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SKINCARE ROUTINE GUIDE
Does Everyone Need a Skincare Routine?
Even before reels and viral Tiktok videos, skincare routines existed. But back then, they were pretty simple. It was “cleanse, moisturize and protect,” and you were ready to leave your house. However, as technology and science improved, more steps were added to the routine, and things got a tad complicated. But the premise remains the same.
So, what’s all the fuss about skincare? The thing is that everyone, regardless of gender or age, needs a skincare routine. The only difference comes about in the products that you use. As we will discuss in the next section, you may have more or fewer product needs than your friend, your sister or your mother.
Having a skincare routine helps in the following ways:
- It helps you maintain your skin’s health or repair your skin barrier if it has suffered damage,
- It slows down the signs of aging, and
- It addresses your key skin concerns.
While beauty is a perk to having a skincare routine, the primary goal is to achieve and maintain healthy skin. There is no such thing as perfect skin, as you will likely face some bumps along the way. But if you can maintain a good skincare routine, you can avoid adverse changes in your skin.
What Should You Do Before Starting Any Skincare Routine?
Based on the information on social media, there has been a trend to jump on the latest beauty trick. One minute, people are hydrating their faces twice a day, and the next, they are applying three finger lengths of sunscreen on their faces. There is nothing wrong with these beauty hacks. In fact, they may be suitable for your skincare needs. However, starting a skincare routine based on such tidbits of information can cause more harm than good.
So, what must anyone do before embarking on a skincare haul?
a. Understand your skin type: Do you know your skincare type? A common mistake when buying skincare is buying the wrong products for your skin’s needs. Start by reading this guide to understand if you have oily, dry, normal, or combination skin. Moreover, figure out if you have sensitive skin.
b. Figuring out your skin concerns: You will not need every skincare product. At the fundamental level, everyone must have a cleanser, a moisturiser, and sunscreen. You then build on this based on your skin concerns. For example, if you have clogged pores, you will likely need a double cleanse instead of a single cleanse. But if you don’t suffer congestion and don’t wear makeup, you can opt for water-based cleansing alone.
c. Shopping for skincare products aligned to your skin type: Now that you know your concerns, you will need to find skincare products that match your skin type. Else, you may damage your skin barrier, e.g., by using comedogenic products on oily acne-prone skin.
d. Creating a skincare routine: You must decide how to use the products to address your skin’s needs. Some products are safe for daily use, while others can only be used once weekly.
e. Being consistent: Results are only achievable if you stick to the routine. Of course, you can always tweak it based on how your skin responds. And a great way to figure out what needs modification is to track your routine using a mobile app.
What you end up with might be worlds apart from what your friend or favorite influencer needs. That’s why customisation is essential.
What is the Right Skincare Routine?
Skincare follows the simple rule of layering products from the thinnest to the thickest. Below, we show you how to use your products in a similar order. Please note the following:
- The order is universal regardless of your skin type.
- You do not need to use all the products if they do not address your skin concerns. Instead, you can choose what you need and ignore the other steps.
- Some products will feature in your routine on specific days and will not be constants.
- You can alter the routine based on how your skin responds. E.g., you may need to exfoliate fewer or more times.
That said, let’s start ordering the products.
1. CLEANSING (AM & PM)
A cleanser is essential to wash off the dead skin cells, makeup, and other pore-congesting debris on your face. Cleansing comes in two forms:
a. Oil Cleansing: If you are wearing makeup or mineral-based sunscreen, using an oil cleanser will dissolve them, making it easier to clean your pores. Use this on a dry face and wash it off with warm water after massaging it on the skin.
b. Water-Based Cleansing: These cleansers work on damp faces and should be washed off with lukewarm water.
2. EXFOLIATING (AM OR PM)
Exfoliating helps you get rid of dead cells, thus paving the way for new cells to surface. You can do so using the following:
a. Scrubs,
b. Acids, or
c. Prescriptions.
Please note that owing to the harsh nature of exfoliants, it is not advisable to use them twice a day. Your skin may not be able to handle even daily use. So, it’s best to work with skincare advice and gauge how your skin responds.
3. TONING AND HYDRATING (AM & PM)
Toners help restore your skin’s pH after cleansing and/ or exfoliating. Some of them may have hydrating properties. Hydrators introduce moisture to the skin and restore the skin’s barrier. Depending on your choice of toner, you may choose to skip the hydrator or may decide to double up on the hydration.
