A skincare routine comes in handy for anyone working towards improving their overall skin health and addressing specific issues such as dark spots, acne, or aging signs.
A daily skincare routine has almost become a basic need in the current world, where everyone desires to wear their skin at its best confidently. It has become a necessary yet crucial part of self-care. It is no doubt that a skincare routine will earn you smooth and glowing skin.
The increasing desire for a skincare routine led to beauty aisles tabling countless opinions on the 'must-haves' for the best performance. The baseline of all skincare is a proper understanding of your skin and its needs.
You don't need a packed skincare cabinet for the procedure, but there are a few necessities. As always, ‘Must-Do things’ have corresponding ‘Must-Have things’. French beauty products are your one-stop destination for the ‘Must-Haves’ of getting started on a skincare routine.
There are five essential things you need to do for a successful simple skincare routine for all skin types.
This is the first step of your skincare routine. It involves washing off the day’s grime and dirt from your face. A gentle massage of the selected cleanser on the front is vital. Excessive scrubbing may cause irritation or damage to the skin resulting from loss of the natural skin's oils and moisture.
Washing your face twice a day, in the morning and at night, is good practice. It is recommended that you choose a mild and non-irritant cleanser for your routine. A cleanser suitable for all skin types would be best to use.
Exfoliation is the process of removing dead cells from your skin using a chemical or substance, in this case, an exfoliator. The build-up of dead cells may cause acne, irritation, and dullness. Exfoliation helps in clearing pores and preventing breakout, leaving your skin soft, fresh, and bright.
Exfoliation should be done few times a week. Your selected exfoliator should match the skin type. For example, with an oily face, you will need one that clears the oils to leave clean skin, while for dry skin, you should choose a gentle exfoliator.
You can choose either of the two exfoliation methods, mechanical exfoliation (scrubbing using granular substance) or chemical exfoliation, for your skincare routine.
As the name suggests, moisturizing aims at the restoration of moisture to the skin. Hydrating the skin ensures that it is protected and therefore remains youthful.
Some of the ingredients that moisturize the skin well include salicylic acid, hyaluronic acid, petrolatum, and glycerin.
For oily skin, choose a moisturizer that is gel-based, lightweight, and non-comedogenic. Cream-based moisturizers are suitable for dry skin.
Sunscreen helps in protecting your skin from damage by the UV rays of the sun. It is advisable to wear sunscreen with at least 30 SPF 15 minutes, sufficient time for the sunscreen to activate before you head outdoors.
Research has it that 90% of skin aging is a result of exposure to the sun. Sunscreen is, therefore, a must-have product if you are maintaining a skincare routine.
Sunscreen can be used on the skin together with makeup but should be applied and allowed ample time to dry before applying foundation.
For dark skin tones, more sunscreen is necessary since any form of hyperpigmentation is more brutal to reverse.
Like all other products, your choice of sunscreen should not cause any irritation to the skin.
Retinol, an ingredient in anti-aging products, helps to even out wrinkles, fine lines, and smoothening out the skin's pores.
The product stimulates the production of collagen, which counters the wear of skin.
Always choose a product that doesn’t react with the skin.
If you use makeup on your skin, then makeup remover is a must-have. Before going to bed, it is essential to take off your makeup using a light cleanser or makeup remover. Sleeping with your makeup can result in a breakout, dry skin, or eye infections due to some chemical compositions in the makeup.
It is also good practice to wash or wrap up hair before going to bed. Regular changing of pillowcases is necessary since facial skin is in contact with pillowcases while you sleep. A clean and soft fabric is the best choice.
It would be unfortunate to suffer an allergic reaction on your skin to a product you purchased in the beauty stores.
Patch testing involves applying a product on a small area of your skin, such as the palm, and observing the skin reaction after 48 hours. It helps to wait another 48 hours to be sure there is no delayed reaction.
Patch testing is a vital exercise, especially for people with sensitive skin types, before using any new products on the skin.
After successfully maintaining the simple skincare routine, you will have the confidence to build on it and probably incorporate a new thing into your routine.
