Here Are Some Basic Skin Care Tips For You
Establishing the appropriate skin care routine can help you look stunning and feel confident about yourself. A successful routine should involve cleansing, nourishing, and protecting the skin.
With so many beauty influencers and products out there to choose from and skincare advice being hard to come by, it can be difficult to know where to begin. Below are a few basic guidelines from two dermatologists to get you on the path toward skincare success.
1. Cleanse
No matter how amazing the products you use on your skin (such as face masks, serums or sunscreen), none will have an effective outcome if they are not cleansed regularly. Utilizing a mild cleanser both morning and night will remove all daily grime, makeup residues, impurities and dead skin cells that obstruct other products from doing their jobs properly.
Scrubbing should also be avoided as this can irritate and dry or tighten skin surfaces, potentially causing inflammation. Instead, we suggest using a creamy cleanser like our Atlantic Sea Kelp & Brown Rice Cleanser that gently exfoliates away makeup, oil, dirt and pore debris without damaging its protective barrier.
If you wear heavy makeup or have oily skin, we advise double cleansing as the first round will remove surface impurities while the second cleanse will work deep into pores to prevent breakouts. Furthermore, it is crucial that you wash your face prior to bed as sweat during sleep can clog pores and worsen acne conditions.
Search for an oil-free or non-comedogenic cleanser to avoid irritating skin and clogging pores – particularly important if you suffer from acne. Furthermore, looking for ingredients such as glycerin, shea butter or jojoba seed oil as these will provide natural moisture replacement properties and replace any oils removed by harsher cleansers.
2. Moisturize
While cleansing products are essential, moisturizers play an equally crucial role in keeping skin looking its best and healthy. Contrary to popular belief, moisturization benefits all skin types – even oily ones! It helps slow signs of aging while leaving it soft.
Moisturizers help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles by replenishing the natural moisture barrier of the skin, which may have been compromised due to harsh cleansers or hot showers that strip your body’s natural oils. Products rich in antioxidants like Vitamin C or Retinol may help improve skin tone as well as lessen lines and wrinkles over time.
Moisturizer should be applied immediately following showering or bathing, when your skin is still damp. And the type of moisturizer matters too – lotions typically provide less hydration than creams and ointments which offer intense moisturization.
Winter months require additional moisturization efforts, as cold weather causes skin moisture loss that results in dry, chapped lips, hands and cheeks. Moisturizers containing shea butter, glycerin and aloe vera can help seal in this moisture for visibly softer skin; alternatively using light body tint or self-tanner may camouflage other blemishes while evening out different skin tones.
3. Sunscreen
Sunscreen is one of the most essential skin products. It protects you against both UVA and UVB rays which cause skin cancer, wrinkles, uneven tone and loss of firmness. Sunscreen should be applied daily and reapplied every two hours even if covered by clothing or under a hat.
No matter the season or temperature, a broad spectrum sunscreen with at least an SPF 30 rating should always be worn to protect skin from the harmful rays of the sun and reduce damage to it. Even on cloudy and cooler days, their UV rays penetrate deeply into skin tissue and damage can occur without direct sun.
Choose a sunscreen that’s non-comedogenic and hypoallergenic, so as to not clog pores or worsen acne. Furthermore, select one suitable for your skin type and ethnicity; those with oily skin might like lightweight gel-based products like CeraVe Facial Lotion while those with dry skin might prefer something creamier such as MISSHA Super Aqua Cell Renew Snail Cream.
sunscreen not only protects you against painful sunburns but can also prevent heat exhaustion and stroke, both of which can lead to nausea, muscle cramps and brain damage in severe cases. Wear a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses whenever possible as well as seeking shade when possible; tanning beds have been linked with increased risks of skin cancer.
4. Tone
Your skin is the largest organ in your body, serving as an invaluable protective shield that regulates temperature, protects you from disease, infection and sunlight exposure, and promotes cell turnover to keep your face looking younger for longer. That is why keeping it clean and healthy with toning treatments is so vitally important!
Toners help your moisturizer and other products absorb better by clearing away any extra oil or residue, as well as reduce inflammation and tighten pores for a radiant complexion. Furthermore, toners may help those prone to acne combat breakouts by balancing pH levels on your skin and limiting sebum buildup.
For those with oily skin, opt for a toner without alcohol (which can dry out your complexion), but that instead focuses on refreshing and invigorating it. Clarins’ Toning Lotion with Iris contains extracts of Iris and Sage to balance skin while clearing away impurities from impurity-ridden pores; alternatively try Renee Rouleau’s Elderberry Soothing Toner which uses glycolic and lactic acids to provide exfoliating benefits without stripping skin of its essential oils.
For dry skin, choose a toner with hydrating ingredients to lock in moisture from cleansing. Hyaluronic acid toners have the capacity to hold 1000 times their weight in water and act as powerful humectants; while soothing botanical toners such as green tea and aloe vera will soothe sensitive complexions by soothing redness. Simply dispense a few drops onto a cotton pad after cleansing in the morning or before sleeping at night and sweep over face, neck and decolletage areas after cleansing before bed.
5. Serum
Many are confused about the function and benefits of serum in their skincare routines. Serums are thinner than moisturizer but thicker than toner or essence (not to be confused with ampoules, which contain more concentrated actives). They can hydrate, clarify, exfoliate, plump up and brighten depending on what they contain.
After cleansing and toning, applying a face serum should be the second or third step of your skincare routine. According to Dr. Joshua Zeichner, apply a pea-sized amount onto clean, dry skin. Wait 30-60 seconds before layering additional products like spot treatments or moisturizer or face oil.
Face serums can be an easy and affordable way to add chemical exfoliants into your routine, since they tend to contain lower concentrations of active ingredients than scrubs or peels. A serum containing AHAs or BHAs like lactic acid and salicylic acid will resurface dull skin for a radiant finish while firming face serums featuring ingredients like niacinamide and retinol can boost collagen production against sagging. Finally, for extra dry skin types there’s always the YORA Rebalance Night Face Serum which will lock moisture all day long!
As serums can be so potent, they also tend to oxidize quicker than other products like your cleanser and toner, which is why it’s crucial that you keep track of their expiration dates and store it properly (in a cool dark location). While it might be tempting to layer multiple serums that contain powerful ingredients like vitamin C and retinol together for added benefits, Zeichner advises against this as doing so may cause redness or even irritation on your skin.
6. Eye Cream
Eye area skin is some of the most delicate on your entire face, and can quickly reveal signs of fatigue and aging. Therefore, it’s essential that this delicate area be moisturized regularly with eye cream – this will help combat dark circles and fine lines.
Shehadeh suggests selecting products with soothing, fragrance-free formulations and antioxidants designed to boost cell turnover, lighten discoloration and diminish fine lines and wrinkles. A Gua Sha or facial roller may also help reduce puffiness around your eyes while firming them up, according to Shehadeh.
Dermatologist Caroline Robinson recommends First Aid Beauty’s eye cream as an ideal daytime option that will also protect the delicate skin surrounding your eyes from UV rays, offering instantaneous illumination using peach micro-pearls while gradually lightening dark circles with its combination of niacinamide, caffeine and sodium hyaluronate.
La Roche Posay offers an effective nighttime eye cream to reduce fine lines and wrinkles, such as this La Roche Posay product from La Roche Posay. Packed with retinol, shea butter and avocado protein extract – along with white mulberry leaf extract and black tea extract that fight uneven skin tone and puffiness – it contains everything needed to firm skin while increasing collagen production. Simply take a pea-sized amount using your ring finger, apply gently around eye contour while avoiding bottom eyelashes – then tap it around eye contour, then repeat!