With hundreds of skincare products to try and something shiny and new hitting our feeds every other day, it can be hard to stick to a skincare routine. We’ve learnt time and time again though, that keeping things consistent is the best way to see results, and avoid causing even more issues with your skin.

But, of course, there are times when you need to put down your favourite cleanser, secure the top on that serum you’ve been using for months and pack away your moisturiser in exchange for a new routine that’s better formulated to meet your current goals. When is that exactly? Well, we’ve rounded up the top four reasons you may want to look at changing your skincare routine to help you avoid wasting product by trying new things unnecessarily, or doing your skin a disservice by sticking with the same products for too long.

You’re not seeing results

It seems obvious but it’s tough to make the decision to give up on your skincare routine even when you’re not seeing any improvement in your skin. We know that it takes time for even the best products to do their thing but eventually, you may have to admit defeat and begin looking elsewhere for your acne-fighting, skin brightening, pigment fading and wrinkle reducing favourites.

If it’s been more than 28 days and you haven’t seen any changes in your skin, it’s time to look at adding in another product, taking away something that could be causing your skin to worsen, instead of improve, or reworking your routine as a whole.

You want to change something about your skin

If your skincare is doing its job you should be seeing visible results, whether that be clearing up acne, fading scars or pigmentation, adding hydration or just generally improving tone and texture overall. As one problem begins to be fixed, you may have other concerns that require a different regime so it’s now time to switch up your products.

For example, if your acne is cleared and you want to start targeting your post inflammatory hyperpigmentation, or you’ve just come out of a sunny Summer and need to fade those few spots of freckles.

Your skin is feeling overly dry and tight, or getting super oily

Things like the weather, our diet, our environments and our lifestyle can all have an impact on your skin and often causes changes to your skin type. For example, Summer sweat and humidity and those sticky morning rides to work on the train can leave your face feeling shiny due to an excess of oil. On the other hand, Winter weather and our habits of sitting in front of artificial heating at home and in the office can really dry out the skin, so you may find you need to adjust your skincare routine to your skin type throughout the year.

Don’t just assume you need to change it up as the weather warms or cools. Give yourself some time to see how your skin reacts and keep your routine going if nothing changes.

Your skin is feeling sensitive and looks shiny but not oily

Our skins’ natural protective barrier is pretty susceptible to damage, whether that be through pollutants in the environment, blue light damage, stress and most commonly, an aggressive skincare routine. A line-up of products could be working amazingly for a few weeks but over time, if we’re not protecting our skin barrier, you can start to notice a little extra redness or dryness, the feeling of sensitivity when you use your active products, breakouts or even taught and shiny looking skin that is still dry, not oily.

All of these symptoms are a sign it’s time to look at changing your routine, often by eliminating actives and reducing exfoliation.