Beautiful and flawless skin does not magically appear unless you are blessed with the perfect genetics. If you are normal like me, and almost everyone else, skin problems and issues like acne, oily skin, and dry skin is very common. Today’s topic will cover an A-to-Z guide to the best skin care routine.
To unleash your skin’s natural beauty, you need the right skin care routine steps to nourish it and enhance its natural appearance. You need to always remember that beautiful and flawless skin is healthy skin. The glow and radiance that you see are because the skin is healthy, not because of how much you cover your skin with makeup.
So, how do you get your skin to be healthy?
The first step is as simple as to improve your overall body’s health first. You need to eat right, exercise regularly so that your blood circulation and internal body system are able to function perfectly, as well as to drink enough water every day.
Once your body is functioning well, then you can start to focus on the skin care routine steps.
But how do you start with the right skin care routine steps for your skin?
There are so many misconceptions about skin care products and their routine. For instance, what do you apply first, moisturizer or serum? And how many times do you wash your face daily? Do you need to apply the sunscreen before or after moisturizer?
And the questions go on, and on, and on.
So, to clear all the misconceptions, we are here to guide you from A-to-Z with the best skin care routine, because we believe everyone deserves flawless skin, including me and you.
What is your skin type?
Before we proceed further on the products and how to apply them, we need to identify your skin type first. Your skin type plays a big role, especially in choosing the types of skin care products you need to use for your skin care routine.
For instance, those with oily-prone skin are recommended to use skin care products that are specially formulized for oily skin and come with the function to reduce sebum production.
There are mainly 4 types of skin, the normal skin type the oily skin, the dry skin, and the combination skin.
Dry skin is commonly tight, rough, flaky, and is prone to irritations. The oily skin on the other hand is greasy and has large and visible pores. The combination skin is a combination of dry and oily skin, with the usual oily at the T zone, and dry at the cheeks.
The normal skin is very normal, it is clear, and had the perfect balance of oily and dryness. It is not too oily, but enough natural skin oil to make you glow, and not dry too.
So which type of skin do you have?
What are the best skin care routine steps?
After you’ve identified the type of your skin, then it would be easier for you to find the right product and the right method to take care of your skin.
Cleanser
The first step in the skin care routine is to clean your face. Impurities like dirt, accumulated dust, and makeup residue need to be removed from your skin. The cleansing process needs to be done at least twice a day, during the morning, and before bedtime.
It is important to clean your face before applying any other skin care products like serum and moisturizer. This is to ensure that the skin is totally clean and able to absorb the skin care products effectively.
There are many methods to clean your face. You can try the normal and most common one of applying cleanser to your face, and gently massage the cleanser evenly throughout the face, and wash your face clean.
Or you can try other methods too, like using a facial cleanser brush to clean your face. A cleanser brush has very soft and micro bristles that are specially designed to remove impurities from the face. This way, your skin is going to be thoroughly cleaned, and free from any dirt, dust, excess oil, and makeup.
Another method of cleansing the face is by doing the double cleansing method. This is by combining an oil-based facial cleanser, with a water-based facial cleanser. This method is recommended for those with acne-prone skin. The oil-based facial cleanser is the best at removing impurities and unclogging your pores. It is also gentler to the skin and would not cause any irritations. This is followed by the second cleanser, which is a water-based cleanser. The water-based cleanser shall address and fit your skin problem, like having the ingredients to soothe and treat acne. This way, your skin is going to be entirely clean, and free from any impurities.
Toner
After your skin is clean, then it is time to use the toner. Apart from making your skin feel super duper fresh, toning the skin has many benefits too. Applying the toner to the skin will help to shrink pores, and act as a layer of protection to the skin.
The toner is also prepping your skin for the next skin care routine.
You can choose any toner that is made suitable for your skin type. For instance, a toner that has green tea as its main ingredient is the best and most suitable to treat acne problems, as it is soothing the skin.
You can apply the toner with a small cotton ball or cotton pads. It is also okay to apply toner using only your fingers, but make sure your hands are clean.
Tips: To save on toner products, you can transfer the toner to a small sprayer bottle. It is going to save you a lot of toner drops, as compared to using the toner directly from its bottle. And this makes applying the toner to your face easier too. Just two to three sprays to your face, and spread them evenly across your face with your fingers.
Serum
After applying the toner, it is time for the skin serum.
A serum is a skin care product that is concentrated and has stronger effects on the skin. The serum is infused with active ingredients that are specially formulated to treat a specific skin issue or problem.
