How Many Steps Should There Be in My Skincare Routine?

Creating a skincare routine which will perfectly suit your needs can be a bit hard since we are surrounded by numbers of different products and brands nowadays. However, even if you feel lost and unable to distinguish the necessary from unnecessary ones, don't worry, we have a solution - start with a few basic steps.

Cleanser

A cleanser is the first and most important step of every skincare routine. Its main task is to remove makeup, excessive oil and dirt from your skin. Make sure not to skip this step since if you do, you'll probably end up with clogged pores and irritated skin. Additionally, all further steps in your skincare routine will be less effective.

However, be careful not to overdo it, as well, because too much cleansing will make your skin produce more oil than usually to compensate for all the oil you rinsed off. In general, once to twice a day is enough. Finally, make sure to find the cleanser suitable for your skin type. For example, if your skin is oily, go for oil-free and foaming ones. However, if your skin is dry and if it easily gets irritated, stay away from foaming cleansers since they can dry it out fast. Instead, choose micellar cleansers and creams or oil-based products.

Toner

Another extremely important part of every skincare routine is the toner. This product will refresh and revitalize the skin's surface after cleansing, while at the same time removing the last traces of dirt and makeup. So, unless you want to end up with redness and dry patches on your face, make sure to incorporate this step into your daily routine.

It's especially important at night since your face has the most dirt in the evening and a cleanser is often not sufficient enough to wash it away. This step is particularly important for those with oily skin since it will help close up your pores and thus prevent excessive oil production after cleansing. Additionally, it will prevent infections and hydrate your skin.

Moisturizer

The third step in your skincare routine should certainly be moisturizing. First of all, you should know that all skin types require the regular use of moisturizer. So, even if your skin is oily, you should apply it on a daily basis, but make sure to stick to oil-free ones.

However, regardless of your skin type, don't over-moisturize it since this can lead to clogged pores and acne breakouts. Thus, if your skin is oily, once a day should be enough, but if it's dry and sensitive, moisturize it at least twice a day. Aside from keeping your skin hydrated and preventing flakiness, moisturizers prevent premature ageing in the long run as well, since the number of wrinkles can be significantly reduced.

Finally, when creating your skincare routine, keep in mind the product philosophy of the well-known brand SkinCeuticals. They have developed a three-step approach to combat the signs of ageing: Prevent, protect and correct! In other words, their products are designed in such a way to prevent future damage, protect healthy skin and correct previous damage. Overall, this philosophy can help you a lot to understand the importance of a well-structured skincare routine.

Additional steps

Once you have incorporated these three basic steps, you can introduce additional ones as well. For example, exfoliation can be very effective if you want to have radiant and smooth skin. It removes all the dead skin, allowing for faster cell renewal to take place.

Additionally, face masks are always welcome as they can further moisturize your skin, leaving it fresh and shiny. And, what's best, you can make them on your own as well. Here is a list of some great DIY face mask recipes. Enjoy!

As you can see, creating a perfect skincare routine is not that hard after all. It's very important that you start from basic steps which are necessary in every skincare routine. Once you've established the basics, feel free to experiment further and incorporate the steps which are suitable for your skin type.

Author BIO: Sophia Smith is Australian based beauty and fashion blogger. She is very passionate about latest fashion trends, DIY projects and organic beauty products. Sophia writes mostly in beauty and fashion related topics, mainly through blogs and articles. She is regular contributor at High Style Life.