How Should Skin Care Order Be?

Skincare has finally become very popular. But do you know in which order you should apply the powerful products you have in the bathroom?

Before taking skincare more seriously, among my biggest mysteries were the active ingredients (how do I know which ones I need and which might suit me?) and the order. What is a serum, and when does it go? Why do I need toner, and what exactly does it do? Why acids and vitamin C? Where can I insert them? Too many questions that I gradually answered by reading and watching review videos. Slowly, my fear of 12 or more steps of a skincare routine weakened because I realized that I don’t need every active ingredient that exists and that there is no point in going through the trouble of skin care. After all, it should be a quick and efficient routine that will give me satisfaction and not create anxiety.

If you’ve become interested in beauty and skincare, that’s the first lesson to learn – you don’t need everything. Some products have become very popular thanks to Instagram and TikTok or influencers trying to sell them to you, but before buying them, check a few things. Let’s say, what kind of skin is that product for – if it’s oily and you have dry, forget it immediately, and vice versa. Otherwise, you could do more harm than good, resulting in rashes, acne, and pimples. We have already written about which active ingredients can be combined, and today we will guide you through the correct order of product application. We note once again that you do not have to do every one of the mentioned steps in your routine, but choose which one might be useful for you.

Makeup remover

This applies to the evening routine – unless you notice in the morning that you didn’t manage to remove your makeup the night before. Don’t worry. It happens to everyone. It is essential to use an effective but gentle makeup remover to avoid irritating the skin and still remove makeup or cream with a protective factor.

Cleaner

A cleansing gel or cream should also be gentle enough yet effective. It is essential to pay attention to the type of skin the product is intended for because they often have active ingredients. For example, if you have oily skin prone to acne, cleansers with salicylic acid are a good choice, and if your skin is dry, choose those with hyaluronic acid.

In the case of a morning routine, this should be the first step, and you generally don’t need to double cleanse in the morning.

Exfoliation

It would be best if you did not do this every day, but usually every other day, and ideally twice a week. Chemical exfoliation is done with AHA and BHA (salicylic) acids to remove dead cells from the skin’s surface. So, do not use this step everyday or evening because these potent ingredients will irritate you, and you will not see all the benefits that exfoliation can have on your skin.

Toner

This is an optional step. Toners come in several versions. They can be purifying, moisturizing or exfoliating. Again, if you have an exfoliating toner, don’t use it every day. The same applies to cleansers because they often contain alcohol and dry out the skin. The best option is the moisturizing ones because they will suit most people, given that they are gentle. The function of the toner is to calm the skin after using the active ingredients and prepare it for the serum or cream so that these products are better absorbed. In any case, apply them after you have cleansed your skin and before applying serum or cream.

Face mask

Also, a step that isn’t used every day, but if you want to put on a face mask, this is the time to do it – after cleansing (and toner, if you have one). There are many different masks on the market, for all skin types and possible problems, from cleaning, moisturizing, and treating local problems such as dark circles or acne.

Eye cream

A frequent question is whether we even need an eye cream. The answer is not simple; if you notice that you often have dark circles, even if you get enough sleep or the skin under and around your eyes is drier than the rest of your face, you need it. In other cases, you can probably do without it.

The time of application, i.e., its place in the routine, depends on the ingredients. For example, if it is a moisturizing cream, it should be applied before moisturizing the whole face, on cleansed and toned skin on which you have already used the serum. But if it has active ingredients like caffeine, niacinamide, or vitamin C, apply it before the serum. Creams for the eye area are usually relatively light, lighter than moisturizing creams that go last, so they go “under” them. And don’t forget – don’t put pressure on the area or smear it with anxiety. Pat lightly and gently.

Moisturizing cream

You need a moisturizer to “lock” the serum and encourage it to penetrate even deeper into the skin. Here we are talking about the evening routine, in which hydration is the last step. Adapt it to your skin’s needs, which may differ during summer and winter. In the warmer part of the year, you need a lighter cream that may not be enough for you during the winter, so watch how your skin reacts.

Cream with a protective factor

In the morning routine, this is the last step. Especially if you use vitamin C, AHA or BHA acids, or retinol in your routine, these ingredients are photosensitive or simply too strong, which can cause the skin to be hypersensitive. This means that without a cream with a protective factor, you could burn, even during the winter period. In any case, don’t skip SPF in your morning routine.

Serum

This is the most important part of the routine, and if you’re going to skip one, don’t make it a serum. These are products that have a high concentration of active ingredients in a formulation that is easily absorbed. There is a wide variety on the market, and it is important to know your skin type and what you need to choose the best one for you. For example, if you want to start with anti-aging care, think about peptides and retinol for the evening and vitamin C for the morning. If you want stronger hydration, hyaluronic acid is a great choice. For problematic and oily skin, use niacinamide. There are many different serums out there, so be sure to do your “homework” before purchasing a new product.