It can be hard to read blogs and look at all the beautiful shelfies on social media and not think you should have an elaborate skincare routine. Even I’m testing and reviewing all types of products for the blog. But, a skincare routine only requires a few steps.

What steps should a skincare routine include?

The basic steps of a skincare routine are a good cleanser, a moisturizer, and sunscreen. That’s all you have to use.

You don’t need to use a bunch of products. And the more products and ingredients you add to your routine, the higher the chance of irritation, especially if you don’t know how to use the products properly.

You’ll need a cleanser (my preference is an oil-based and water-based cleanser) to remove dirt and oil, makeup, dust, dead skin, and any other environmental impurities that end up on your face naturally throughout the day.

You’ll need a moisturizer to help keep your skin feeling soft and smooth. But, most importantly, moisturizers keep your skin’s barrier functioning properly.

Last but not least, you’ll need sunscreen. It helps prevent sun damage and skin cancer.

In the morning, you should wash your face with a cleanser and then follow it with moisturizer and sunscreen. And your sunscreen should be a different product than your moisturizer.

At night, you should wash your face with a cleanser (I believe in the double cleanse) and apply a moisturizer.

What if you want to add more to your routine?

When you’re consistent with these steps, it reduces breakouts and irritation. But if they don’t, you may want to take it to the next level.

You may want to add a gentle chemical exfoliator into your routine if you have acne. For fine lines and wrinkles, I’ve been adding in peptide serums and gentle retinol formulas. And if you’re dealing with hyperpigmentation, brightening serums like Vitamin C help.

Whatever you do, just add one product into your routine at a time. The more products and ingredients you incorporate into your routine at once, the higher the chance of irritation. And you won’t know which product was the culprit. If you see good results, you won’t know which product was responsible for the change either.

It’s also important to be patient. Watch how your skin reacts right after using certain products and the days after. Everyone thinks that you can use a product, and it will change your skin the next day! Don’t get discouraged and give up on your products after a few days. BE PATIENT. It can take weeks or months to see noticeable changes when using products.

When should you see a professional?

If you continue to react badly to a product and you’re unsure why, you should think about talking to an esthetician or dermatologist. Both offer skincare advice to help you with your skin issues and help maintain your skin’s health.

All in all, finding out what works for you takes some trial and error. So, let’s get started.

Here are some other articles to help more with the basics:

• HOW TO BUILD A SKINCARE ROUTINE
• LAYER LIKE A PRO! LEARN HOW TO APPLY YOUR SKINCARE IN THE RIGHT ORDER
• HOW TO CHOOSE A MOISTURIZER

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