Tips to building the right skin care routine

Having good skin care products does not necessarily give an assurance for perfect skin.

For these products to give the expected results, they need to be applied in the right order.

Different skin types call for different skin-care routines. You therefore need to know whether you have dry, oily or combination skin.

Map out your skin problems and factor that in when choosing which products to buy and use.

It is also important to note the time of day as this determines the kind of products to use due to their formula and ingredients.

A simple way of doing this is by applying your products in order of texture. That is from the thinnest product to the thickest for penetration purposes.

That said, here is how you can start building a great skin care routine to yield desired results.

It is very important to wash your face both in the morning and in the evening before you retire to bed.

Use a small amount of cleanser, do a simple massage in circular upward motions with little to no pressure.

Once you are sure your skin feels clean, rinse with warm water and pat with a dry and clean towel.

If you wear makeup, it is important to clean it off first with an oil-based product like micellar water.  Then repeat the procedure above.

After cleansing your face, use toner before getting down on anything else. Put a tiny bit on your palm or on cotton wool then gently wipe your face.

If the toner is an exfoliator this means it has potential to get rid of dry, scaly skin so use it at night only.

Hydrating products can be used twice a day though. It is also crucial to avoid using exfoliators and retinoid at the same time.

The best time to use serum is in the morning. Vitamin C serums are good because they have antioxidants that help brighten the skin.

A moisturizing serum is good for night time as this keeps the skin from drying out as you sleep.

It is important to remember that water-based serums should go beneath the moisturizer and oil-based serums after the moisturizer.

Regular moisturizer can still be used but a little special eye cream will not hurt either.

This can be layered beneath the moisturizer since they are generally thinner.

Keeping it in the fridge helps protect against puffiness. A hydrating eye cream may result to fluid retention hence puffiness in the morning.

Acne treatments are good when they are used at night when the body cells are on repair mode. Be careful of products with benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid which can cause some irritation as they are very harsh.

Opt for substitutes such as tea tree which may take longer but will give the results.

While doing so remember to do the most to keep your skin hydrated.

Any moisturizer with SPF 30 or higher is a sweet deal. At night you can use a thinner moisturizer. And if you have dry skin you can moisturize twice a day.

Retinoids are vitamin A derivatives including retinol. They help reduce black spots and breakouts.

Their components break down in the sun hence they should only be used at night. They also have the potential to make the skin very sensitive hence sunscreen is a must.

Use other products first and face oil last as nothing will penetrate the skin once face oil has been applied.

This is usually the last step of the routine and is the most important step as stated by many dermatologists.

This protects the skin against harsh UV rays protecting the skin against cancer and premature aging.