The 14-Day Skin Reset

A skin reset is about reducing the noise long enough for your skin to tell you what it actually needs and what it doesn't.

We aren't really starting from scratch but what we are doing is keeping a check on variables.

If you’re midway through our reset on Instagram and wondering “am I doing this right?”. That question alone is a sign you’re paying attention. 

Start With a Baseline

The first step in any reset is establishing a baseline.

When routines are busy involving multiple actives, exfoliants and layered treatments, it becomes almost impossible to understand what's helping and what's not.

A baseline should be simple. Gentle cleansing, barrier support and of course staying consistent.

Keeping our skincare minimal will show us clarity on how our skin behaves. If your skin is sensitive, the reset should help it stabilise.

What to Pause (Temporarily)

During a reset, it's often helpful to temporarily pause exfoliating acids, retinoids, peels or masks and anything you're unsure is working. 

By removing these variables, we remove the many signals our skin faces that may confuse it. 

Don't be alarmed if you find your skin irritated, dry or breaking out. This may just be signs of adjustment as your skin may have gotten used to these actives.

Eventually you will add back your favourite actives once your skin is calmer.

What to Keep

During the reset, we want to keep gentle cleansers that doesn't strip your skin. Retain your products that provide you hydration. Key point to note: we want hydration that feels comfortable. Barrier support is essential, whether from a cream or a serum. If a product helps your skin feel calm, predictable and manageable, we keep it.

A good reset routine should feel boringly reliable.

When to Add Back

We have to be careful with reintroduction. This is where resets can go off track. We need to slowly add products in.

A few guiding principles to consider:

1. Introduce one product at a time

2. Give your skin a few days to respond

3. If adding an active in, keep the weekly frequency low

4. Skin adapts to rhythm so stay consistent

If something causes irritation or discomfort when reintroduced, stop using immediately. This is important information for you to note down, to understand why this product may not work for you. 

Texture Matters More Than You Think

If a product feels heavy, sticky or uncomfortable, its unlikely to last in your routine. Even if the product is well-formulated, effectiveness will only if consistency exists.

During your reset, I want you to pay attention to your products. How does it feel on application? How does your skin feel an hour later? Would you want to use them again?

Comfort is a signal worth listening to.

The Reality Check

We want to create long-term routines. The question you need to ask yourself when building your routine is: "Does this work on my busiest day?"

A reset is successful only when it produces a routine that can survive late nights, travel, low-energy days, inconsistent schedules.

An easy comfortable routine will lead to improvements in skin.

Where The Reset Edit Fits In

We built The Reset Edit to support your reset. It's a curated reference for when you want to make fewer decisions and want to focus on barrier-first skincare. These products can easily integrate into your routines without needing a complete overhaul. Use it as a guidance of the type of products you should be looking to use during your skin reset.

Our 14-day Reset daily ritual is being shared on Instagram here, where we walk through the reset phases in real time.

Follow along in whatever way works for you. If you are reading this at a later date, the ritual will be a highlight on our page.