It is recommended to apply serum to your face, especially if you have a specific skin issue like acne or skin dryness. You can browse and look for the best serum that is specially formulated with active ingredients to treat your skin.
There are serums for acne-prone skin, sensitive skin, dry skin, oily skin, and serum to slow the aging process too.
As the serum is a powerful skin care product and has a strong effect on the skin, it is recommended not to use so much serum on your face, two drops of serum are enough for the entire facial area.
You can use the serum twice a day, that is during the day, and before bedtime.
Moisturizer
Moisturizing and hydrating the skin is super-duper important, so you cannot miss this step. A moisturizer hydrates the skin, and you need to apply the moisturizer at least twice a day.
By moisturizing your facial skin, it is strengthening the skin’s protective barrier, thus, protecting your skin even more. It is important to keep the skin hydrated, especially when the weather is hot and dry.
But choosing the right moisturizer for your skin can be a bit tricky, as the wrong moisturizer will cause your skin to react badly and may cause skin issues like acne. The best way to choose a moisturizer for your skin is to identify your skin type, and then to look for the best type of moisturizer for your skin type.
For instance, aging skin needs more moisture and hydration, thus, it is recommended to use a thicker and heavier moisturizer. While oily skin is greasy and might not be suitable with the oil-based moisturizer, thus, it is recommended for oily skin type to use gel or water-based moisturizer products.
Sunscreen
Sun and UV rays can damage the skin, ripping off its moisture, and causing your skin to dry up, as well as to prematurely aged. Sun-damaged can also cause hyperpigmentation to the skin, which will result in visible dark spots.
Hence, sunscreen is one of the most important steps in the skin care routine. It is advisable to use sunscreen every time you need to go out.
You can choose any sunscreen products available in the market, with at least SPF 30. The higher the SPF the better, as it provides more protection to your skin.
If you are having an oily skin problem and find that sunscreen is just too greasy for your skin, you can opt for water or gel-based sunscreen, which is now available in the market.
Facial Mask
This is something that you can do once or twice a week. A facial mask is not necessarily done every day, but it is good to include the facial mask as part of your skin care routine.
Facial masks are infused with an abundance of super ingredients that is to soothe and treat the skin. You can choose from the many types of facial masks like a charcoal mask, clay mask, mud mask, or you can DIY your facial mask with ingredients from your kitchen.
You can make a facial mask from oatmeal, yogurt, honey, or egg white. Just look for a simple and easy DIY facial mask recipe online and start with whatever you have in your kitchen. DIY masks are organic and assured to contain no harmful chemicals. Plus, it helps you to save money too.
Facial Scrub
Like the facial mask, scrubbing or exfoliating your face is not something to do every day. It is recommended to exfoliate the skin once a week.
Using a facial scrub helps to remove dead skin cells, as well as to remove impurities from the skin. You can also unclog pores by exfoliating the skin.
By exfoliating the skin, you can have youthful-looking skin, and also helps to improve the skin’s overall complexion.
There are many facial scrubs available, but you can also DIY your own facial scrub at home with the ingredients from your kitchen. You can use sugar, salt, or ground coffee beans to exfoliate your skin. It is more natural and organic, plus the kitchen ingredients are not going to harm your skin or causing any irritations.
Extra Tips
To make your skin care routine even more effective, we have some extra tips to share with you.
Drink enough water every day
Hydrating is not only to be done from the outside, but you need to hydrate your skin from the inside too. Thus, it is important to drink enough water every day, to make sure your skin is healthy, and able to absorb your skin care properly.
Don’t touch your face so often
Your hands and fingers are not very clean, as we are using our hands to touch so many things like doorknobs, our phones, or the keys. Hence, it is not hygienic to touch your face so often, as it will spread bacteria to your face and may cause your skin to develop irritations, and acne.
Exercise regularly and maintain a balanced diet
The overall body’s health is also important to endure that your skin is healthy. You need to keep your body healthy and fit so that it can regulate and function well.
Avoid sun exposure
Although you may have to use sunscreen on your face, it is important to avoid direct sun exposure. This is to protect the skin from drying up, and damages caused by sun and UV rays.
Conclusion
It is highly important to maintain a regular and effective skin care routine, for you to obtain flawless and beautiful skin.
A healthy, radiant, and glowing skin does not magically appear.
And even if your skin is normal and not prone to any issues and problems, a skin care routine is still necessary. You need to properly maintain and take care of your skin, and always make sure it is hydrated and protected. Let’s share this useful article “An A-to-Z Guide to the Best Skin Care Routine” if you think it is useful.