Skin Care Routine: How To Build The Perfect Routine
Routines are more than just a regular sequence of events that we engage in every single day. For some of us, routines can become somewhat of a ritual, and it might feel weird to deviate from what we’re used to.
There may be no better example than skincare routines, and if your nightly cleansing routine is as habitual as eating and breathing, you’re not alone. However, there’s always room for improvement.
Even if you’ve got top-of-the-line products at your disposal, you still need to make sure you’re applying them correctly and in the proper order to achieve maximum effectiveness. Here is our tried-and-true regimen so you can take your skincare routine to the next level.
Step One: Cleanse Your Face
Even people who don’t have a religious skin care routine usually still accomplish this first step. Facial cleansing is an essential component of the overall regimen, and there’s a good reason why it should be done first.
When you wash your face, you remove blemishes, impurities, dead skin cells, bacteria, oils, excess sebum, and other debris from the surface. It’s necessary to do this first because other products like moisturizers can lock in dirt and debris, which clogs your pores and can lead to breakouts.
By eradicating them from the start, you’re essentially allowing your face to become a blank canvas for what’s to come. The right cleanser largely depends on your skin type, though our Purifying Gentle Mist Cleanser is suitable for all skin types. It removes make-up, impurities, and oils so that you can start your routine off right.
Pro Tip: After washing, be sure to pat your face dry with a clean towel. This ensures that you’re not getting any dirt on your skin after working so hard to remove it.
Step Two: Use Toner
Next up, you’ll want to use some toner. These are lightweight products that help close and tighten the pores, making them less susceptible to filling up with dirt and debris. This helps fortify you against future breakouts. Not to mention, they can get rid of make-up and other oils that your initial face wash may have missed.
Hydrating toners can be used morning and night, but if your toner contains exfoliating substances like glycolic or salicylic acid, it’s best to just use it at night.
Step Three: Apply Serum
Serums are another lightweight product that contains a high concentration of active ingredients. This makes them highly effective for reducing the visibility of fine lines, wrinkles, and other age spots.
Using facial serums with the right ingredients is essential. Look for antioxidants such as Vitamin C, or choose one that’s made with sustainably sourced materials like our Revitalizing Sea Serum. It harnesses the unique powers of brown kelp to stimulate hyaluronic acid production and improve firmness and elasticity.
Step Four: Invest in Quality Eye Cream
Many people choose to use just regular moisturizer on all areas of their face. However, if you decide to use a specialized eye cream, you should use it before a general moisturizer. This is because eye creams are usually thinner than moisturizers, so applying the cream first ensures that it can adequately soak into the affected area.
Eye creams can be used to reduce puffiness and dark circles under the eyes. You can use them morning and night, but sometimes hydrating eye creams can cause fluid retention that leads to puffiness in the morning. If that’s the case, try using these only in the morning.
Step Five: Spot Treatment
While facial serums and toners can close the pores, they are general substances applied all over the face. If you have pimples and zits that are starting to peek through the surface, spot treatments can help to eliminate them before they become too inundating.
Spot treatments are best used at night because the body does most of its healing while you sleep. However, as long as it isn’t causing your skin to dry out, there’s no reason why you can’t also use it during your morning skincare routine.
Step Six: Moisturize
Moisturizing is one of the most important aspects of a skincare routine. Many acne-fighting treatments contain chemicals that can dry out the skin. Using a moisturizer helps to rehydrate the skin and protect the skin barrier, as well as lock in the substances you’ve already used. It’s sort of like a protective shield for your face.
Be sure to use the right moisturizer based on your skin type. Dry skin types require oil-based moisturizers to restore lost sebum throughout the day, whereas oily skin types beg for water-based moisturizers instead. When in doubt, you can always go for a moisturizer that’s created with natural, sustainable ingredients, as these are likely to be less irritating for most types of skin.
Step Seven: Slather On the Sunscreen
Last but not least is subjectively the most important part of any skincare routine: sunscreen during the daytime.
UVA and UVB rays from the sun are some of the most harmful pollutants that can lead to premature signs of skin aging, such as dryness and age spots. Not to mention, harsh UV rays can cause severe skin conditions and a slew of other unwelcome health effects.
Bottom line: Use a sunscreen of at least broad-spectrum SPF 30 for the best protection. Additionally, be sure to re-apply every 90 minutes or after swimming in the pool or ocean.
Some moisturizers contain SPF, but if not, make sure you use a separate sunblock specifically to shield your skin from damage.
Make It Your Own
While this type of routine incorporates pretty much everything you need for acne-free, glowing skin, you have some options as far as mixing it up to match your own personal preferences.
For one, you don’t necessarily have to include every single one of these products into your regimen, especially if you just don’t have that much time in the morning to throw on all of these gels and creams before heading out the door.
At the bare minimum, you should be using a facial cleanser, moisturizer, and sunscreen. But if you’re able, all seven of those products will give you the best chance of achieving a complexion that you’re proud of.
Additionally, it never hurts to add some products if you’ve got room in your medicine cabinet. Retinoids are one optional product that may not be appropriate for everyone. However, they can help reduce the appearance of wrinkles by stimulating the production of collagen.
Retinoids take some time to work (about six months). Additionally, they can cause skin dryness while also making your skin more susceptible to sunlight. But with some patience, you’ll start to notice some vast improvements to the quality of your skin.
Use these continually, once a day, to reap the most benefits possible.
You may also decide to use face oil. These are known for their hydrating effects as well as their ability to provide even more anti-aging effects to your skin. If you decide to use these, just make sure you do it at the end of your routine, as nothing will be able to penetrate oil once it’s been applied.
In Conclusion
Skincare routines are a highly individualized regimen that can vary from person to person. However, if you do not see the results you’re looking for or are brand new to skincare, here is a method that will do wonders for your complexion.
To start, use a facial cleanser to turn your face into a blank canvas that’s ready to absorb the rest of the products. From there, you’ll want to use a toner to close the pores, a serum to reduce wrinkles, and eye cream to reduce puffiness and dark circles.
After that, use an acne spot treatment to target pimples and zits before you rub on some moisturizer to lock in the effectiveness of all of the other products. Finally, be sure to apply sunscreen to protect your skin from potentially harmful UV rays.
Buying the right products is as important as using them correctly, but you can save yourself some energy with our Beauty Skin System, which has everything you need to get started towards the skin of your dreams.
Sources:
Sun Exposure and Skin Cancer | Cleveland Clinic
Do You Really Need a Skin Care Routine? | Northwestern Medicine
