How to Take Care of Your Skin: Building a Routine

Great and healthy skin is not only a matter of your DNA. You need to nourish it, taking care of it, but most of all, accept all your flaws and enhance them. Your daily habits, diet, and of course, your skincare routine can have a huge influence on how your skin looks in the mirror. If you ever wondered how to take care of your skin, then this is the article for you. 

We all take some steps in creating a skincare routine for every day. But also, many of us skip some crucial products, make mistakes, and end up with skin that is dull and potentially full of acne. How we can make this right? With building the right skincare routine that is suitable for your skin type. 

In this article, we will present the basics of a skincare routine and what you need to include. Some steps are unavoidable, so make sure to bring your notes and start writing! 

Photo by Jessica Felicio on Unsplash

Three Main Steps of Your Routine

Regardless of your skin tone or type, a skincare routine should consist of these three steps. 

1. Cleaning - Washing your face with suitable products
2. Toning - Balancing the skin, preparing it for the next steps
3. Moisturizing - Hydrating the skin, protecting it from the UV rays

These are the steps you can’t simply avoid, and you shouldn’t if you want flawless skin. Don’t expect instant results once you start using new products. Every skincare product needs at least six weeks of use to notice a difference. 

Cleansing 

Cleansing is one of the most important parts of your day and night routine. Since our faces and bodies come in contact with many different pollutants, it is crucial to clean them in the morning and before bedtime. 

By cleaning your face, you will avoid or even prevent clogged pores, acne, dullness, and dryness of your skin. 

Your most important task is finding the right product that suits your skin type. Here are some of the suggestions we think you can find helpful. 

If your skin is oily or prone to acne: use a foaming liquid cleanser. This type of product when activated with water will turn into a foam that is perfect for cleaning your face, breaking down excess sebum, and other dirt. 

If your skin is sensitive: use cleansing oil. Even though many women avoid using cleansing oil, thinking it won’t actually clean their skin, this can be perfect for women with sensitive skin. The oil absorbs oil and that is the only way to clean your skin, while also keeping it soft and moisturized. 

If your skin is dry or prone to eczema: use a cream or lotion cleanser. Active emollients in these types of cleansers, like glycerin or shea butter, will not only clean but also hydrate your dry skin.  

If your skin is normal: use micellar water. This type of product is actually suitable for all skin types. Micellar water is a French cosmetic staple, a soap-free cleanser that has small molecules that attract all dirt and oil. You don’t need to rinse it off. 

Toning

Toner is usually a liquid product that comes after cleansing. It helps other nutrients absorb deeper into the skin. However, it was not always like that. 

Toners were not alcohol-free in the recent past. They were particularly used on oily skin types, to dry it up and remove any excess dirt. However, today’s formulas are a bit different. The toners serve to balance your complexion and help other products, like serum or moisturizer to absorb better. 

The traditional way of applying toner is with a cotton pad. However, we suggest doing it with your clean hands. Pour toner on your palms and tap it on your face. That is how you will not end up losing a lot of a product. 

Toners are not obligatory, yet we recommend using dynamic toner with brightening and repairing effects. 

These are some of the ingredients you should be looking for in toners: 

• Hyaluronic acid - alongside treating your fine lines, hyaluronic acid will plump your skin, boost hydration, and make your skin look dewy. 

• Vitamin C and E - these two will fight against free radicals that cause premature aging and other skin problems. 

• Rose water or green tea - their anti-inflammatory effect will soothe the irritated skin and reduce redness. 

• Alpha and beta hydroxy acids - similar to hyaluronic acid and sodium hyluronate, these ones will gently remove dead skin cells and make your skin look healthy, instead of dull.

Photo by Jocelyn Morales on Unsplash

Serums

Serums should be a part of your skincare routine. These products are infused with active ingredients that help your skin fight against dark spots, wrinkles, and many other issues. 

This product is applied before your moisturizer and after toner, essence, or micellar water. Their consistency is thick, sometimes a bit sticky, but they are absorbed quickly into your skin. 

If you were wondering how to take care of your skin by using serum, then make sure to remember these things. When picking up a serum, check for these ingredients: 

• Vitamin C - Proven to be very effective in treating dark spots, as well as brightening the skin. Apply serums with Vitamin C in the morning, but avoid during the night. 

• Retinol, peptides, and Vitamin B3 - all these ingredients will boost the production of collagen and elastin, which will make your face look plumped and with no fine lines. 

• Sodium Hyluronate or Hyaluronic Acid - the main function of hyaluronic acid is sealing in the hydration, regardless of the product it is in (serum, toner). 

• Niacinamide - this ingredient will calm irritated skin, fight against acne, and bacteria. 

Moisturizing

Moisturizer is the only product that everyone recommends using year-round, no matter your skin type or tone. The main function of a moisturizer is to prevent water loss from your skin, to lock all the ingredients that have penetrated with other products, and to complement natural oils. 

Different daily activities such as washing your face, showering, and other pollutants can strip natural oils and hydrators from your skin. To prevent that, choose a suitable moisturizer that matches your skin type. 

If your skin is dry: go for cream or soft cream. Dry skin needs some extra hydration, so it is important to pick the type of moisturizer that will provide enough of it. Instead of lotion, go for cream. 

If your skin is oily: go for a gel moisturizer. Perfect for oily skin, gel moisturizers are water-based, lightweight, absorbs quickly, and most importantly they won’t leave a greasy film on the skin. 

If your skin is sensitive: go for balm. Sensitive and eczema-prone skin needs even heavier hydration than dry skin. That is why it is recommended to go for a balm, instead of a classic moisturizer. 

If your skin is normal/combined: go for lotion. This type of moisturizer is the most frequent one, and that is why it is perfect for normal and combined skin types. It will definitely provide more moisture than gel moisturizer, but it absorbs quickly. 

Sunscreen 

Believe it or not, sunscreen is the most important part of our beauty and skincare routines. Many skin experts recommend using sunscreen during the day or picking a moisturizer with a broad spectrum SPF.

Wearing your sunscreen daily can prevent many different skin problems. Premature aging, fine lines, pigmentation, and textural imperfections on the skin all appear due to sun exposure. If you didn’t know what cause these things, now you know how important sunscreen really is. 

The rule of thumb is to apply sunscreen 30 minutes before going out and to reapply it every two hours. It should be the last step in your daily skincare routine. Apply enough cream to cover your face and exposed areas of your body. 

How to Take Care of your Skin: Extra Pieces of Advice

Just a few extra pieces of advice that you can use, regardless of your skin type. 

• Change your pillowcase at least once a week. 
• Drink water, stay hydrated, and don’t forget to even set a reminder for this. 
• Wrap up your hair before going to bed. 
• Put on a mask once or twice a week. 
• Instead of cotton pads use the cloth ones that you can wash and reuse again.