Welcome to the new year. Let’s get a jump start on our skincare goals by looking at what a proper daily skincare routine looks like for the average person. We will talk about cleansing, moisturizing, and what retinol is so you can make the right choices for your own daily regime.
Cleansing
Let’s start with the first and most important step, cleansing. What is cleansing though? When we say cleansing we mean exfoliating and successfully removing all of the makeup, product, sebum, etc on your face. If you skip this step, the rest of them won’t matter because you are putting the product on top of dirty, oily skin. That equates to wasting product and money.
If you have the time and energy, it’s recommended that you do a double or triple cleanse every night. That means wash, lather, rinse, repeat times 3. Our favorite cleanser is the IS Clinical Cleansing Complex. Just a dime-sized amount with a little water will remove all your makeup, including that hard-to-remove eye makeup (yes, even your mascara, this stuff is amazing!).
Depending on the amount of makeup or eye makeup you have on, you may want to do a once more over just to be sure you got it all.
The Importance of Nightly Cleansing
It might be tempting after a long day not to wash your face and just “do it in the morning” but by then your skin has had to fight off free radicals, toxins, and impurities that build up on your skin. Giving you and your skin more work in the long run. Not washing your face at night can also lead to premature aging, breakouts, and a plethora of other issues that you don’t want.
Skincredible Glycolic Cleanser
Once you are done cleansing, our team suggests you follow this with the Skincredible 10% Glycolic Cleanser using these amazing little exfoliator pads from CVS.
This step helps to exfoliate the skin without drying it out. Removing the dead skin cells before bed helps to make sure you have better product penetration in the morning.
In the summer, use the 10% Glycolic in the AM with a CVS pad. In the winter months just splash your face with water and move on to our next step, Hyaluronic Acid.
Hyaluronic Acid
We hyped up cleansing, but there is another big player in the skincare regime game and that is hyaluronic acid. This is a huge step and is recommended you do it as part of your AM and PM routine, no matter what your skin type is.
It’s best to apply hyaluronic acid on your skin while it’s a little damp from cleansing because the HA molecule is larger and water will help it absorb into the skin instead of just sitting on top of it.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C isn’t just good for your insides, it’s also good for your outsides. This is another step that it doesn’t matter what your skin type is, oily or dry, there’s something out there for everyone.
This step helps to fortify the skin’s defenses against those pesky free radical assaults. It’s an extra layer of protection for your skin while also giving it much needed nutrients.
Moisturizer
This step is dependent on your skin type. Some people need this year round while others only need it during the winter. It boils down to what your skin needs with a mix of personal preference. If you are doing the hyaluronic acid step properly, then you might be able to skip this step, especially if your skin is on the oily side and it feels like too much.
Sun Protection for the AM
Remember in the last post we mentioned our love for SPF? Yup. Here it is again. We’ve said it before and we will say it again (and again and again and again…)… wear your SPF! Rain, shine, snow, winter, spring, summer, or fall, wear your SPF.
The myth has always been that SPF are oily or can cause breakouts, but the market is saturated with so many amazing SPFs now that the myth is all but busted. Don’t just rely on your moisturizer with SPF to do the job. Make sure you have a separate SPF product to properly project your skin and all the hard work you’ve put into making it look fabulous and healthy.
Retinol for the PM
Retinol isn’t something we’ve talked a lot about yet, so here is a crash course in this valuable skincare tool. To start, retinol is a fat-soluble form of Vitamin A and is known for smoothing fine lines & wrinkles, preventing breakouts, and helping with the overall texture of your skin.
You can get it in various strengths, and it’s one of the few steps that you need to consult a professional before using (you can buy product over the counter, just check with someone about your specific needs before heading to the store, ok?).
As with anything that comes in various strengths, it’s best to start with the lowest strength, at two to three days a week, before increasing the usage or the dose.
Beware. If you overdo the amount of retinol on your skin, it will get dry and flakey, and it could even trigger a breakout if your skin is prone to it.
Are you ready?
Our trained clinicians are available to assist you in achieving your skincare goals and recommend the best products for your skincare regime.
Contact us today to schedule your consultation to find out if one of our recommended products is right for you!
