What Should my Skincare Routine Look Like?

How to care for your skin daily, weekly and monthly

When it comes to having healthy skin and achieving your skin goals, a customized skincare routine is key. It’s important that you’re using the right products for your skin type and your skin concerns and that you’re applying them in the correct order, to achieve the best results.

| Your skincare routine does not need to be 10 steps to achieve long-term results.

Products come in many varieties, and there are lots of different formulations to choose from and that can get confusing but your esthetician will help you choose the best products for your skin. I’ll break it down for you!

Start with the Essentials

Daily:

• Your morning skincare routine is important in protecting the skin from harmful UV rays and environmental aggressors your skin encounters each day. A simple morning routine should consist of a cleanser, a serum, a moisturizer and broad-spectrum sunscreen, applied in that order from thinnest to thickest.

• Your evening routine is important in removing the days dirt, oil, sweat and makeup and in helping your skin recover and repair while you sleep. A simple evening routine should consist of a cream or an oil cleanser used for your first cleanse, a gel cleanser for your second cleanse, a serum, and a moisturizer.
  

Weekly:

• You should be incorporating an exfoliant into your skincare routine up to twice a week to help remove the dead skin cells.

• Your skin will also benefit from a weekly mask treatment that helps target your specific skin concerns.

Monthly:

• Visit your esthetician. Your esthetician is trained to provide professional level treatments including facials, chemical peels, and dermaplane exfoliation to help boost the routine you do at home.

Cleansers

Why cleanse: To put it quite simply, your face is filthy. From the makeup, dirt and pollution of your everyday life, but also from natural oil and sweat secretions. Cleansing your skin helps remove that buildup, serving as a long-term anti-aging step in your routine.

What they do: Cleansers are a vital first step in any effective skincare routine. They dissolve makeup, oil and dirt to create a clean canvas to apply the rest of your skincare products. Cleansers are also formulated to help target your specific skin type and conditions.

Types of cleansers: Cleansers range from gentle and soothing to deep cleansing and exfoliating formulas.

• Cleansing waters: Also known as micellar water – cleanse, tone, and condition the skin in one step and don’t need to be rinsed off.

• Cleansing gels: Water-based cleansers that are formulated for all skin types and provide rich foam for a deep cleanse.

• Cleansing creams: Rich water-in-oil emulsions used primarily to dissolve make up, dirt, oil and sunscreen. These cleansers are perfect for very dry and mature skin.

• Cleansing oils: Formulated to break down make up, dirt, oil and sunscreen. They can be used alone or as the first step in a double cleansing routine.

Serums

Why serums: Serums do much of the hard work in helping to support healthy skin.

What they do: Serums contain highly concentrated performance ingredients that penetrate the skin to target specific skin conditions and skin types. They are applied under your moisturizer or mask helping to increase hydration and nourishment to the skin. They aid in strengthening, healing and repairing the skin.

Types of serums: Like most skincare, serums come in various formulations and should be incorporated into your routine based on what your skin needs.

• Hydrating serums: Provide the skin with an extra boost of hydration. They are ideal for all skin types and great for dehydrated skin.

  • Key ingredients: hyaluronic acid, cucumber, aloe vera

• Brightening serums: Designed to reduce the appearance of dark spots and uneven skin tone to reveal brighter, radiant skin.

  • Key ingredients: niacinamide, kojic acid, mandelic acid

• Anti-aging serums: Help fight the signs of aging by reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and promote collagen production.

  • Key ingredients: vitamin C, peptides, retinol

• Resurfacing serums: Designed to help exfoliate the skin, removing dead skin cells and promoting cell turnover for smoother, softer skin.

  • Key ingredients: glycolic acid, retinol, mandelic acid

• Acne-fighting serums: Formulated to help unclog pores and reduce inflammation. They can be used to treat existing acne and prevent future breakouts.

  • Key ingredients: mandelic acid, salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide

• Calming serums: Designed to help soothe irritated, dry, and sensitized skin.

  • Key ingredients: aloe vera, ceramides, green tea extract

Moisturizers

Why moisturize: Moisturizers are formulated to help support your skin’s essential protective barrier function. Neglecting to moisturize the skin creates a harmful cycle that can have long-term consequences.

