10-step skincare routine

Oil Cleansing is the first step of double cleansing, a popular method to truly get a clean face. 

Why use it?

Many water based/foam based cleansers are not designed to remove oil-based impurities like makeup, SPF, sebum, and anything else collected throughout the day. And since oil fights oil (and moisturizes), starting off with an oil-based cleanser is the most effective way to ensure any cleanser you use afterwards actually deep cleanses your skin and pores.

What should I not do?

Do not substitute a true face cleanser for an oil cleanser. Oil cleansers just remove excess sebum and help balance the skin without stripping your skin of lipids and ceramides. Water-based cleansers remove that 'inner' dirt and grime. Also do not go for plant-based oils like coconut, olive, etc. thinking it's 'cleaner' or more 'natural'. While those can help moisturize they are not designed to clean anything.

Oil vs balm?

For oil cleansers, you can use either liquid oil or a balm which is a little more solid and then it melts into an oil. The only difference is your preference (I have both). Note, the balms are easier to travel with.

So now we are on the second step. While the oil cleanser took off makeup and sebum, a good water-based cleanser will deep clean your pores to remove dirt and sweat. This is the typical cleansers we see in the store, the foam-y/soap-y face washes. For most of us, it's hard to find a water-based cleanser that does not leave us feeling completely stripped, leaving our faces a little dry and tight. The key here is to find one that works for your skin type that will leave your skin feeling soft and plushy/supple. 

Probably don't have to explain this too much, we all know it's good for you haha 

A lot of cleansers will have some exfoliating properties in them and that's great, but you need a product whose sole purpose is to take off dead skin cells, which helps you get brighter and smoother skin. It's ideal to exfoliate 1-3 times a week, anything above that is excessive and will ruin you. (But you can still use that daily cleanser that lightly exfoliates.)

There are physical and chemical exfoliators. Physical exfoliators manually removes the dead cells; this is the exfoliator we're all used to, with the little rough grainy stuff in them. (Random, but don't put anything with micro-beads on your face, sugar is fine; but no micro-beads, it tears your skin.) Chemical exfoliators dissolve the connections between the dead skin cells so they just kinda fall away. Chemical exfoliators can be a little more intense on the face than a physical exfoliator, do your research on the products before proceeding. 

Hot Tip: Do not use a physical exfoliator when you're having an active breakout; it will just irritate it more and tear up the skin leaving you with a bigger bump the next day. It's tempting to want 'extra' clean skin when you start breaking out, but that's when you rely on your double-cleansing to clean; do not exfoliate. 

 Toner, toner, toner! Don't even think about buying any face wash if you're not getting a toner with it! So this picks up any leftover residue and debris that your double cleansing and exfoliating didn't get, and it takes off the rest of the cleansers in case you suck at rinsing. 

Also sometimes our cleansers can strip us of certain essential oils and ingredients that maintain the pH in our skin. Ideal skin pH is between 4.7 and 5.75, and you want to look for toners that show their pH being close to this range. A good toner will balance the pH again so you don't get too dry or too oily. 

This ultimately preps your skin to absorb the upcoming steps. 

Everything beforehand had to do with cleaning your skin. Now we're moving into the new section 'prepping' your skin. 

Essences are a more liquid-y serum (serums are later explained). A lot of skincare routines skip essence; but essence, a purely K-beauty innovation, is a necessary step if you want to get the most out of your serums (think serums of face medicines). 

Essences are like boosters for your skin to ensure it extracts all the benefits of the supplements (serums) you add on top. They make your face a sponge that soaks up whatever you put on top.

 And because they're a little more viscous than a toner, they can pack a little punch in targeting trouble areas as well.

  Now we're on to the 'medicine' part of the skin care routine after cleansing and prepping our skin. 

Serums and ampoules (a little more viscous than a serum) have active ingredients that directly treat specific problem areas. These are powerhouse ingredients that target fine lines, acne, hyper-pigmentation, moisture, and literally anything you want to fix with your skin or want more of. 

You can custom your list of serums because they are so specific. The best way to layer them is to start off with the most watery one and then work your way up to the thickest, most viscous serum. 

