You have good intentions, you want to have a solid skincare routine, but stepping into somewhere like Sephora has your head spinning, thinking oh not today! What should you definitely be doing every day? What’s good to do but not essential? What should be done every once and a while?
Fear not, all the skin experts I end up talking to always narrow it down to just three non-negotiable products. Once you have the basics down, then you can you start to add additional products into your routine, safe in the knowledge you have a solid foundation to build on.
What are the three non-negotiables
Drum roll please… dat dat da daaaaaa… cleanser, moisturiser, sunscreen! These are the three things you need daily at an absolute minimum!
Let’s break it down
Cleanser:
Because you need to clean your face – obviously! Not just from makeup, but things like dirt, sweat, pollution and sunscreen., Going to bed with these still sitting on your face and expecting nice skin is just not going to happen.
Moisturiser:
A well-formulated basic moisturiser that you can use morning and night is a must. Moisturiser aids in keeping your skin’s protective barrier functioning (which is what skin is for and does a great job) Additionally, with each passing year we lose more and more natural moisturisers in our skin, so it’s important to replenish it.
Sunscreen:
THE most crucial step in any routine, no matter how sophisticated, has to be sunscreen. Sunscreen helps slow ageing; the sun is a major factor in skin deterioration. Even more importantly, it is absolutely key to helping prevent skin cancers. So get in the habit of applying sunscreen every.single.morning. Make it as routine as brushing your teeth. 365 days a year, regardless of the weather. Please use an SPF 30+ or higher with board spectrum UVA/UVB and apply to your face, neck and chest… finally remember to pay attention to use-by dates for sunscreen – there’s no point using it if you’ve had it for years and it’s no longer effective!
How this 3 product routine will look
AM: Gentle cleanser, moisturiser, sunscreen
PM: Gentle cleanser x 2, Moisturiser
At night I recommend doing a double cleanse method. It need not require two different cleansers, which is nice to do, but we’re keeping it super simple and using the same one twice will work. Simply put, the first cleanse breaks down makeup and dirt, the second cleans the skin.
Adding more products
After a few weeks with your 3 product routine, you may feel like trying to add more products, depending on your individual skin concerns. Do this slowly – one product at a time. Give it two weeks or more, so you can see if the addition of a new product is irritating your skin or not.
If you fancy tackling wrinkles you could try adding in the gold standard ingredient, retinol. For more info have a nose at my article on Retinol. For acne and congested skin, an acid toner or salicylic acid cleanser can help.
If your concerns are dark spots or dullness, these can be helped with a good vitamin C product. Personally, I like Biossance – Squalane + Vitamin C Rose Oil.
I hope this little ramble has helped clarify how to look after your skin; in the simplest way possible. We all know it’s nice to simplify some areas of our lives!
