Skincare doesn’t need to be confusing when you’re new. A basic skincare routine should offer protection from environmental factors like the sun, gentle cleansing of skin secretions and cosmetics, and moisturizing to support skin hydration and processes like desquamation (shedding of dead skin cells). Think of these steps as the foundation of your routine - they facilitate skin health and prepare your skin for researched backed ingredients to address skin concerns.
The Role of Skincare
The skin needs to be healthy to function correctly and that’s where your routine comes in. Cleansing doesn’t just provide a fresh canvas for skincare, it can encourage dead skin cells to shed so your skin doesn’t appear dull or congested. You may also notice your skin becomes easily irritated, flaky, and dull if you’re not using a moisturizer to support barrier health and hydration. Luckily, it just takes a few well formulated products and consistency to keep your skin happy and healthy. So how do you build a skincare routine with essentials?
The Starter Routine
- Identify your skin type and skin concerns
- Find these products for your skin type:
- Cleanser
- Moisturizer
- Sunscreen
- Introduce the products slowly, beginning with sunscreen in the morning and the cleanser and moisturizer at night
Expanding your Routine
There is no rule saying you need a set number of skincare steps or that you even need to exfoliate. The only non-negotiable skincare steps are the ones above and your skincare routine should also work for your daily schedule and the amount of time you want to put in.
The main reason to expand your routine is if you have skin concerns that aren’t being addressed by what you’re already using. If that’s the case, you’ll want to select products with evidence backed ingredients for your skin concerns.
Pro Tip when building your skincare routine with essentials: ask yourself, “is there evidence?” It can be very tempting to buy into marketing claims around products or complicated skincare routines but searching for the research behind the claims can help put it into perspective and serve as a litmus test when it comes to who to trust.