Having decent skin-care products isn't enough: You must also apply your treatments in the precise order for them to be effective. Your regimen will be determined by your skin type, product components and formulations, and time of day. However, a good rule of thumb is to apply in order of texture, from thinnest to thickest, because thin items will not penetrate heavier ones.
The Perfect 9-Step Skincare Routine
Even if you have a three-step or nine-step skincare routine, there's one thing everyone can do to enhance their skin: apply products in the correct order. Regardless of your skin issues, start with a clean, toned base, then apply concentrated, active products, and lock in moisture”and, of course, SPF during the day. The steps to a proper skincare routine are as follows:
1. Wash your face. Rinse your face with water and massage a tiny quantity of mild cleanser between clean palms every morning and night. Gently massage the face wash all over your face. Rinse your hands and massage your face with water until the cleanser and filth have been gone. Using a soft towel, gently wipe your face dry. If you use makeup at night, you may need to cleanse twice. First, use cleansing oil or micellar water to remove your makeup. To prevent scratching your eyes, try keeping specialist eye-makeup removers on for a few minutes to allow the makeup to come off more readily. After that, gently wash your entire face.
2. Apply toner. Apply toner after cleaning your face and before doing anything else. Using your hands or a cotton pad, gently swipe a few drops of toner onto your face. Only apply your exfoliating toner at night if it contains chemicals like glycolic acid to exfoliate dead skin cells. Using hydrating formulations twice a day is recommended. Exfoliating toner with retinoids or other exfoliants should not be used at the same time.
3. Apply serum. Morning is a perfect time to apply an antioxidant serum, such as a brightening vitamin C serum, because it protects your skin from free radicals that you'll meet throughout the day. Use a hydrating serum with hyaluronic acid at night to protect your skin from drying out, especially if you're taking anti-aging or acne treatments that can irritate and dry up the skin. Exfoliants like as alpha-hydroxy acids (AHA) or lactic acid can also be found in serums. Whatever method you use, keep the following in mind: Water-based serums should be used before moisturiser, whereas oil-based serums should be applied after.
4. Apply eye cream. You may use conventional moisturiser on your under-eye area, but if you want to use a specific eye cream, you should layer it below moisturiser because eye creams are often thinner than face moisturisers. To reduce puffiness in the morning, use an eye cream with a metal roller-ball applicator and keep it in the freezer. When you use a moisturising eye moisturiser at night, it might induce fluid retention, making your eyes puffy in the morning.
5. Use spot treatment. When your body is in repair mode, it's a good idea to utilise acne spot treatments at night. Layering acne-fighting chemicals such as benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acids with retinol might irritate the skin. Make sure you're doing everything you can to keep your skin calm and moisturised.
6. Moisturize. Moisturizer moisturises skin while also locking in all of the other layers of product you've applied. For the morning, look for a lightweight lotion with SPF 30 or higher. In the evening, a heavier night cream can be used. Those with dry skin should use a lotion in the morning and at night.
7. Apply retinoid. By accelerating skin-cell turnover, retinoids (vitamin A derivatives like retinol) help diminish dark spots, breakouts, and fine wrinkles, but they can also irritate sensitive skin. If you take retinoids, keep in mind that they degrade in the sun, so only use them at night. They also make your skin more sun-sensitive, so wearing sunscreen is essential.
8. Apply face oil. When you're using a face oil, use it after your other skin-care products since nothing else will penetrate the oil.
9. Apply sunscreen. Although it is the final step, almost
every dermatologist will tell you that sun protection is the most crucial
aspect of any skin-care plan. Skin cancer and indications of ageing can be
avoided by protecting your skin from UV radiation. Even if your moisturiser
does not contain SPF, you should still use sunscreen. To ensure that chemical
sunscreens are effective, wait 20 minutes before going outside. Look for
broad-spectrum SPF, which means your sunscreen will protect you from both UVA
and UVB rays.
