The Proper Steps For a Facial Routine

Get your facial routine into the natural order of things. There is a reason why doing things in the right order is extremely important. You won’t put your socks on after your shoes! The same goes for your skincare. In addition, layering is the most important new trend in skin care, which we have been advising since 1980.

Step 1: Cleanse

The first step to your skincare routine is cleansing. Cleansers are designed to remove the dead skin cells, dirt, debri, and makeup, both on the surface of the skin, and deeper into your pores. Cleansing your face is especially important for the sake of removing makeup. Makeup is composed of ingredients that allow it to last all day, and thus you must cleanse your face every night before bed to ensure your skin is renewed! More importantly, make sure that you are cleansing your face the right way! A quick splish-splash won’t stand a chance against long-wear cosmetics.

Step 2: Tone

The next step in your skin care routine is toning. It is important to use a toner or astringent to rebalance your skin’s pH, provide gentle exfoliation, and to restore your skin. Astringents play an important role in minimizing the appearance of pores, providing anti-septic value and help to rebalance your complexion. The reason this step is done prior to applying your serum or moisturizer is to help retain the moisture that both provide.

Step 3: Apply a Serum

Applying a serum is often over-looked. Serums are formulated with a higher concentration of active ingredients and smaller molecules that have the ability to penetrate deeper into the skin than a moisturizer, which is why they go one before moisturizers, not after. They are designed to provide strong results by penetrating nutrients as far as they can go into the skin. Think of a serum as a vitamin for your complexion, the more nutrition you provide to your skin the better it will appear! Like a cleanser and toner, when choosing a serum choose one that targets your specific skin care needs.

Step 4: Moisturize

Your final step to facial cleansing is to moisturize your skin! Applying a moisturizer is going to help hydrate & nourish the skin. For aging skin, with time, natural lubrication slows down, and elasticity and collagen is loss. Thus, it’s crucial to keep your skin hydrated and look for moisturizers with anti-aging ingredients like seaweed and peptides to help make up for this loss. Even for younger skin, moisturizers act as preventative care. For example, skin may be exposed to pollutants or factors that dehydrate the skin. Moisturizers with anti-oxidants, zinc oxide, and titanium dioxide will not only hydrate the skin, but protect it from the sun and pollutants. This also includes hydrating those areas of the face in special need, such as the eye area. This area is so delicate, and one of the first to show signs of aging with crow’s feet, dark circles, fine lines, and wrinkles, making it important to hydrate with an eye gel or eye cream.

Step 5: (For the ladies)

If you like to wear a little makeup, the last part of your routine is applying a foundation and powder. Not only does makeup bring a glow to our face, but those made with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide can offer another layer of protection from the sun. Also choose those that are non-comedogenic so you don’t clog your pores!

What’s in your skin care routine? Tell us in the comments below!