Some of the products you can use in this step are:
a. Mists,
b. Essences,
c. Toners, and
d. Serums.
Please note that some of their effects may intertwine, and you may need one product to address your toning and hydration needs.
4. TARGETING AND MASKING (AM OR PM)
Do you have skincare concerns? Maybe you have enlarged pores or hyperpigmentation. Now is when you layer your targeting products. Examples include:
a. Retinoids – best used at night
b. Vitamin C – best for daytime protection
c. Niacinamide, etc.
Anything that addresses your specific needs will fall into this category. So, if you’re masking your skin, you will do it at this stage. Please note that this applies to masks that you leave on the skin. Those you wash off fall under the exfoliation category as they come right after cleansing.
5. MOISTURISING (AM & PM)
Hydrators alone are not enough to moisturise your skin. So, now is the time to lather on extra moisturisation using the following:
a. Eye Creams – these are optional,
b. Facial Moisturisers – you can use creams, butter, oils, or anything else that suits your skin type.
Do not skip moisturising – it restores your natural skin’s moisture barrier. If you’re doing the routine at night, you can layer on a sleeping mask.
6. PROTECTING (AM)
While some moisturisers have SPF, most do not have enough protection to last you through the day. So, you will need to layer on an additional SPF cream after moisturising.
You can then do your makeup if you wear one!
How to Use the Beauty Secrets App for Your Skincare Routine
Staying committed to a routine or remembering what to use daily is challenging. On some days, you may forget to exfoliate; on others, you may skip the serum. Instead of relying on memory which can sometimes fail, you can always make your work easier by using the Beauty Secrets app. This handy software comes with many perks:
i. It enables you to key in your skin type and concerns.
ii. You can then build a routine using the steps and products you want or allow the app to customise a routine for you.
iii. The app also suggests personalised products for your skincare needs.
iv. Its notifications remind you when you need to start or stop your routine.
v. The app can handle any routine regardless of the number of products.
vi. The interface is easy to navigate, and
vii. You can create routines for more than just your face.
Have we mentioned it also has a resource blog? You can learn more about your skin and how to address your concerns and use this information to build a better routine.
Even before reels and viral Tiktok videos, skincare routines existed. But back then, they were pretty simple. It was “cleanse, moisturize and protect,” and you were ready to leave your house. However, as technology and science improved, more steps were added to the routine, and things got a tad complicated. But the premise remains the same.
So, what’s all the fuss about skincare? The thing is that everyone, regardless of gender or age, needs a skincare routine. The only difference comes about in the products that you use. As we will discuss in the next section, you may have more or fewer product needs than your friend, your sister or your mother.
Having a skincare routine helps in the following ways:
- It helps you maintain your skin’s health or repair your skin barrier if it has suffered damage,
- It slows down the signs of aging, and
- It addresses your key skin concerns.
While beauty is a perk to having a skincare routine, the primary goal is to achieve and maintain healthy skin. There is no such thing as perfect skin, as you will likely face some bumps along the way. But if you can maintain a good skincare routine, you can avoid adverse changes in your skin.
What Should You Do Before Starting Any Skincare Routine?
Based on the information on social media, there has been a trend to jump on the latest beauty trick. One minute, people are hydrating their faces twice a day, and the next, they are applying three finger lengths of sunscreen on their faces. There is nothing wrong with these beauty hacks. In fact, they may be suitable for your skincare needs. However, starting a skincare routine based on such tidbits of information can cause more harm than good.
So, what must anyone do before embarking on a skincare haul?
a. Understand your skin type: Do you know your skincare type? A common mistake when buying skincare is buying the wrong products for your skin’s needs. Start by reading this guide to understand if you have oily, dry, normal, or combination skin. Moreover, figure out if you have sensitive skin.
b. Figuring out your skin concerns: You will not need every skincare product. At the fundamental level, everyone must have a cleanser, a moisturiser, and sunscreen. You then build on this based on your skin concerns. For example, if you have clogged pores, you will likely need a double cleanse instead of a single cleanse. But if you don’t suffer congestion and don’t wear makeup, you can opt for water-based cleansing alone.
c. Shopping for skincare products aligned to your skin type: Now that you know your concerns, you will need to find skincare products that match your skin type. Else, you may damage your skin barrier, e.g., by using comedogenic products on oily acne-prone skin.
d. Creating a skincare routine: You must decide how to use the products to address your skin’s needs. Some products are safe for daily use, while others can only be used once weekly.
e. Being consistent: Results are only achievable if you stick to the routine. Of course, you can always tweak it based on how your skin responds. And a great way to figure out what needs modification is to track your routine using a mobile app.
