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Skin Care Routines: The Ultimate Guide

The ultimate guide to skin care routines: how to get your best skin ever

Although skin care has exploded in popularity in recent years, and it can be easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer volume of products available, having a consistent skin care routine is crucial in maintaining skin’s health. 
Knowing which skin care routine steps you should be taking can be tricky, especially if you’re starting from scratch, so we’re here to help!
Read on to discover how to pinpoint what your skin type is, which essentials you actually need in your routine and key ingredients to look out for to help target your skin’s specific needs. 

Why do you need a skin care routine?

A considered and consistent skin care routine boasts mutual benefits for your skin and general wellbeing, too. 
The most crucial benefit of having a proper skin care routine that uses clinically proven ingredients is skin health – the right skin care products can protect your skin from the sun’s harmful rays, heal and prevent acne, lessen the effects of rosacea and comfort dry, tight skin.
Of course, a skin care routine has its beauty benefits, too. Taking care of your skin can help lessen wrinkles as you age, boost your skin’s radiance and smoothness and improve the look of oiliness, dryness or blocked pores. 
Finally, a skin care routine also has holistic benefits. Taking a few minutes each morning and evening to care for your skin is a moment of mindfulness, where you can slow down and focus on the task at hand, as well as showing yourself some love. 

How to determine your skin type

Skin types can be classified in a number of different ways, but here we will focus specifically on dry, oily, combination and sensitive – this will allow you to pick the best skin care routine for your skin’s needs. Simply follow our three easy steps:
Step 1: Wash your face using your current cleanser or soap. 
Step 2: Don’t apply any products – leave skin bare. 
Step 3: Wait! 
Leave your skin alone for a few hours, then notice how it feels. 
  • Greasy and oily: You have oily skin. 
  • Dry, tight or flakey: You have dry skin. 
  • Dry in some parts, greasy in others: You have combination skin. 
  • Stinging, red: You most likely have sensitive skin, or your skin is reacting to current products. 
  • If your skin feels just the same as it did immediately after you washed it, you have normal skin.
Of course, it’s possible that your skin might only feel slightly dry or slightly oily, or that it may feel red and reactive when it normally doesn’t. Skin’s needs can change slightly over time, and it can react to different products you’re using, so treat the above guide as a way of directing your skin care routine at the beginning. 

What do you need for a skin care routine?

Look at any pharmacy or beauty shop’s skin care range and you’ll see a cacophony of lotions, potions, serums and more - it’s really easy to get overwhelmed and fall into the habit of buying trendy products that may not work for you. 
In reality, there are a few basic products you need in your skin care routine no matter your skin concerns:
  • Cleanser
  • Moisturiser
  • SPF
And then depending on your skin needs or goals, you may also want to include some of the following:
  • Makeup remover
  • Targeted treatment serum
So what are each of these products exactly, and what do they do for your skin?

Cleanser

Keeping skin clean is important. Your skin is met with makeup, pollution, grease and dirt on a  daily basis, all of which can cause damage.
Cleansers come in many shapes and forms, and it may take some trial and error to find one you truly love. So what type of cleanser will suit your skin type?
  • Oily: Look for cream or gel cleansers that foam to get a deep clean. 
  • Dry: Opt for comforting creamy cleansers that don’t foam up. 
  • Combination: Either of the above will work for you!
  • Sensitive: Look for a non-foaming cleanser with a minimal ingredients list. 
Normal: The world is your oyster, but a good basic cleanser will work best for you. 

Moisturiser

Moisturiser is essential for maintaining the hydration level of your skin. Central heating, air conditioning and weather extremes can all dry out your skin, and contrary to popular belief even oily skin needs a good moisturiser to prevent it from over-producing oil. 
The key to picking the right moisturiser is texture and thickness. Drier skin types should look for thick creams, whereas oilier skin will benefit from lighter gel textures.

SPF

The single most important product in your skincare routine is a good sun care product. UVA and UVB rays from the sun can cause catastrophic skin damage, from melasma all the way up to skin cancers. Not only that, it ages skin too. 
It’s essential to wear a generous amount of SPF of 30 or above on a daily basis – anything lower won’t provide adequate protection. You need SPF on cloudy days, too, and even indoors!
There are two types of SPF commonly available:
Physical SPF
Made of minerals that create a barrier on the skin to block out the sun’s rays. They’re usually referred to as mineral SPFs.
Chemical SPF
Made using chemicals that absorb the sun’s rays, thus protecting the skin. You’re unlikely to see ‘chemical’ on the bottle, just SPF!
The traditional amount of SPF you should use to cover your face and neck is two fingers full - squirt the product along your index and middle fingers to get the correct amount! It’s also highly recommended that you regularly top up your SPF throughout the day. 

