It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when you’re trying to put together a skincare routine. There are thousands of products on the market, and you can become confused by the various terminologies. What are active ingredients? Do I need more than one serum? What’s the proper order for my skincare products? Why use a serum? We are answering all these questions and more in this article, which guides you through how to build the perfect skincare routine that works for your skin type.
Every skincare routine revolves around four fundamental steps – cleansing, toning, treating, and moisturizing. You want to focus on understanding your skin type so you can address specific concerns like blemishes and excess oil production. While most skincare routines will incorporate the same steps, you want to personalize it.
Know Your Skin Type
Before you can start building the perfect skincare routine, you need to identify what your skin type is as this will decide the products you choose. There are four common skin types.
- Dry skin is characterized by a lack of hydration which can result in flaky skin and an uneven texture. Your skin can feel tighter after using a toner for the face or cleansing your skin. It can also often have a dull-looking appearance.
- Oily skin is caused by excess sebum production, which leaves a shine to your skin. You want to focus on cleansing within your routine to prevent enlarged pores and to diminish the appearance of imperfections.
- Combination skin incorporates elements of both dry and oily skin types. You might have oily skin on your t-zone and dry skin elsewhere.
- Normal skin is well balanced, but you may still experience the occasional flare-up of acne or oiliness in areas of your skin.
You could have one of the above skin types and also have sensitive skin. If you fall into this category, you want to make sure you’re using a gentle cleanser to prevent irritation. You’ll also want to take extra time to research the ingredients in your products to prevent irritation, as you’ll need to avoid ingredients like fragrance.
How Many Steps Are in a Skincare Routine?
Your morning vs. night skincare routine will differ slightly. With your daytime routine, you want to add a sunscreen to prevent UV damage. By comparison, your night-time routine will include more of a focus on cleansing your skin to remove impurities and makeup. Here is the correct order of skincare routine that you should follow to get the best results.
1. Cleanser
Your skincare routine starts with a face wash to cleanse your skin. Every day, your face sheds hundreds of dead skin cells that can clog up your pores. Washing your face helps to remove these dead skin cells, along with other impurities like bacteria. Your cleanser will also help to melt and remove your makeup. If you’re wearing a full-face of makeup, you might decide to use the double cleanse method for the best results.
Cleansing your skin allows for the better absorption of the active ingredients in your other skin care products. You also want to book in for a deep cleansing facial at least once every season to help remove impurities and unclog your pores on a deeper level.
2. Toner
The reason for the use of toner for the face is to help catch the impurities that your cleanser might have missed. Using a water-based toner solution will give your skin an extra boost of hydration. A toner can diminish the appearance of enlarged pores and balance your pH levels to control sebum production, making it a must-have for oily skin types.
3. Serum/Ampoule Pad
Your beauty skin serum represents the ‘treating’ stage of your skincare routine, where you can personalize it to address specific concerns. Serum benefits include additional hydration, anti-aging, and treating acne scarring. When you choose a serum for the face, you want one that will work with your skin type.
An ampoule pad has a more concentrated serum solution and can be worn like a face mask, penetrating deeper than traditional products. You can use them as a weekly part of your routine.
4. Eye Cream
It’s never too early to start using an under-eye skin tightening cream. Your eye area has the thinnest skin on your body, meaning oil glands are not produced and is the first part of your skin to start showing signs of aging. This step will prevent under eye wrinkle and allow you to tackle puffiness.
5. Moisturizer
You might wonder, ‘why use a face moisturizer’? It’s one product that we don’t focus on enough. Your facial moisturizer delivers a boost of hydration for your skin to restore your moisture levels. A day cream helps keep your skin hydrated throughout the day, while a night cream has a thicker formula to protect your skin from becoming dry overnight.
A face moisturizer locks in the active ingredients in your other skincare products to give you optimum results. As a face lotion, it supports your skin’s natural protective barrier to prevent premature ageing and oxidative stress.
6. Daytime Sunscreen
As part of your daytime routine, you want to incorporate a sunblock for the face. Using a sunscreen for the face is an essential part of your routine and protects from premature aging while lowering your risk of skin cancer.
Even when you can’t see the sun, it’s still there and causing damage to your skin. You also want to wear a sunscreen with UVA and UVB protection to lower the risk of skin aging and skin burning. Blue light produced by your laptop and mobile devices should be blocked as well since 6 hours in front of a blue light screen can cause the same damage as 20 minutes in the direct summer sunlight.
7. Sheet Mask
A sheet mask is something you can incorporate into your self-care routine every week. A hydrating sheet mask will give your skin an extra moisture boost and is the perfect add-on to your routine in the colder months when your skin needs a little TLC.
If anti-aging is a concern, consider trying a Bio-Cellulose Face Mask to treat sagging and fine lines on your skin. When you’re using a sheet mask within your skincare routine, you want to incorporate it between your toner and eye cream.