Because these can help create sebum, be careful of how many serums you're layering here. I only do 3 at the very, very max. No matter what serum, please always put SPF on.

We all know what a face mask is, but do you know what a sheet mask is? 

A sheet mask is a fabric sheet made for your face, and it is soaked in nutrients and/or serums. You place it on your face and give yourself time to allow your face to soak up the serums and nutrients. 

After all of the hard work your face went through during the day and during this multi-step skin routine, this is a time for it to rest and relax while surrounding it in hydrating ingredients. Not all sheet masks are created the same, some are for brightening, or hydrating, and calming inflammation, firming, or anti-aging. You want to look at the packaging and ingredients to see which ones target what you're looking for.

Also, not all sheet masks are created the same in quality. There are a lot of dupes out there or created by companies that do not have safe and clean environments. Due to this reason, it's perfectly normal to opt out of this step.

This is for when your skin needs an extra boost, whether it's due to having a long, rough day, looking weary, or having a big event to prep for the day of or day after.

Note: This is not talking about clay, gel, or exfoliating masks that you wash off. If you are doing one of these, you want to do it earlier in your routine (when cleansing your skin). If you slap on a clay mask at this point, you wasted your toner, essence, and serums.

 The skin around your eyes is the thinnest and most delicate area, meaning it is easily dehydrated. Signs of wear and tear are wrinkles, fine lines, puffiness, crow's feet, dark circles, etc. A lot of these are caused by our internal health. 

Dark circles are caused by the blood pooling underneath the eye, meaning there isn't enough oxygen to circulate it properly. Other factors that can cause your eyes to show age are computer screens, sun damage, allergies, thinning skin, dehydrated skin, and hyper-pigmentation. It can also be completely hereditary.

Consistent good sleep, an iron-efficient diet, and drinking plenty of water can significantly help here.

But if you need a little more help, eye creams are created specifically for the eye area to decrease these effects and protect you. Because these are so concentrated, eye creams can easily be the most expensive part of the skincare routine.

Note: Your eyes start showing symptoms of aging at 21, so you have to start proper protection early unless you're going to be playing catch up in your 30s and 40s.

 Moisturizer is what it sounds like, lotion for your face. You always want to choose a moisturizer made for your skin type. 

Yes, they can have targeted purposes like brightening, anti-aging, or whatever. But the main priority is to lock in moisture to keep you soft and hydrated and also to lock in all of the benefits and effects of the products you've applied thus far. Otherwise all that hard work would evaporate out of your skin. 

Moisturizers come in all shapes and sizes and forms. You can do a thick night cream which focuses on amping up that moisture, or emulsions which are a bit watery, lotion-esque moisturizers (my favorite), gels, oils, mists/sprays, or sleeping masks. 

And to get your desired effect, it's perfectly normal to double up on moisturizers if necessary. Personally, on hot days when I want something light, I like to use a face oil + an emulsion.

This can be the most frustrating step in the process due to the sheer amounts of moisturizers there are on the market. There were times where my whole routine was catered for oil-control but my moisturizer was ruining the effects by not being oil-free or being to heavy/thick. 

The key here is to listen to what your skin likes and do what is necessary to maintain your preferred level of moisture. Finding your perfect moisturizer requires patience. 

We all know the importance of sunscreen for our bodies. But do we know 1) our face is just as subjective to sun damage? 2) Sun damage is one of the longest lasting effects on our skin? 3) We need to wear sunscreen even if we're inside most of the day? And that 4) All skin colors/pigments should wear SPF daily?

If one does, not do anything else to their face besides washing and moisturizing, the absolute last requirement is SPF. 

Sun damage can cause dark spots, wrinkles, age spots, fine lines, blotchy skin, and can darken hyper-pigmentation and acne scarring. (Did you know it can do all that?) And of course, the biggest damages are sunburns and skin cancer.

Adding SPF to your routine whether it's through sunscreen, makeup primer, foundation, cushion,  or a moisturizer is key to reversing existing damage, protecting yourself from further damage, and ensuring that you are not wasting the money and time spent on your skincare routine.

Note: Most skincare products that are targeted for brightening, hyper-pigmentation, scarring, and evening complexion require SPF or else it will worsen the issue.