Makeup remover

If you wear makeup (or even if you sweat or encounter a lot of dirt and pollution daily) it’s a good idea to double cleanse your skin. 
This basically means using two separate cleansers to make sure skin is left completely clean. 
Three products in particular make for excellent first cleansers and makeup removers:
  • Micellar waters
  • Cleansing balms
  • Cleansing oils

Suitable for any skin type, these products will deep clean skin and remove any dirt, grime and makeup, leaving it ready for your main cleanser to work it’s magic. 

Targeted treatment serum or toner

By using a serum in your skin care routine, you can target specific skin concerns you might have. The range of serums and treatments on the skin care market is vast, and you can get both single active ingredients and blended actives to target multiple issues at once. 
A few key ingredients have been tried and tested over the years and will deliver proven results:
  • Vitamin C | Brightens skin and improves radiance and skin tone, fades pigmentation and scarring over time. 
  • Vitamin A | Most commonly known as retinol. Improves skin tone, fades scarring, helps treat and prevent acne, helps prevent skin ageing.
  • Hyaluronic Acid | Able to hold over 1,000 times its weight in water, boost hydration and plumps skin.
  • Salicylic Acid | Exfoliates skin on a deep level, unclogs pores, treats and prevents acne and blackheads.
  • Glycolic Acid | Exfoliates skin on surface level, helps boost brightness and remove dead skin cells.
  • Rosehip Oil | Nourishes, brightens and moisturises. Suitable for oily and acne prone skin, too.
If you’re wondering about skin care order, you should apply products from the thinnest water-based consistency first, to the thickest oil-based consistency, and always apply your SPF last. 
As an example, this would look something like:
Cleanser, glycolic acid toner (thin), hyaluronic acid (thin), moisturiser (thick), SPF. 

As for how often you should use skin care?

Every single day – consistency is key!
Make sure to cleanse and moisturise morning and evening – treatments can be used at either time of day, but most active ingredients are best used at night as they can cause increased sun sensitivity. 
SPF must be applied every single morning - we simply can’t stress its importance enough!

What should you avoid in a skin care routine?

Just as there are ingredients you absolutely need, there are those you should definitely avoid.
Fragrance
Not all fragrance in skin care is bad, however in general it’s best avoided. Fragrance has no added skin care benefits and can be extremely irritating for some skin types – if your skin is sensitive, you should avoid it altogether.
Essential oils
Similar to fragrance, essential oils can cause irritation to some people’s skin. Though they have some aromatherapy benefits – and you may have no issue with them at all – it’s best to look for products that don’t contain any, or contain only very small amounts if you know your skin can tolerate them.
Pore-clogging oils
Mineral oil and coconut oil are the main offenders here. Look for non-comedogenic (a scientific term for non-pore clogging) oils like rosehip, hemp, jojoba and argan instead.
Over-exfoliation
Using too many active ingredients at once can damage the skin’s protective barrier and exacerbate skin issues. Stick to no more than two active ingredients in a routine and only use one at a time in the morning or evening. 

How do you know what’s working and what isn’t?

The simplest way of determining whether you’ve chosen the right products in your routine is to listen to your skin. 
If your skin is smooth, clear and even-toned with no tightness, minimal greasiness and no breakouts, congratulations – you nailed your skin care routine!
The same applies if you’ve noticed improvements in any issues you have, like acne or dullness. You’ll see maximum results from your new routine at about 4 to 6 weeks after starting it. 
If your skin seems to be getting worse, it’s breaking out or looking bumpy and textured, you’re experiencing increased redness, dryness or oiliness, your products probably aren’t suited to your skin type, or you may be reacting to a particular ingredient. 
The simplest way to catch the culprit is to introduce products one by one when beginning your routine. Try each product for 3-5 days before adding in a new one; that way you can easily tell what’s causing a negative reaction. 

How long does skin care take to work?

Some products yield great results overnight, others take their time! Here’s a rough guide to the most popular active ingredients:

  • Vitamin C - 3 to 8 weeks
  • Vitamin A - 12 weeks
  • Hyaluronic Acid - 15 minutes!
  • Salicylic Acid - 4 to 6 weeks
  • Glycolic Acid - 2 to 3 weeks

Patience and consistency are key when beginning and maintaining a skin care routine. Stick with it! The results are absolutely worth it. 

At McGorisks, we not only stock a full range of skin care, our expert pharmacists are on hand to help you choose the right brands and products to fit your skin. 

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Susan Dolan

Beauty & Skincare Expert
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