How to keep a skin diary

We understand that if you have sensitive skin, it can be difficult to work out exactly what is happening to your skin and why.

The key to understanding sensitive skin is learning what affect everyday situations, activities and mindsets can have.

Keeping a skin diary is a great way of really getting to know your skin.  Here’s our guide on why and how to do it.

Keeping track of your skin

Jotting down how certain things affect your skin can be so useful. By keeping a skin diary you’ll be able to see what impact external factors, such as stress and the environments and internal factors, like your diet and hormones, have on your skin.

This will give you a clearer picture of your skin and help you spot any patterns.  So hopefully you’ll get to know the triggers for those seemingly random breakouts, and reactions and know what to do or to avoid in future.

We’ve listed some questions you may want to ask yourself each day. Your daily entries shouldn’t take long to fill in so it doesn’t become a chore. And we recommend giving it at least 28 days, but ideally 3 months to get a really good overview.

Sleep

1. What time did you go to bed?
2. What time did you wake up?
3. How well did you sleep?
4. How many hours did you sleep?

Skincare

1. What did you do/use for your morning skin care routine?
2. What did you do/use for your evening skin care routine?
3. Did you use anything else throughout the day?
4. What did your skin look like when you woke up?
5. What did your skin look like when you went to bed?

Diet

1. What did you eat for your meals?
2. Did you eat any snacks?
3. How much water did you drink?
4. How much caffeine did you drink?

Mood and activity

1. Did you exercise?
2. What was your mood like?
3. How were your stress levels?
4. Where are you in your menstrual cycle?

Environment

1. What was your environment like?
2. Were you in the sun? If so, for how long?
3. Were you in the wind? If so, for how long?
4. Did you have the heating on?
5. Did you have the air conditioning on?

Clothing

1. What did you wear?
2. What fabrics are they made from?

After three months, take some time to look through your entries and see what it reveals. You’ll probably be surprised how much these factors and products are affecting your skin.

While a skin diary may not treat your skin condition, it may just shine a light on what throws your skin off balance. And if nothing else, it’s a good reminder of what products your skin likes and doesn’t.

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