Does your skin need a boost? Stress and daily life are getting to you and your skin is showing. However, did you know that you can change that with a few simple skin care routines?
Here are some of the best techniques.
Korean Skin Care Routine
Korean women are well-known for having an amazing, glowing skin. They mix tradition and ancient practices with technology and put it all to good use in making their skin shine – in a good way.
Their skin care routines are so good that the news traveled all over the world and now almost everyone knows of their 10-step routine. But women are reluctant to try it because their regular routines include 3 steps or less. However, this method is simple once you learn how to do it.
Here is what you need to do:
- Cleanse your skin with water
You should always start by washing your face with water only. It keeps the skin moist and cleanses the few impurities that have gathered during the night.
- Apply toner
Next, you should use toner which is there to balance your skin’s pH levels. The toner is an important step because your skin could end up dry – it helps the skin absorb what’s coming next.
- Use essence
Essence is a mix between toner and serum and it helps the skin look young and fresh.
- Boost your skin with ampoule
Ampoule is similar to serum but it has more ingredients that target specific skin issues like brown spots and pigmentation. You can also use it when your skin needs some extra help. It’s not always required.
- Put on serum
Serum is a concentrated formula with a lot of ingredients – just like ampoule – which target wrinkles, dehydration and similar issues.
- Use eye cream
Eye cream can help the skin around your eyes stay moist and protected. The skin here is thin and it doesn’t produce any natural oils. You apply the eye cream by smearing it gently across your socket bone from the inner corner towards outer corners.
Apply a light layer of moisturizer in order to keep your skin hydrated throughout the day.
- Put on sunscreen
Sunscreen is not just for summer – you need it daily to protect you from damaging UV rays. This prevents the development of skin issues.
For women with busy schedules and little time in the morning, Vicky Lee, an entrepreneur and beauty blogger, has developed a shorter routine that still gives great results.
- Wash your face with water
- Use a toner
- Use the serum or ampoule
- Put on an eye cream
- Put on a moisturizer with SPF
With this routine, you can also use a sheet mask which is deeply hydrating and works wonders for anti-ageing. Using a sheet mask is, however, usually more convenient as a night routine.
Korean women also use an oil-based cleanser to clean makeup and then follow with a water-based cleanser that removes excess oil and residue.
You can also exfoliate twice a week to remove dead skin cells which block product absorption.
Skin Care Routine For Oily Skin
Skincare routine is difficult to figure out no matter what skin type you have but it might be even more so for those with oily skin. Oily skin is genetic and it produces natural oils which clog the pores and make the face look shiny. However, harsh cleansing and many product which promise help can only make it worse. So can poor lifestyle.
When you are trying to reduce the amount of sebum your skin produces, you first have to be ready to look at your lifestyle and determine how it affects your skin.
For example, stress causes hormone disbalance which, in turn, makes your skin more oily. Your diet could be damaging your skin as well, especially if you eat a lot of sweets, starchy foods and forget to take water. Eating food with plenty of antioxidants and no animal ingredients helps the skin produce less sebum and it also reduces inflammation.
Vitamins are also necessary for the skin to look good, so you should remind yourself to eat some fruit and vegetables once in a while.
There are also routines that you could adopt that could make your skin less oily. Here is a simple, yet effective example of a morning skincare routine:
- Cleanse with warm water
- Splash your skin with cold water in order to close the pores
- Put on a light layer of moisturizer that will keep your skin from producing excess oil
Or, this one, as a bit more complex routine:
- Wash with a cleansing gel
- Use a toner
- Apply an Antioxidant serum
- Use a Zinc Oxide sunscreen
Skin Care Routine For Dry Skin
Having dry skin is just as hard as having oily skin. While the latter is associated with unwanted shine, the former causes itchiness and flakiness. Unlike oily skin, dry skin often isn’t genetic but a result of circumstances. For instance, skin can be dry during winter or due to a hormone disbalance.
It could also happen because you are constantly switching between skin products with harsh ingredients.
This is why forming a strong and steady routine that will help you retain moisture is essential.