What you end up with might be worlds apart from what your friend or favorite influencer needs. That’s why customisation is essential.
What is the Right Skincare Routine?
Skincare follows the simple rule of layering products from the thinnest to the thickest. Below, we show you how to use your products in a similar order. Please note the following:
- The order is universal regardless of your skin type.
- You do not need to use all the products if they do not address your skin concerns. Instead, you can choose what you need and ignore the other steps.
- Some products will feature in your routine on specific days and will not be constants.
- You can alter the routine based on how your skin responds. E.g., you may need to exfoliate fewer or more times.
That said, let’s start ordering the products.
1. CLEANSING (AM & PM)
A cleanser is essential to wash off the dead skin cells, makeup, and other pore-congesting debris on your face. Cleansing comes in two forms:
a. Oil Cleansing: If you are wearing makeup or mineral-based sunscreen, using an oil cleanser will dissolve them, making it easier to clean your pores. Use this on a dry face and wash it off with warm water after massaging it on the skin.
b. Water-Based Cleansing: These cleansers work on damp faces and should be washed off with lukewarm water.
2. EXFOLIATING (AM OR PM)
Exfoliating helps you get rid of dead cells, thus paving the way for new cells to surface. You can do so using the following:
a. Scrubs,
b. Acids, or
c. Prescriptions.
Please note that owing to the harsh nature of exfoliants, it is not advisable to use them twice a day. Your skin may not be able to handle even daily use. So, it’s best to work with skincare advice and gauge how your skin responds.
3. TONING AND HYDRATING (AM & PM)
Toners help restore your skin’s pH after cleansing and/ or exfoliating. Some of them may have hydrating properties. Hydrators introduce moisture to the skin and restore the skin’s barrier. Depending on your choice of toner, you may choose to skip the hydrator or may decide to double up on the hydration.
Some of the products you can use in this step are:
a. Mists,
b. Essences,
c. Toners, and
d. Serums.
Please note that some of their effects may intertwine, and you may need one product to address your toning and hydration needs.
4. TARGETING AND MASKING (AM OR PM)
Do you have skincare concerns? Maybe you have enlarged pores or hyperpigmentation. Now is when you layer your targeting products. Examples include:
a. Retinoids – best used at night
b. Vitamin C – best for daytime protection
c. Niacinamide, etc.
Anything that addresses your specific needs will fall into this category. So, if you’re masking your skin, you will do it at this stage. Please note that this applies to masks that you leave on the skin. Those you wash off fall under the exfoliation category as they come right after cleansing.
5. MOISTURISING (AM & PM)
Hydrators alone are not enough to moisturise your skin. So, now is the time to lather on extra moisturisation using the following:
a. Eye Creams – these are optional,
b. Facial Moisturisers – you can use creams, butter, oils, or anything else that suits your skin type.
Do not skip moisturising – it restores your natural skin’s moisture barrier. If you’re doing the routine at night, you can layer on a sleeping mask.
6. PROTECTING (AM)
While some moisturisers have SPF, most do not have enough protection to last you through the day. So, you will need to layer on an additional SPF cream after moisturising.
You can then do your makeup if you wear one!
How to Use the Beauty Secrets App for Your Skincare Routine
Staying committed to a routine or remembering what to use daily is challenging. On some days, you may forget to exfoliate; on others, you may skip the serum. Instead of relying on memory which can sometimes fail, you can always make your work easier by using the Beauty Secrets app. This handy software comes with many perks:
i. It enables you to key in your skin type and concerns.
ii. You can then build a routine using the steps and products you want or allow the app to customise a routine for you.
iii. The app also suggests personalised products for your skincare needs.
iv. Its notifications remind you when you need to start or stop your routine.
v. The app can handle any routine regardless of the number of products.
vi. The interface is easy to navigate, and
vii. You can create routines for more than just your face.
Have we mentioned it also has a resource blog? You can learn more about your skin and how to address your concerns and use this information to build a better routine.