I know what it’s like. Ten o’clock rolls around. You’re tired and ready to hit the hay. The last thing you want to do is take another five minutes to remove your makeup. You may say to yourself, I can just wash my face in the morning.
STOP. RIGHT. THERE.
No matter how tired you are, an extra five minutes to take care of your face is a small price to pay. Here is what a good skin care regimen looks like.
1) Cleanse. You need a cleanser that works for your skin type, and you should wash your face morning and night. This removes all the makeup and impurities and gives you a clean slate. An affordable option that comes highly recommended by many different sources is Cetaphil. I’ve never used it, but it’s affordable and supposedly works very well. My favorite cleanser is by Lancome (of course!) It’s called Clarifiance, and it’s a gel cleanser. I’ve tried others, but none seem to get my face as clean as this one.
2) Exfoliate. Exfoliation has been hailed as THE most important step in your skin care regimen (and I bet it’s the most neglected — I know it was with me, that is until I discovered it’s amazing benefits, both for face and body.) One that comes highly recommended, and I’ve been intending to try is L’Oreal Paris Advanced RevitaLift Micro-Dermabrasion Kit. It MUST be good, because I’ve tried to find it at CVS and Target, and it’s been sold out every time I’ve looked. My favorite facial exfoliator is the Cosmedicine Medi-morphosis Self Adjusting Exfoliator that I mentioned last Monday.
3) Treat. There are a gazillion and one treatment options for every skin challenge imaginable — from acne to wrinkles to age spots to dullness. I am just now beginning to educate myself about them. If you have a skin issue you’d like more information about, let me know in the comments, and I’ll consult my beauty library and post about some of the options available for you. (I am accumulating quite a collection of beauty books, thanks to a new gig I’ve taken on — more info to come soon!! — and I’m glad to share what I can with you.)
4) Hydrate. This is the hardest one for me. I’m doing okay right now, but in the winter, I get SO VERY DRY. It’s important, though, to keep your skin hydrated and moist so the fine lines aren’t as visible and so you have a healthy glow. A tip I picked up recently: hydrate immediately after showering for maximum absorption (this goes for face and body). Also. DO NOT NEGLECT YOUR EYES. An affordable option is Olay Definity Deep Penetrating Foaming Moisturizer. Again, I have not tried it. But it comes highly recommended from several sources. Another one I want to try is by Patricia Wexler M. D. Both her Universal Anti-Aging Moisturizer and her Skin Brightening Daily Moisturizer are supposed to be great.
5) Protect with Sun Care. Another step I’ve shamefully neglected for far too long. These days I religiously apply a moisturizer with sun screen every morning. I wish I’d been doing it for the past 20 years.
Did you notice a missing step? Did your mama teach you to use toner after you wash your face? Well, I’ve read in several sources that we do not need toner if our cleanser is doing its job as it should. So skip that step and save yourself a few bucks!
Do you have a skincare regimen? Do you have a favorite set of products, or do you use whatever you can get your hands on?
About Jo-Lynne
Thank you for the skin care reminder!
I am a holistic esthetician and I wholeheartedly disagree with skipping of the toning step. I very much believe that toning is necessary.
I do think, though (based on the Dr. Hauschka skincare regimen) that the skin doesn’t need moisturizer at night because that is when the skin regenerates.
If you are looking to skip a step to save money, moisturizer–especially night cream–is far more expensive than toner.
I DO agree that everyone needs a solid regimen, though. I urge everyone that reads this to consider going natural and using products that contain less chemical ingredients. They work just as well if not better than their conventional counterparts!
Arbonne spray on toner corrects the ph of the face.
I also disagree with not using Toner. I was told that it removes any lingering impurities, as well as any soap/cleanser residue.
Also, it should be noted that one should not exfoliate everyday (not that you said that, but just making sure). Your skin cells regenerate every few weeks, and it slows down the older you get. Your face skin is so delicate; if you exfoliate too often, you’ll do more damage than good.
For 20’s, exfoliate about 3 times a week. If you’re in your 30’s, about twice a week. 40’s and up, only about once a week.
These comments are so interesting. I’d like to hear more. I was surprised about the toner recommendation too, but I read it in several places, and the theory made sense.
I’m especially interested in the skipping moisturizer recommendation. My face is so tight at night, I can’t imagine skipping that.
Jen, I’d love to hear about some of the products you recommend.