Sometimes shopping for skin care feels like it’s rocket science. It’s the ads! Everywhere! Promising you entry to the world of *insert new trend here* skin!
But even if you buy every celebrity face care product or follow your favourite rite influencer’s “Get Ready with Me” video, replicating routines never, if rarely, give results for flawless skin. So, what gives?
Whether you want to smooth wrinkles, fade brown spots, or shrink your pores, what and how you use it depends on your individual skin type and skincare needs. Your personalised skincare routine, starts with a basic regimen plus products formulated for your specific skin type (oily, dry, combination, etc.).
Put together — and stick to — a simple daily routine
But no matter what skin type you have, you should always start with three simple steps, that is cleanse, treat and moisturize. Treating involves using serums and creams that have vitamin c, retinols, hyaluronic acids, alpha hydroxy acids and many others. Here are the steps for a good skin care routine;
· Step 1: CLEANSE; washing your face is the basic step in skin care routine. The general rule of thumb here is that cleansing your complexion twice per day — once in the morning, once in the evening — is ideal. Cleansing in the morning will help to remove any evidence of sweat or oil left from your pillow and hair during your beauty sleep.
Our skin comes in contact with environmental pollutants and dirt that needs to be removed gently. When choosing a facial cleanser, experts say that beginners should opt for a gentle, hydrating one.
A couple of tried-and-true cleanser picks that are ideal for skin-care beginners include CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser (a 2019 Best of Beauty winner) and Cetaphil’s beloved Gentle Skin Cleanser (a multiple-Best of Beauty award winner).
· Step 2: TREAT; While serums and treatments are not a necessary part of a skin care routine, they are beloved by dermatologists and aestheticians alike for their concentrated ability to target specific issues. Skin plumping, brightening, hydrating, acne-fighting, wrinkles and fine lines, they can target whatever you need.
Check out our collection of serums and treatments
· Step 3: MOISTURIZE. Moisturizers help to hydrate and soften the skin by preventing water loss through the outer layers of the skin. Choose a moisturizer depending on your skin type, for example those with oily skin can use gel moisturizers and dry skin can use hydrating creams. In the morning, you should use light weight moisturizers and apply sunscreen to protect your skin from UVA and/ UVB radiation. At night you can use thick moisturizers that focus on repairing any damaged tissue of the skin. Click here for some quality hydrating moisturizers
Additional add-on steps you can rotate in and out of your routine as needed include some serums and masks. Some serums and treatments are formulated with a higher concentration of active ingredients — such as AHAs and BHAs— to target more specific skin concerns and shouldn’t be used on a daily basis.
They should be layered underneath your moisturizer — a general rule of thumb is to apply products with a thinner consistency underneath thicker ones, such as moisturizers and oil.
Remember to;
Keep your skin-pectations low
1. Products can take anywhere from 4–6 weeks to work.
2. Take it slow and keep your line-up exclusive when courting new products.
3. Don’t expect overnight results. That’s a recipe for disappointment and possibly a damaged skin barrier.
As with many things in life “Consistency is Key”
