A Beginner's Guide to Making Your Skincare Routine

Written By Stephanie Pfouts

This blog post was written by Tracey (Medical Esthetician + Laser Technician)

 
 

Building a skin-care routine can be a daunting endeavor. If you are new to skin care or just plain unsure about how to simplify your daily regimen,  you should always start with the basics to build a routine that is sustainable, and will make a meaningful impact on your overall skin health.  It can take up to 3 months to begin to see the benefits of a single product on the skin.  Try to keep in mind that caring for yourself and your skin is a practice, and by nature a practice is ever-evolving - it takes time, repetition and commitment, as well as a mindset that you're doing something FOR yourself. 

The way you care for your skin each day is going to depend not only on your skin type (dry, oily, combination, acne prone) but also the current condition of your skin and the climate you live in.  It is always helpful to talk to a professional to help you select products that are going to be most appropriate for your particular needs and goals.      

The three essential components that everyone should have in their skincare routine are a cleanser, a serum, and a moisturizer. And when it comes to formulating a practice that works for you and your skin care concerns, the easiest way to remember what needs to be done at what time of day is A.M.= Protection and P.M. = Correction. Let’s get into it…

A.M. ROUTINE — PROTECT

The A.M. regimen should only be about 3-4 steps and shouldn’t take very long—5 minutes is all you need. The whole point of the morning cleanse is merely to prepare the skin before you start applying the rest of your skincare, as excess oils on the skin’s surface may impede their ability to penetrate the skin. 

Start off by using a cleanser that will not strip your skin. If you have dry skin, use a creamy, non-foaming cleanser. If you have oily or acne-prone skin, a gentle foaming cleanser may be needed.  

Following up your cleanse with an appropriate toner can help remove residue from cleansing, give your skin a mild exfoliation for better product penetration, or provide a hydrating boost to prevent surface dehydration. The next step after you cleanse and tone will be applying your serum.

CLEANSE + TONE

For dry-to-normal skin types:

For oily skin types:

For acneic skin: 

Day Serums:

A good daytime serum should help protect your skin against environmental factors… aka THE SUN. We *always* recommend using Vitamin C as your daytime serum because it will work hand-in-hand with your daily SPF to protect you against oxidative stress from the environmental aggressors that we encounter each day.  Vitamin C (or L-ascorbic acid) is a tried and true free radical scavenger, fighting the inflammatory effects of sun exposure and other pollutants we come into contact with on a daily basis. Using a daily antioxidant serum is not only a great way to prevent damage, but it also aids in brightening the skin and stimulating collagen production. 

(When introducing any new serum, you want to start every other day and eventually build up to using it daily to prevent over-sensitivity).  

For all Skin Types: We recommend Vivant Pure C+E

Moisturizer & SPF:

A good daytime moisturizer will prevent your skin from TEWL or trans-epidermal water loss (or dehydration - which can lead to inflammation and barrier malfunction) by creating a protective layer of moisture on the surface of the skin. They will frequently contain ingredients like ceramides that lock moisture on to the skin without clogging the pores. To simplify the morning application and reduce your steps, you can select a moisturizer that contains an SPF.  

Moisturizers w/ SPF: Sol Veil SPF 25, PCA Hydrator +SPF or Vivant Daytime

P.M. ROUTINE — CORRECT

At night, your skin enters a phase of repair and restoration while you sleep. A solid nighttime skin care routine is the perfect way to enhance your natural cellular process. Using corrective serums like chemical exfoliants will help with cellular turnover and renewal, and nourishing hydrators and moisturizers will help restore moisture, strengthen barrier function, and balance your skin.

CLEANSE + TONE:

We are big proponents of double cleansing at night time. For the first cleanse, we like to use an oil or gentle cleanser which will emulsify and break down impurities, makeup, sunscreen, and oils that collect as you are exposed throughout the day. The second cleanser should be something more powerful and will serve more as a deep clean–getting rid of impurities from your pores–enabling your skin to breathe more freely and preparing it for the absorption of the products to come.

Following the cleanse with a skin-appropriate toner will help ensure that you have cleansed successfully, but also either provide a preliminary exfoliation or added boost of hydration.  

For all skin-types (except acneic skin):

For Acneic Skin:  

NIGHTTIME SERUMS:

Your night serum should be used to help restore your skin’s health. Use a corrective serum that will address whatever skin concern you have (acne, anti-aging, dehydration, etc.). It’s important to remember that most corrective serums should only be applied at nighttime as they can increase the skin’s photosensitivity. Additionally, some are powerful and will take some time for your skin to get used to, so start by using it every other day or once a week. Consult your Esthetician for individual guidance.

Normal: retinol (try Vivant’s Derm-A-Gel)

Sensitive: hyaluronic acid

Dry: hyaluronic acid

Acneic: retinol (try Vivant’s Derm-A-Gel)

Anti-Aging: retinol with Peptides or niacinamide (try Vivant’s Derm-A-Renew)

Moisturizer:

This is where you lock in all of your skincare products. Swap out your daytime SPF moisturizer with something a little more moisturizing and nourishing. 

Normal: lightweight-medium moisturizer or oil (Try: Vivant’s Totaloe Calming + Hydrating Gel)

Sensitive: fragrance free moisturizer (Try: Vivant’s Allantoin Sedating + Hydrating Lotion)

Dry: oil + seaweed-based and/or thicker moisturizer (Try: Beauty Shaman’s Clear Glow Omega Oil + Beauty Shaman’s Plankton Peptide Cream)

Acneic: gel or lightweight non-comedogenic moisturizer (Try: Vivant’s Totaloe Calming + Hydrating Gel)

Anti-Aging: seaweed-based moisturizer (Try: Beauty Shaman’s Plankton Peptide Cream)

 
Stephanie Pfouts
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