Cleansers, Creams, and more: How to Build the Skincare Routine for You!

From popular multi-step Korean skincare routines to the basic, all-natural ones, it can get a bit overwhelming to figure out what steps and products are right for your skin. Today’s blog post will explore the ideal order for skin care application because while skin care products themselves, rather than the order in which they are applied, seem like they would be the most significant factor in determining their effects on your skin, this is actually not the case. The order in which skin care products are applied can have a staggering effect on the efficacy of your skin care regimen. Today we will be exploring how to help your products reach their full potential and get the most out of your skin care routine.

What are the general principles of skin care application?

Generally, dermatologists advise starting your skincare routine with thinner products and then applying your products in order of increasing thickness (or, alternatively, starting with liquid products and advancing to cream products). If products are applied in the opposite order, your heavier products will prevent your skin from absorbing lighter products. Although the order in which skin care products should be applied is the same for both morning and evening skin care, the products that you use should vary depending on the time of day. Morning skincare is all about protecting your skin from the damaging effects of sun exposure and pollution, while the goal of evening skin care is to treat ongoing skin concerns.  

Where should I start with my morning skin care?  

Cleanser

The first place to start with morning skin care is cleansing. While some find that a double cleansing process (applying first an oil cleanser and then a water cleanser) works best for them, using an oil cleanser in the morning is likely not necessary unless the products that you used the night before were particularly heavy. A lighter cleanser such as a water cleanser or even micellar water, should be sufficient for most peoples’ needs. Alternatively, if your skin is on the drier side, and if oiliness and acne are not concerns for you, you can skip the cleanser altogether and just splash some cold water on your face.  

Toners/essences:

The purpose of toner is to eliminate any residue left behind during the cleansing process and to balance the pH of the surface of your skin. Although different toners can also offer additional benefits depending on your skin concerns, toners aren’t absolutely essential, since recently cleansers have become more and more well balanced in terms of pH. Essences are usually water-like solutions designed to address specific skin concerns. For those who want to include an essence in their skincare routine, it should be applied after toner.  

Treatment/hydration serums:

Among the most common treatment serums are antioxidant serums. Vitamin C serums in particular have been praised by skin care fanatics and dermatologists alike thanks to the myriad of benefits they can offer. Vitamin C serums can be used to boost collagen production, brighten your complexion, and protect you from pollution and free radicals. If you are using a hydration serum (such as a serum containing hyaluronic acid), it’s wise to apply it after your treatment serum.  

Eye Cream:

Eye cream is an essential component of any good skin care regimen. Dermatologists recommend using eye cream regularly as early as your 20’s. This is because eye cream is criticall in preventing collagen loss and the formation of fine lines around the eyes. Additionally, using eye cream is pretty much the only way to hydrate the skin around your eyes, since there are no oil glands to produce oil naturally in that area. Since eye cream is almost always thinner than regular facial moisturizer, it should be applied first for best results.  

Moisturizer:

Though many people with oily skin don’t see the point of adding any extra oil to their face, moisturizer is a non-negotiable step in the skin care process. With that being said, if your face tends to be on the oilier side or if your skin is acne-prone, a lighter moisturizer is probably the way to go. Additionally, it’s important to consider that if you’re going to add any makeup on top of your skin care, you’ll want to be mindful of the thickness of your moisturizer, since rich moisturizers can complicate makeup application. Regardless of the moisturizer that you use, you should apply it while your skin is still wet in order to maximize its moisture-locking potential.

Sunscreen:

The last, and arguably most important, component of a well-designed morning skin care regimen is sunscreen. Applying sunscreen starting from a young age is absolutely critical in heading off sun damage as well as visible aging. Sunscreen should be applied any time that you are going outside, even if you don’t intend to be in direct sunlight for any extended period of time. It’s also important not to forget to apply sunscreen to your neck and ears, as they are just as important to protect as your face.  

Where should I start with my evening skincare?

Cleanser:

You should definitely cleanse your skin in the evening, especially if you opted not to wash it in the morning. Double cleansing in the evening is not a bad idea, especially if you wear makeup during the day. A good oil cleanser should remove any makeup you have on pretty well, but if you’d rather not double cleanse then you can use makeup remover for this purpose. Regardless, it’s a good idea to use a lighter, water-based cleanser no matter what.

Toner/essences:

In terms of toners and essences, the same rules that apply to morning skin care apply to evening skin care. If you are going to use a toner, you should use it after you cleanse, and if you are going to use an essence, then you should use it after you use your toner.

Acid Treatments:

Acid treatments are photosensitizing, meaning they make your skin more sensitive to the sun. For this reason, it’s a good idea to hold off on using them until the evening. AHAs (alpha hydroxy acids) and BHAs (beta hydroxy acids) are two common acid treatments. They work by chemically exfoliating your skin. The main difference between AHAs and BHAs is that BHAs target oil glands and essentially give your skin a deeper clean, meaning they’re ideal for people who struggle with acne. Acid treatments have the potential to irritate the skin, so they’re not for those with sensitive or drier skin types. Even if you decide acid treatments are right for you, it’s wise to introduce them into your routine gradually, starting by applying them once a week and working up to applying them every other day.  

Spot treatment:

If acne is a skin concern for you, then it’s not a bad idea to apply a spot treatment to any active breakouts at this point in your skincare routine. Most spot treatments contain some combination of salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide, which target redness and swelling. When used in excess, spot treatments can dry out your skin, so it’s best to use them sparingly and apply them only where you have active breakouts.

Retinol:

Like AHAs and BHAs, retinol can make your skin sensitive to sunlight, so it’s best reserved for evening use. Retinol can offer a host of potential benefits, such as minimizing the appearance of fine lines and preventing them from developing in the future, brightening your skin, preventing breakouts, and evening out hyperpigmentation. However, retinol can also be incredibly irritating for those with sensitive or dry skin, so you should research it thoroughly before incorporating it into your skin care regimen. Research shows that using retinol along with AHAs or BHAs can increase its efficacy, but combining these ingredients can also be incredibly irritating depending on your skin type, so again, consider carefully before using these products together. Like AHAs and BHAs, retinol should be introduced into your skin care regimen slowly to limit irritation. Start by applying retinol weekly and then build up to every other day.  

Eye Cream:

For all the reasons explained above, it’s important to use eye cream twice per day if possible, before your regular moisturizer. Try to use a gentle approach when applying eye cream, as rubbing your eye cream in too vigorously can cause wrinkles. Many skin care experts recommend tapping the product into your skin with your ring finger.

Moisturizer:

As with in the morning, moisturizer application in the evening is non-negotiable. Since you won’t be putting makeup on over the moisturizer, you can use a richer moisturizer in the evening if you prefer. If you really want to lock in the moisture, try capping off your evening skin care with an overnight moisturizing face mask. You’ll wake up with dewier, fresher looking skin.

Skincare Routines for Different Concerns

Knowing this order for an effective skincare routine is great because we are able to build off these steps and customize this routine to address specific skincare concerns. You can work in different products to create an anti-aging skincare routine, an acne skincare routine, and more.

Check out my own morning and evening skincare routine here!

       View this post on Instagram            A post shared by Dr. Kay Durairaj, MD, FACS (@beautybydrkay) on Sep 13, 2020 at 8:30pm PDT

       View this post on Instagram            A post shared by Dr. Kay Durairaj, MD, FACS (@beautybydrkay) on Jul 21, 2020 at 12:56pm PDT