What they do: Moisturizers help maintain a healthy balance of oil and water in the skin.

Types of moisturizers: There are three main categories of ingredients found in all moisturizers – emollients, humectants and occlusives. Understanding what each ingredient does and how they work together, will help you better understand your moisturizer.

• Emollients: Substances that soften and moisturize the skin by forming an oily layer on the top of the skin that traps water in the skin. Facial creams and lotions contain a higher ratio of emollients, giving them a thicker consistency.

• Humectants: These are water grabbing ingredients that help the skin maintain healthy hydration levels. Gel and water-based moisturizers that contain a higher ratio of humectants and therefore have a lightweight, fluid-like texture. These are the perfect moisturizers in hot or humid weather.

•  Occlusives: These heavy, fatty, waxy substances form a physical, water-resistant barrier over the skin to seal in moisture and hydration. Moisturizers with a higher ratio of occlusives have a very thick consistency,  and are highly recommended for cold winter weather.
  

Sunscreen

Why sunscreen: By damaging the skin’s cellular DNA, excessive UV exposure causes signs of premature aging in the skin and produces genetic mutations that can lead to skin cancer.

What it does: Sunscreen is the last, but the most important part to any effective daytime routine. Sunscreen helps protect the skin from UV radiation which leads to premature aging, wrinkles and hyperpigmentation. This is why sunscreen is nonnegotiable.

Types of sunscreen: Sunscreen can either be physical/mineral or chemical.

• Physical/mineral sunscreen: Mineral compounds that physically reflect, or scatter ultraviolet radiation. They naturally provide broad spectrum protection against both UVA and UVB rays. Key ingredients: zinc oxide, titanium dioxide

• Chemical sunscreen: Organic compounds that work by absorbing UV rays into the skin changing them to heat, then releasing them from the skin. Key ingredients: avobenzone, oxybenzone, homosalate

Exfoliants

Why exfoliate: Desquamation is the process of fresh skin cells moving up and old cells shedding. This is essential to your skin’s overall health but tends to slow down due to aging, environmental aggressors and dehydration. To combat this slowdown and help keep the skin healthy, exfoliation is a must.

What they do: Exfoliants gently remove built-up dead skin to reveal smoother, softer, brighter, renewed skin. They help improve product penetration allowing for more effective delivery of skincare ingredients to the skin. As a general rule of thumb, exfoliants should be used no more than twice a week. Excessive or incorrect use of exfoliants can damage your skin’s protective barrier.  

Types of exfoliants: There are two main categories — mechanical/physical exfoliants and chemical exfoliants.

• Mechanical/physical exfoliants: Polish the surface of the skin with ingredients, such as rice bran, crushed almonds, jojoba beads or magnesium crystals.

• Chemical exfoliants: Weaken the bonds between dead cells that remain on the skin. These are your enzymes, alpha and beta hydroxy acids and retinol.

  • Enzymes: Natural exfoliants typically derived from fruits like papaya, pineapple, and pumpkin.

  • AHAs: This category includes glycolic, lactic, mandelic, malic, and tartar acid. The main difference between these acids are molecular size.

  • BHA: Salicylic acid is dissolvable in oil, which allows it to get deep within the pores. BHA also provides anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties, making it ideal for inflamed, acne-prone, and oily skin.

Masks

Why mask:  Facial masks keep potent ingredients in contact with your skin for an extended period of time to improve penetration and absorption of those desired ingredients. 

What they do: Depending on the mask you apply masks can help tighten, tone, brighten the complexion, hydrate, nourish, soothe and detoxify the skin.

Types of masks: Masks can come in two types – non-setting and setting.

• Non-setting masks: Are designed to remain moist on the skin while providing nourishment making them highly beneficial for sensitive, aging, dry and dehydrated skin. They come in a gel or cream consistency or as a sheet mask.

• Setting masks: Are designed to dry and harden after application. They help draw out excess oil and impurities and can feel tight on the skin, making them highly beneficial for oily and acne-prone skin. These masks often contain ingredients like kaolin, bentonite, sulfur and charcoal.

Need help building your skincare routine? Schedule a virtual consultation with me.

Be good to your skin and it will be good to you,

Tanali