How to Create a Skincare Routine

Your skin is delicate, and it needs looking after. The environment and your lifestyle affect your skin, so it’s important to have a regular skincare routine. But how do you begin? Here’s a short guide to help you get started.

Washing

Wash your face with clean hands in warm water. It might be tempting to use hot water during the winter, but this can dry your skin out and leave it flaky. Choose a gentle unscented soap that won’t irritate your skin if you use soap. An example of a gentle soap bar is Nivea’s MagicBAR Radiance

Cleansing

Once you’ve washed your face, you need to give it a deep cleanse to get rid of the dirt and make-up that block your pores.  There are a variety of facial cleansers you can use.

Choose from creams, micellar water, or cleansing wipes. Pick out a cleanser that suits your skin type. For example, if you have oily skin stay away from products that contain oil. If your skin is dry, you’ll need a cleanser that contains moisturiser.

Look for cleansers such as CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser, Clinique Cleansing Balm or Garnier Micellar Water Facial Cleanser. You can also use make-up remover wipes before you cleanse, such as Johnson’s Make-Up Be Gone or Nivea Biodegradable Cleansing Wipes.

Exfoliating

You won’t need to exfoliate your skin every day as it might irritate your skin. Once to three times a week is good enough.  Exfoliators get rid of dead skin and leave your skin feeling and looking fresher and brighter. Again, look for an exfoliator that suits your skin type. Have a look at this article from Glamour magazine to help you choose.

Toning

You use toner to refresh your skin and give it a supple appearance. It will also remove any traces of grease and make-up that might remain after washing and cleansing. Oily skin benefits from using toner as it helps to reduce inflammation. Look out for Lancome Tonique Confort, Aveda Botanics Kinetics Toning Mist or Clinique clarifying Lotion.

Moisturising

Moisturising makes sure your skin is hydrated. If your skin is dry it can become flaky and itchy with red patches. Drinking enough liquid is one way of making sure your skin stays hydrated and applying moisturiser is another.

When you are buying a moisturiser, choose one for the daytime and one for the night. The daytime cream should contain SPF to protect your skin from the sun. Typical day creams with SPF include Simple Regeneration Age Resisting Day Cream, Eucerin Photoaging Control Sun Fluid and Olay Total Effects Anti-ageing Moisturiser.

You should always apply a moisturiser or sun cream on your face before you go out. The sun’s rays can dry out your skin, cause fine lines and create brown spots due to sun damage.

A night cream should have an ingredient like retinol which will help to boost collagen production. Collagen gives you plump, younger-looking skin. Creams containing retinol include Olay Regenerist, L’Oreal Revitalift and Shiseido Vital perfection.

Applying your make-up

Once you’ve moisturised your skin during the day you can then apply your make-up and of course, resist the temptation to go to bed without removing your make-up first.

By getting into the habit of a skincare routine your skin will benefit. Keeping your pores unblocked, protecting your face from the sun and avoiding lines and wrinkles will help you to stay looking younger for longer.

If you need help and advice choosing the products for your skincare routine, ask your pharmacist to recommend the products that best suit your skin type and budget.