKIN TYPE!

Remember to always conduct patch tests for every product you use to ensure you aren’t sensitive to the ingredients in them. 

What is the right way to use a serum?

Follow the right order: a not-so-secret secret to a successful skin care regime is…

Drum roll, please!

FOLLOWING THE RIGHT ORDER.
To get the most out of your serum, you need to use the correct order of application. Now, this sounds like absolute common sense, but you’ll be surprised to know some people actually get it wrong and mess up their entire routine! Applying serums should ideally be the third step in your routine. Always remember to use a serum after using a good, gentle face cleanser like the Finite 01 Face Cleansing Gel to cleanse your face of any grime or dirt that may have accumulated throughout the day. 

The golden standard of this process is generally that of two fingers. The best way to apply a serum is by using two fingers to prevent any leakage and then follow it up with sunscreen during the day and moisturizer at night.

Choose your skin concern: most serums are designed to alleviate different types of skin concerns you may be experiencing by adding active ingredients best suited for them. Apart from your regular everyday serums, you can also opt for serums to fix specific face concerns you might be facing. 

Let your skin get used to it: just because you started using a serum 1 day ago does not mean it will miraculously make your skin flawless immediately! If you expect that… well… don’t maybe? Allow your serum to take some time to work its magical effects on your skin! Science says that skin cells take at least 28 days to turn over and regenerate, so consider the fact that your serums will, AT LEAST, take a month to show effectiveness. Try to maintain enthusiasm and keep hope for a month without seeing immediate results. Chalk out a serum regime and stick to it if you wish to see tangible changes on your skin. 

Invest in quality: something you should always keep in mind is quality over quantity. This applies to the serums you use too. There might be a lot of serums out there with varying prices. In such a case, it’s the right thing to do to invest in the best ones regardless of the price range they may fall in. 

What are the different types of serums?
Considering the fact that there are lots of different serums on the shelf, let’s go through the various types of serums that are available and what their purposes are:

Color-correcting:

Now, as the name suggests, these serums are mostly used to even out the skin tone and relieve hyperpigmentation. They can also be used to shrink enlarged pores. It is most suitable for people who wish to fix uneven skin tone or dark spots. 

Anti-aging:

Their main purpose is to slow down the natural aging process of the skin i.e., fine lines and wrinkles and are loaded with anti-aging ingredients. Anti-aging serums are suitable for people with all skin types and can be used at an early age as well, even as young as the 20s. 

Hydrating: 

Just like the name suggests, the main purpose of these serums is to add more moisture to your skin and supplement your nightly moisturizers. Everyone can benefit from hydrating serums as they keep your skin looking hydrated and radiant.

Antioxidant:

Serums containing antioxidants keep your skin safe from free radicals that float in the air. These free radicals can have disastrous impacts on your skin such as cell damage and premature aging. These serums can also aid in preventing wrinkles and fine lines along with healing and repairing your skin.

Well, there you go, a comprehensive guide to face serums! If it helped even a few of you, our job has been a success. Face serums can sound like rocket science but they don’t have to be! Now, do your skin a favor and get going and choose a good serum for yourself (psst, you can also try Finite Face Serums)!