Skincare Basics

Do you ever look at all the products available in a store, or the amount of products you have accumulated at home, and wonder, how can I maximize the efficiency of all of these products? Well, here are some tips on on creating an ideal skin care routine that will leave you feeling and looking better.

The order in which you apply skin care products is important because it determines how much of which product gets absorbed into your skin and at which time that happens.  The fact is that our skin is naturally engineered to keep things out, such as dirt and bacteria.  However, skin care products are generally engineered to penetrate the skin in order to be most effective.  As a result, only a very small amount of the ingredients get absorbed into the skin.  

A general rule of thumb is that the thinnest (or most watery) products go on first, and finish with the thickest.  Products with most beneficial ingredients (such as antioxidants) should go on first so that the skin can absorb as much of it as possible, and end with products that need to sit on top of the skin, like emollients.  

Interestingly, the morning routine and the evening routine should be different because the goal of each is different.  Your morning routine is geared towards protecting your face from the elements and stresses of the day ahead.  The idea is to prevent the sun, harsh winds, frigid cold, intense humidity, whatever climate you live in, to harm your skin.  You want to minimize the damage from pollution, irritants and bacteria that you may come into contact with throughout your day.

Conversely, your nighttime routine should be aimed at maximizing your skin’s natural tendency to repair itself through you the night.  You want to treat your skin by giving it the nutrients it needs most to maintain a healthy skin.  For some, that might mean exfoliating, and others might need to hydrate their skin.  It depends on your skin type, the environment in which you live and work, the level of physical activity you have throughout the day, and what concerns you have about your skin.  Let it be known that your daily nutritional intake and physical hydration levels will play an important role in the health of your skin.

Your day and nighttime routines might vary and for many, the products you use for each routine will vary.  The fact is that during the day you might have stripped your face of its natural oils and what is normally oily skin, becomes dry.  As such, your nighttime routine may not include a moisturizer for oily skin, since yours is not longer oily.