Great skin is not a miracle. It needs the right care to stay healthy and glowing. Lifestyle, pollution, stress and the sun’s UV rays can cause skin damage. But a good skincare routine can repair and manage your skin. Read on for the ultimate guide to building a skincare routine.
Highlights:
1. Know Your Skin: Types Of Skin
The first step towards a healthy skin is knowing your skin and opting for a skincare regimen accordingly. You are unique, so should your skincare be.
What is your skin type from the list below?
- Dry Skin - is tight, rough and sometimes flaky
- Oily Skin - is oily, greasy and may have pores
- Normal Skin - is clear and balanced
- Combination Skin - is dry in some spots (cheeks) and oily in others (forehead, nose and chin)
- Sensitive skin - burns with the application of certain skincare or makeup
Take the SkinKraft SkinID™ questionnaire to understand your skin and its unique requirements.
2. Skincare Routine
A good skincare routine is the one that is easy, quick and effective. We are here to help you in your quest to find the right skincare routine for your skin.
| Topical | Oral |
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Cleansing Toning Serum Moisturizing Sunscreen Eye cream |
Exfoliate Masks |
A. Cleansing For Different Skin Types
Cleansing is the first and most important step in any skincare routine. It removes dirt, dust, makeup residue and excess oil from your skin. Besides, cleansing prepares your skin for the next set of products in your skincare routine.
An ideal cleanser is
Gentle
A lot of foaming ingredients in the cleanser interferes with your skin's natural pH and can damage your skin. A mildly foaming cleanser is often gentle on your skin as it does not contain harsh chemicals.
Moisture Restoring
Your skin should feel squeaky clean and fresh, yet not dry and tight. Make sure to choose a cleanser that does not strip off the moisture from your skin.
Deep Cleansing (not over cleansing)
A cleanser should deep cleanse to remove dirt and debris from your skin, but not over cleanse. This means it shouldn’t remove the skin’s natural oils. Over cleansing can disrupt the skin's natural barrier, making it prone to bacterial infections.
Use your cleanser twice-a-day in the morning-and-night cleansing routine.
Cleanser for Dry Skin
Cleanser for dry skin contains ingredients that have a moisturizing effect on the skin. You don't want to dry out your skin further with the use of harsh cleansers. Pick a cleanser that has hydrating ingredients like glycerine and essential oils.
Cleanser for Oily Skin
Oily skin is a result of excess sebum production in the skin. An ideal cleanser for oily skin should control the sebum levels. Pick a cleanser with non-comedogenic ingredients (such as aloe vera, green tea, citric acid, grapeseed oil, charcoal and neem oil) to avoid clogged pores.
Cleanser for Sensitive Skin
Opt for mild cleansers with a fragrance-free, sulfate-free formula. Try and avoid foaming cleansers as they can remove too much natural moisture. Ingredients like soy protein, glycerin, aloe vera and cucumber are soothing, cleansing and moisturise restoring.
Cleanser for Normal and Combination Skin
Any type of cleanser works for normal and combination skin. Pick one that does not have a high pH and is not stripping off the oils from your face.
B. Toning
Toning balances your skin and is the second step in your skincare routine after cleansing. It restores the pH balance in your skin and makes your skin ready for other skincare products and makeup.
Toner is applied using cotton pads, but a lot of the liquid is lost while doing so. Applying the toner with clean hands is the most efficient way of doing it. Take a few drops and then just spread them evenly on the face.
Ingredients to Look For in A Toner
- Alpha and beta hydroxy acids help in exfoliating the skin
- Hyaluronic acid provides hydration to the skin
- Vitamin E and C slows down the skin aging process
- Rose water and green tea soothes your skin
C. Serum For Skin Issues
Serums are skincare products infused with concentrated doses of active ingredients. They are used to treat skin concerns ranging from dark spots to wrinkles, tan and acne.
In case you don't have any skin concern, you could still use an antioxidant serum to guard your skin from the daily damage.
A skin lightening serum addresses skin tan by stopping the production of excess melanin. Ingredients like licorice, niacinamide and vitamin C in this kind of serum removes tan, refines skin texture and creates an overall luminous complexion.
A dark spot control serum targets triggers associated with discoloration that could be a result of UV exposure, hormones, prescription drugs and some professional treatments. Ingredients like alpha arbutin, niacinamide, kojic dipalmitate and propanediol prevent melanin production and lighten the skin.
Acne is a skin condition that occurs when hair follicles become clogged with dead skin cells, dirt and sebum. An acne control serum contains ingredients like azelaic acid that controls sebum production, unclogs pores and stops bacterial growth.
Nobody likes to age faster and thanks to anti-aging serums, aging is delayed. Retinoids (Vitamin A derivatives) are the super ingredients in anti-aging serums that increase collagen production, rejuvenate and renew skin cells.
D. Moisturizing
Your skin’s outermost layer acts as a barrier and protects the underlying tissue from external aggressors.
The amount of water that this barrier holds is directly related to the strength of the barrier. Hence, it is important to keep your skin hydrated or moisturized at all times.
Moisturizers for Different Skin Types
- Dry skin - Creams
- Oily Skin - Serums
- Normal Skin - Lotions
- Normal to dry skin - Gels
- Normal to oily skin - Serums
- What about moisturizer for sensitive skin?
There are day moisturizers and night moisturizers. The latter is usually thicker and heavier and are designed to be absorbed over the course of several hours.
E. Sunscreen
Sunscreen is non-negotiable today. Our skin is subjected to constant damage from the sun.
It is crucial to use a sunscreen that can prevent wrinkles, fine lines, dark spots and skin cancer too. Sunscreen is the last step in your skincare regimen.
Experts recommend using a daily moisturizer with a built-in broad spectrum SPF of at least 30.
Apply sunscreen 30 minutes before sun exposure, and reapply at least every two hours.
F. Eye Cream
Eye cream is an optional step in your skincare regimen. But you may want to consider it if you face these issues:
- Dryness
- Puffiness
- Hyperpigmentation
Eye creams are a part of your night care regimen along with cleansing, treating and moisturizing.
G. Exfoliate
Weekly exfoliation can help you get rid of dead skin cell buildup to reveal new, youthful-looking skin underneath. Fruit scrub, coffee scrub and sugar scrub are some of the many scrubs available in the market to get you smooth skin.
H. Facial Masks
Sitting back and relaxing with a face mask on is so good for your skin. You can choose from a variety of face masks like clay, charcoal, mud, honey, etc. Apply an even layer of any of the face masks to clean, dry skin. Leave on for 10-15 minutes, then rinse off thoroughly with lukewarm water.
3. Skin Care Dos And Don'ts
- Do eat a balanced diet
- Do get adequate sleep
- Do physical activity or exercise
- Do drink a lot of water
- Do remove your makeup before sleeping
- Do cover yourself with stoles, hats, sunglasses, etc while you are out in the sun
- Do use clean pillowcases
- Don’t use the wrong skincare products
- Don’t stress
- Don’t keep touching your face
- Don't take hot showers
- Don't squeeze pimples
4. How To Layer Skincare Products
Besides the timing and consistency of skincare products, layering is an important aspect of a good skincare routine. Applying your skin care products in the right order ensures that your skin receives the full benefits of each product. The right order is cleanse, tone, apply serum, moisturize and then put on sunscreen.
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