Written by Sarah Jones
Last Updated

No matter how amazing your skin might be naturally, your eating habits, environment, and levels of stress are all things that can have a negative impact on it. That’s why it’s important to develop a skincare routine to care for your skin and protect it from the elements. 

The aim of a skincare routine is to support your skin and your complexion so that it is strong and healthy and can combat all the bad things which life might throw at you like pollution and late nights. 

Here are the key steps to a good skincare routine.

 

 

Cleaning

The first step you need in a new skincare routine is a way to wash your face to clear all the irritants, dust, pollutants, and dirt away from your skin that has built up during the night or the day. You should aim to clean your face in the morning and again at night. 

Ideally, you want to use a gentle cleanser that has been created for use only on the face, so that it won’t irritate your skin. Don’t use facial scrubs more than once a week as your skin does need natural oils to stay healthy. 

If you are not wearing any make-up, simply clean your face with your cleanser, and you might want to rinse it with water afterward as well, to remove all traces of the cleaning product, and then pat dry and move to stage 2. 

If you wear make-up then you will need to buy cleansers that are still gentle but are strong enough to clear away all traces of make-up from your skin. Be particularly careful when choosing eye make-up remover as our eyes are very sensitive, but also waterproof mascara can be very stubborn to remove.

 

Toning

Toners nowadays are far different from the original alcohol-based products from twenty years ago. Toners today contain ingredients that can benefit the skin and although this is still a skincare step that can be missed out, if you need to add extra nourishment to your skin then it’s a good idea to try a toner. 

Toners can contain natural acids to remove dead skin cells, vitamins to help your skin fight back, and calming ingredients for angry red skin as well, so if you suffer from break-outs a toner is a great addition to your skincare routine.

 

Moisturizing

The third basic element of any skincare routine is to moisturize as this helps to plump up the skin by adding moisture. After you have cleansed and toned your skin it can feel dry and tight so this is the stage at which you use moisturizer to add that level of hydration.

The type of moisturizer you go for will depend on many factors, from your skin type to the time of year as many have extra features like SPF protection in the summer or even color tints for those who want to appear tanned. Use moisturizer every day to keep your face fresh. 

 

Extra Skincare Routine Tips

Those three steps are the most basic skincare routine that everyone should be following but there are many other skincare products available so here are some other steps you might want to add to your own skincare routine.

 

Serum

There has been much hype in the media about serum recently as they contain a multitude of ingredients that can really support skin and protect it from pollutants so it’s ideal to use it first thing in the morning, before your moisturizer.

You may also like: Best Face Mask for Acne – 2020 Reviews

 

Night Cream

While the steps include moisturizing, as we age our skin doesn’t replenish itself quite so easily so a night cream is a lot thicker and contains ingredients to help repair damaged skin overnight. It’s great if you are worried about wrinkles or dark spots.

 

 

Eye Cream

A regular moisturizer should be enough for your under-eye area but if you have specific problems like fine lines or puffy eyes or dark circles, you might want to add an eye cream to your skincare routine to help tackle these.

 

 

Sunscreen

Many moisturizers already come with a built-in SPF so if you are exposed to the sun a lot then make sure yours does, but you might want to buy a specific sunscreen product to use in addition, for days at the beach or out in the garden under the sun.

 

Face Masks

Face masks have become incredibly popular recently and are certainly more gentle than using a facial scrub; however, they are not essential and are just nice to have if you want to give your skin a special boost, perhaps for a night out or a special event. Keep them in the cupboard for a night when you fancy a pampering session but you don’t need to use them daily.

Related read: Best Microdermabrasion Machine – 2020 Reviews

 

 

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