Beauty

Your Skincare Routine Order Explained: How TF to Apply Your Products




Okay, I’ll be honest: Figuring out the correct order of your skincare routine can be massively confusing. Actually, no, skincare itself is just massively confusing. Ask a dozen people what to put on your face, and you’ll get a dozen wildly different answers—most of which are straight-up wrong (sry to your ex–high school friend turned Facebook skincare consultant). Like, do I actually need 10 products (no)? Also, what comes first, serum or toner? Or, wait, face oil? Is that before or after moisturizer? OH, and RETINOL. DO I NEED RETINOL?!

Listen, I get it. It’s not like we’re born with an innate knowledge of what order to apply skincare products, and that sucks. Because what you use (and how you use it) genuinely matters, and layering them incorrectly—or picking the wrong formulas for your skin type—could render them totally ineffective or just hard-core irritate your face. Not ideal.

But don’t freak—I spend my life reciting the skincare product steps like the commandments, and now I shall impart my ~holy~ wisdom unto you. Below, I broke down the correct order to apply your skincare, the steps you can definitely skip, and the best products for your exact skin type.…We better be best friends after all this, because wow.

Let’s begin.




Step 1: Cleanser

Please, for the love of the beauty gods, remove your makeup and wash your face before slathering on your products. “For ingredients to absorb properly, you need clean skin that’s totally free of oil and grime,” says dermatologist Mona Gohara, MD, associate clinical professor at Yale School of Medicine.

Which means if you want to do things right—and, like, why you here if not tho?—skip the makeup wipes (they leave behind a layer of gunky residue that can break you out) and opt for a cleansing oil, which dissolves all makeup without stripping your skin. Then follow up with a gentle, creamy cleanser (especially if you have acne-prone skin). And don’t complain about this being a two-step process—it’s one of the only required steps in this entire routine. I’m not even a little sorry. NOPE.

Step 2: Toner

Back in the day, toners were these alcohol-based liquids that irritated the hell out of your face and left you stinging. But today’s toners are filled with either gentle, hydrating ingredients to coddle dry skin or chemical exfoliants to treat acne. “They’re not meant to be something that sits around on your skin and feels heavy,” says Dr. Gohara. “They’re essentially just priming your face for ingredients to be better absorbed later on.” Reminder: Toner (like most of the steps on this list) is totally optional.


Cult Cutter

You Might Also Like

0 comments

instagram