Skincare Routine Order

Order for Skin Care Routine - What goes when? 

Ten-step skincare routines not for you? That's fine! There's more variety of skincare products than ever before on the market, and trying to figure out what to use when can be confusing; we've had quite a few questions on this recently so thought we'd address it.

First of all, let's be clear - not everyone agrees on the exact order. Google it and you'll see that when you get into the nitty gritty of the detailed skin care protocols, there is not one exact order that everyone agrees is best. 

So... we're going to outline a 'basic' order/routine and a few pointers to go along with it.

Proper Skincare Routine Order

Four steps - that's assuming you're using four (or more) products. At the very least everyone should use a cleanser and a moisturizer - those should be non-negotiable must haves. Beyond that including a toner and a serum can be super helpful depending on your budget and what your skin goals are. 

Skincare Routine Step 1 - Cleanser

 oil cleansers clean much deeper than any other type of cleanser and while they are currently our top selling cleansers (by far!), not everyone has jumped on the oil cleansing boat (hmm....I see a blog coming up on explaining the differences soon)

 for now, suffice to say that if you use an oil cleanser, you can use it as your only cleanser, or you can choose to follow up with a 'regular' cleanser afterward (known as double cleansing)

 when you exfoliate (depending on the exfoliate not more than a few times a week), you can either exfoliate 'instead of' using your regular cleanser, or 'after' using your regular cleanser

Skincare Routine Step 2 - Toner

 toners and mists - for more info on why/how please see our last blog "What Do Toners Actually Do?"

 these are a fabulous way to deposit extra goodness onto/into your skin - ideally suited for acne-prevention, barrier restore, or hydration

Skincare Routine Step 3 - Serum

 there is a serum for everything now and these are a brilliant way to give your skin an extra shot of something it needs 

 some people may question why you need a serum as well as a moisturizer; you don't necessarily 'need' a serum but it's an important addition to your skincare routine if have a skin issue/concern; serums are great for - acne, pigmentation, barrier restore, anti-aging, redness, etc.

 think of it this way....serums are like extra boosts for your skin; if you want some anti-aging benefits for your skin then buy a moisturizer that has great anti-aging antioxidants in it; but, if you want 'extra' anti-aging benefits, you need an 'extra' product - like a vitamin c serum, or a retinol serum (they offer more concentrated benefits than you typically get in a moisturizer)

 Skincare Routine Step 4 - Moisturizer

 creams and lotions don't penetrate oils so if you're using both always make sure to use the oil last 

 eye products are moisturizers so these are considered in this step

 make sure to use a spf if you'll be spending a lot of time outdoors; this should be used last in the process after these first four steps

This is obviously a very simplified version of when to apply what - but for today's purposes that's what we wanted to outline....just the basics! If you have specific questions about something not discussed here please reach out to us and we'll help! 

Till next time,