When it comes to looking after our skin, what is the best skin care routine? I will hold my hand up and say I have no clue! I know I have always suffered with oily skin, so I have never really known what is the best skin care routine. Your skin is the largest organ, so really and truly, we should do all that we can to care for it. It is NEVER too late to start.
In the past I have tried moisturisers, used make up remover, but never understood all the stages in between that you should be doing. At one point I even used milk from the fridge to cleanse my skin and used eggs whites to tone it! I can honestly say my skin felt amazing then. Cleopatra used to bath in milk, so I kinda thought it had to have some kind of benefit!
At the moment I am 42 years young, still with oily skin and only splashing water on my face to clean it. I don’t know what is the best skin care routine, but I know I should be doing more to look after it. I love learning, so researching into skin care routines was as good an opportunity to learn something new.
WOW! There are so many products out there, and it does feel a little overwhelming to know what products I would benefit from. So, I thought my first stage of learning is to understand what a skin care routine should consist of.
To answer what is the best skin care routine, I have discovered that there should be 6 stages and it doesn’t have to be time consuming either. So here are the stages to implement for a good skin care routine:
STAGE 1 – Remove Make-Up and Cleanse
In order for any product to have it’s maximum absorption and benefit, the skin needs to be dirt free. Removing all sweat, dirt and pollution is the first thing to do, as this can all build up over a 24 hour period. Opting for a gentle cleanser is best, nothing that will strip the skin, and it is advised to do this morning and evening. Use the make up remover first (if you wear make up) and then cleanse.
A local beautician advised that to cleanse the skin properly, you need to clean the skin in an upwards motion to ensure you are removing the dirt from the pores and for it to go against gravity. Yes, gravity! Upwards motions encourages a lift in the skin,
My God! There are so many different types of cleansers for all different types of skin. So I feel this needs a separate blog otherwise you will be here all day! Be sure to read up on the different types to ensure you choose the right one!
STAGE 2 – Toning
After removing all your make-up and then cleansing, the next step is to tone, and it is advisable to do this morning and evening too. From what I can understand cleansing and toning is like a husband and wife cleaning the bathroom! he husband is the cleanser. He will clean the bathroom to the best of his ability, but will leave some of the grime around the bath. The wife, aka the toner, will come in and go over the husbands work and remove the leftover grime,
So the toner plays an important part ensuring a deeper clean is present. For oily skin – note that if Niacinamide is an ingredient in the toner, this can balance the skins oil level.