Here is one example:
- Wash your face in the evening to clean any clogged pores
- Wash with a gentle face lotion without Sodium Lauryl Sulfate which harms the skin
- Apply a toner which will help your skin absorb everything
- Use an antioxidant serum
- Apply a moisturizer with SPF
Rather than focusing on makeup, focus on making your skin healthier and less dry. Harsh products can make your skin even worse. If you must use makeup, go for lighter and more natural solutions.
Avoid sun exposure and heavily air-conditioned rooms. Drink a lot of water as well, as it helps your skin and body moisturized from the inside.
Skin Care Routine Order
It may seem unimportant in which order you apply your products as long as you apply them all. But, it’s actually quite the opposite.
You have to apply each product in proper order if you want it to do its job.
Even the most amazing routines in the world are ineffective when you do them poorly. It could even have damaging effects on your skin.
So, in order to keep your skin healthy and glowing, you need to learn the proper order of applying product.
- Remove makeup
If you wear light makeup, it might be possible to remove it all with water, but something else might be more effective. Coconut oil, for instance, is an excellent natural solution. Massage it into your skin and then wipe it off with a warm cloth or wash it off with warm water. Micellar water also works.
- Use a cleanser
This is where your skincare should start in the mornings. In the evenings, it ensures that your skin is truly clean. You should try a natural solution without sulfate to get the best results.
- Exfoliate or use a toner
Even though exfoliation should ideally be done twice a week, mild exfoliation daily is a good idea too. It will help you remove dead cells from your skin. Baking soda or lemon are a good combination of exfoliators, but you have to be gentle with your face.
Otherwise, you can use a toner that will balance your skin’s pH and help you prepare for all other products.
- Treatment for your skins issues
Here is where your skin is finally clean and prepared for treatment. Depending on what your skin needs, you can apply different things. For example, you can do acne spot treatments, Vitamin C, various acids, retinoids etc.
Always steer towards more natural solutions that will do less damage to your skin.
- Hydrating serums
Everyone could benefit from more hydratation – no matter the skin type. This helps your skin stay healthy for longer and it also makes you glow. Moisturizers can work perfectly here as well.
- Eye cream
Eye cream keeps the area around your eyes hydrated and protected during the day.
- Sunscreen
As mentioned, sunscreen is a necessity at all times as a protection from harmful UV rays. Apply it after all of your treatments. You can use a different SPF for each season, depending on what your skin needs.
After applying all of these protections which can keep your face healthy, you can start with your makeup routine.
Morning Skincare Routine
Morning skincare routines are beneficial to your face as it prepares it for the rest of the day. This is precisely the path your routine will take – from cleansing to feeding and protecting.
Start each morning with cleansing with either water or one of the cleansers mentioned. Then, you should apply treatments and serums that feed your skin and protect it against damage. These products also fix any issues that you have.
After that, it’s time to apply sunscreen and moisturizer which seal the products you already applied.
Night Skin Care Routine
Your night skin routine is there to remove all of the buildup that gathered throughout the day as well as makeup. You should start with removing makeup with one of the mentioned methods and then move on to cleansing. Some people recommend wearing sheet masks every night to restore life into your face.
Then you should apply treatments that you normally use and seal it with moisturizer. Sunscreen is not necessary in the evening.
The most important thing in your night routine is to make sure that all of the makeup and buildup is gone.
When choosing a skincare routine, you should pick the one that works for your skin type and schedule. Choose your products wisely as well – the more natural, the better. Once you find the routine and products that suit you, you will start to see amazing results.
Sources
https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/beauty-hair/beauty-trends/a42942/korean-skincare-routine-explained/
https://www.womenshealthmag.com/uk/beauty/skin/a708142/skincare-routine-for-oily-skin/
https://www.byrdie.co.uk/daily-skincare-routine/slide8
https://theskincareedit.com/2016/12/10/order-of-skincare-products
Beauty bars: The New Soapy Skincare Trend 
Everything you Need to Know About Facial Extractions 
Cicapair Tiger Grass Cream 
Skincare Tips for Summer 
Reasons Why You Need to Start Using a Konjac Sponge 
How to Get Flawless Korean “Glass Skin”