Remember back in 2014 when the 10 step Korean skincare routine landed in North America? It seemed like taking care of your skin was a lot of work and a ton of money. No one has 20 to 30 minutes, twice a day, to focus so deeply on their skin. Here’s the thing: a good skincare routine doesn’t need to be 10 steps. It barely has to be the four that’ll I’ll suggest. The biggest part of skincare is finding what works for you! Unfortunately that only happens through trial-and-error, but hopefully this list can give you a starting point to build a routine that works best for your skin.
My credentials going into this list: I worked in retail cosmetology for almost two years and I’ve tried a bunch of stuff to better take care of my skin. Personally, I have quite sensitive and dry skin that happens to break out — a real mixed bag. I’ve tried almost everything under the sun when it comes to topical skincare remedies.
1. Cleansing
A good quality cleanser can really make or break a routine. There are so many different kinds of cleansers too. Finding the right one for your skin type is crucial. It’s really easy to go overboard with harsh cleansers because you want that “clean” feeling, but that can actually destroy your skin’s natural moisture barrier. Switching to a gentler cleanser can help. If you’ve got very sensitive skin, try a foaming cleanser. You don’t have to work it into a lather and, overall, it’s just more calming for the skin. If you’ve got really dry skin, try a cream cleanser. It seems almost counter intuitive but you can use it on dry skin (instead of the usual damp) thus saving you from rinsing away your natural oils twice.
And for my makeup wearing people: double cleanse. Your first cleansing can be a micellar water, makeup wipe, cleansing butter, or just your regular cleanser. Anything to take that makeup away so that your cleanser can do its job and clean your face!
2. Toner and Essence lotions
This is probably the step within this routine that, if you really need to, you can skip. With that in mind, you’re probably wondering “why even bother talking about it?” Toning or using an essence lotion is really helpful for seeing results in our next step. Both have been described to me as the ‘fertilizer’ of skincare. Toners help to rid your skin of those last bits of dirt and oil that can get missed during cleansing. Essence lotions do very similar things except instead they focus on prepping the skin to take in more moisture. Both help work serums deeper into your skin so that you see maximum results.
3. Treatment
Now that your face is clean and prepped, it’s time for treatment. This is where you can really address any concerns you might have with your skin — things like acne, dry skin, or wrinkles. There is a serum or cream for almost everything. If you like using pimple patches now’s a great time to stick a couple of those on too.
4. Moisturizer
Time to lock everything in with your choice of moisturizer. Someone with more sensitive skin might like the feeling of a lighter moisturizer, while people with drier skin might want the assistance from a heavier one. A huge help for keeping your skin healthier is getting a moisturizer with SPF. Using SPF not only helps your skin look more “youthful,” but it also helps prevent skin cancer and sun burns. So lather it on, even during a cloudy day!
