Building a skincare routine for all skin types
Today we are going to dial it back and talk about the basics of skincare, how to build a simple yet a effective skincare routine for all skin types. I think there are so many products out there with a lot of misinformation as well, and many of us get the wrong idea that to have a good skincare routine one needs to be buying 20 different products and have 12-step skincare routine. Let me put that idea to rest that this is not necessary and in fact, using too many products can actually damage your skin barrier and cause you to have some redness and irritation .So today at Sphere Medium we’re going to talk about the building blocks of a good solid skincare routine and things you should think about as you are building a skincare routine.
What Is Your Skin Type?
Before we dive into how to build a skincare routine for all skin types, I want to quickly go over how to know about skin type. This is Important because knowing your skin type can really dictate what types of products one should buy to personalize their routine.
The different skin types are oily, dry, combination, and sensitive skin. One way for you to tell what type of skin you have is to wash your face and cleanse it with water and cleanser and then leave it for a few minutes and before you put on any product, take a look and feel your skin. Is it dry and flaky? Do you have little dry patches all over your face, or do you notice that even after a few minutes you start to produce oil and your face looks like there’s a shine to it, or if you have combination skin, you have dry patches on the cheeks but in T-Zone, you get oil production or do you have sensitive skin, meaning your skin is prone to redness when you try actives like acids and retinoids.
What Are Your Skin Concerns?
Another important thing is to know what skin concerns you have, instead of buying products that are viral on social media you should choose products that are tailored to your specific skin concern.
Examples of these include acne, rosacea, dark spots, or hyperpigmentation, or if you’re noticing a lot of signs of aging you can look for products that specifically target signs of aging.
So keeping all of this in mind, let’s move towards building skincare routine for all skin types.
Building a Skin Care Routine
The morning routine:
- Optional cleanse: Optional because unless you have oily skin, and it’s very shiny in the morning you don’t really have to wash your face with a cleanser in the morning .This is up to you; I usually just splash some cold water on my face and move forwards with my routine; however, if your skin is greasy from the products used last night then go ahead and use your favorite cleanser in the morning.
- Treating specific skin concern: If you have acne, this is where you’ll use your anti-acne medication like salicylic acid, azelaic acid preparation or a topical prescription product like a topical antibiotic.
If you have rosacea, this is where you would use your rosacea medications, if you struggle with dark spots—this is where you would use those active ingredients to target dark spots like vitamin C, Kojic acid, licorice, hydroquinone, etc., etc.
so there’s a lot of different options all this is to say that step two is where you use you’re active to treat your skincare concerns.
- An antioxidant; like vitamin C, which is a very potent antioxidants that help to neutralize free radical damage from the Sun, collagen production and acts as a brightener to help fade those dark spots. Choose the type of vitamin C that jives well with your skin type
- Hydrate and protect: After vitamin C is your hydration step, so if you have dry skin, this is where you would use your moisturizer.
If you have oily skin or combination skin, and it’s In the summer you can simply use sunscreen instead of moisturizer.
Everyone should use a sunscreen at least SPF 30, and it should be broad-spectrum, meaning it blocks both UVA and UVB . If you’re going to be out and about swimming or sweating a lot, choose one that’s water resistant .
If you have hyperpigmentation then you want to choose one that’s tinted so it protects your skin from visible light from the sun, which can actually worsen dark spots.
After sunscreen, you can apply your makeup.
The PM or nighttime skincare routine:
- Cleanse: This is to help wash off all the oil, makeup, dirt, and pollutants, grime on your face from going about your day. Now I prefer a double cleanse, which is starting with an oil-based cleanser and then following that up with a water-based cleanser. And the reason to use an oil-based cleanser is because an oil-based cleanser is going to remove water-resistant sunscreens. It’s going to remove heavy makeup and then you wash it all off with a water-based cleanser. There are different types of cleansers as well, gel cleansers tend to work better for acne or for oily skin. Cream cleansers are really great if you have dry skin there’s also special medicated cleansers like benzoyl peroxide cleansers or salicylic acid cleansers which is better for oily or acne-prone prone skin, so depending on your skin type and your skin concerns you want to choose a good cleanser for you.
Now cleansers are one area that I don’t think you need to really splurge on .I think that there are a lot of great affordable cleanser options out there so this is one where if you are trying to figure out where to spend your money you can save on this category.
- Prescription medications, active ingredient products: These are those products that you’re going to use to treat specific skincare concerns, so this is the same as from the morning.
Now if you don’t have any skincare concerns, then you can think about putting your retinoid or your retinol here.Retinol or retinoids are vitamin A derivatives that are extremely useful and versatile in the world of skincare, which can help with so many things, like acne, they can help normalize skin cell turnover, they can help exfoliate, they can help clean out your pores, improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and they can also help with dark spots. In case you don’t like retinoids or if you can’t tolerate retinoids or retinol. This is the step where you would use other active ingredients if you want to exfoliate, or if you want to treat specific skin concerns.
- Moisturize: Moisturizer is especially important if you are using a retinol or retinoid because your skin is going to be dry .There are a lot of different moisturizers to choose from, so choose according to your skin type.
If you have oily, acne-prone skin use a gel moisturizer that’s more lightweight, if You have really dry skin or mature skin. You may want to look for a creamier or thicker moisturizer, and you may even think about using Vaseline as a very thin layer on top which is known as slugging and I have talked about slugging before at Sphere medium at “Slugging, Humidity, and More: Expert Winter Skincare Tips”.
Now an exception to this order that I just talked about is if you’re just starting out with a retinoid and you have really dry or sensitive skin and putting retinoid on your bare skin is too much for your skin to handle, then you can do “ the sandwich method” where you do a layer of moisturizer ,then a tiny pea-sized amount of retinoid on top of that for your whole face and then moisturize on top of that again, so it’s like a sandwich.
So remember to listen to your skin if you find that you’re starting a new routine and your skin’s getting really red. It’s Stinging or irritated try to figure out which product can you cut back on? And, go on “a skin diet,” and once your skin is clear add back one skincare product every few days to see if you can identify the culprit. Now this is a general guideline for building a skincare routine for all skin types, but as you get more familiar with using different products and experimenting with them you can certainly change up the order of the steps and add in more steps. I hope this was helpful for you. Thanks for reading.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Storm Bert
Why is it important to know our skin type?
This is important because knowing your skin type can really dictate what types of products you want to buy to personalize your routine.
What are the important products in skincare?
The most important products in skin care are cleanser and moisturizer.
How to find out my skin type?
After cleansing, face with cleanser and water; let it air dry and leave your face as it is for half an hour. And then feel how your skin looks and feels. If flaky and itchy, it could be dry skin; if oily and shiny, it’s oily, and if cheeks are dry and the T-zone oily and shiny, then you have combination skin.
Can I use sunscreen instead of moisturizer.
Yes, in fact, oily skin types are advised to swap sunscreen with moisturizer
How long does it take to see results from skincare?
It takes around 2 months to see visible results.
I am a dentist, baker, and fitness and health enthusiast with a passion for living life to the fullest. I am foodie and explorer, always seeking new adventures and flavors. Currently working on my own skincare brand.
