Skincare routines are an essential part of everyone's lives, but have you ever wondered if you've been doing it right all this time? In this article I have broken down the best daily skincare routine as a staple for healthy, glowing skin in the simplest way possible.
Please bear in mind that this is a staple skincare routine, which if followed daily will give you a healthier looking skin.
Your skincare routine should ideally be performed twice a day, a morning skincare routine and a night-time skincare routine. Please also note considering a weekly beauty routine which is slightly more intense for your skin.
If you are not into beauty and skincare, but would like to get visibly healthier skin - these skincare steps are the best for your daily skincare routine.
1. Cleanse
The perfect skincare routine always starts with a cleanser.
There are several cleaning skincare products on the cosmetics market, and you can choose any product from mild to stronger depending on how many impurities you have on your face.
Morning Skincare:
In the morning I would always suggest something milder for your skin, as the only impurities you're likely to have on your face is excess oils and products you applied the night before.
For this, a simple rinse of your face with water could do the trick, but micellar water would ensure your skin is clean and ready for the products to come next.
Night-time skincare:
Your skin is has most likely accumulated a few more impurities during the day, including makeup, pollution, dust and sebum.
To get rid of these, I would recommend a slightly stronger cleanser. You can find so many different types of cleansers, but if you don't wear makeup - a simple micellar water may just be enough. However, if you choose to wear makeup - here's a skincare hack for you: using an oil cleanser to dissolve the makeup will allow you to get rid of the makeup without being too harsh on your skin, then use a cleanser to get rid of the oil and other impurities. This is what we call a 'double cleanse'.
2. Exfoliate/Tone
If you're brand new to skincare, you may not know the difference between an exfoliating product and a toning product - but they do similar things, so you can pick and choose for your beauty routine depending what your skin needs.
An exfoliating product will work by removing dead skin cells from the epidermis (top layer) of the skin.
A toning product is designed to 'refresh' the skin by gently removing dead skin cells and
prepare the skin to absorb the essence/serum
in the later steps.
In other words, a toner is just a milder version of an exfoliating product.
Morning Skincare:
Your skin will produce new skin cells over night and therefore push out the older ones, therefore it's important to remove the dead skin cells - however you should use gentle skincare products as to not sensitise the skin during the day. Therefore it's a better idea to exfoliate as night and just use a toner in the morning.
Use a gentle toner in the morning to help with gentle exfoliation and further cleansing.
Night-time Skincare:
At night, your skin won't be exposed to too many harsh factors such as the sun and impurities, this means it's an ideal time for some deeper exfoliation. Getting rid of dead skin cells will give you a refreshed and glowing skin.
Use an exfoliating product such as glycolic acid to remove any dead skin cells, and let the skin rest during the night.
You my use a stronger exfoliating product once a week, but it's not recommended for daily use, as the skin may become sensitive.
3. Essence/Serum
This is where it gets fun! So after you have purified your skin, it's ready some well deserved nourishment.
You can either use essence or serum for this step, but what's the difference?
The best way to describe an essence would be a combination of a toner and a serum. Whereas a serum is a concentrated solution used to treat specific concerns such as acne, redness or inflammation.
Morning Skincare:
In the morning, it's a good idea to nourish your skin with the right skincare products. Make sure you're not using any products which might cause temporary redness to the skin and which react with UV light such as vitamin C.
Simply used skincare products which are designed for morning routines or for both mooring and nighttime routines. It should be specified on the packaging.
Night-time Skincare:
This is the time where you can go-in with your skincare products and really give your skin the nourishment it needs. You can pretty much use any products at night, however you may want to avoid oilier formulations just before going to bed to not get your pillow soaked with skincare.
Vitamin C, antioxidants and salicylic acid are just a few you may consider using.
4. Moisturise
Look at moisturising as a way of locking-in all the goodnesses you have just applied to your skin. Moisturisers will hydrate your skin and ensure that the cell moisture stays high.
This is usually the most important and classic step of a good skincare routine, as it can include other ingredients which provide secondary claims and benefits such as anti-ageing, uv protection and even skin coverage!
Morning Skincare:
In the morning your skin is likely to be better hydrated from the night before, therefore you don't need to use too heavy of a moisturiser - besides, you don't want to feel like you have too much product on your face throughout the day.
I would recommend using a lightweight moisturiser with added benefits, most importantly: SPF... which link in to the final protection step.
Night-time Skincare
After a long day you want to make sure that you're replenishing the moisture in your skin cells and locking-in the goodnesses off your serums and essences. It's easier to wear a heavier moisturiser at night as you won't even feel it whilst you sleep.
Use a richer moisturiser, preferably scentless if you're sensitive to smells whilst you sleep. You can use a good amount of it as you don't have to worry about looking oily whilst you sleep.
5. Protect
Protecting your skin from the elements is super important! Your facial routine should most certainly include an SPF product to protect you from the harsh UVA and UVB rays we are exposed to on a daily basis.
Morning Skincare:
Always, always use SPF in the morning. the higher the sun protection factor the better. If you'd like to learn how does sunscreen work, or what is SPF? - click the links.
You may also look into pollution protection, which is a new trend in the cosmetics industry.
Night-time Skincare:
There aren't many factors you really need to protect your skin from during the night, so you can skin this step during the night.
Summary:
Cleanse
Tone in the morning & exfoliate at night
Essence in the morning & serums at night
Moisturise
Protect
If you follow these five simple steps every day, you are bound to have beautiful and healthy skin all year round!