Remember when skincare was easy? Three steps- Cleanse, tone, and moisturize. Now there are serums, oils, essences, sheet masks, sleeping masks, exfoliants, peels, acids. The list goes on!  I believe skin care can be simple. ESPECIALLY if your skin is reactive, broken out, etc.  I tell all of my clients, especially my teen clients, to go back to the basics to get their skin to a calm, healthy, clear place.

If you want to get back to basics - Follow this simple skincare regimen.   

Cleanse

Cleansing is so important! It removes dirt, pollutants, makeup, and excess sebum- to name just a few of the gross things the biggest organ of your body collects. Clean skin means it can finally breathe- literally, your skin can soak up more oxygen when it’s clean.  The other benefit of cleansing is that it can absorb 40 to 60 percent more nutrients from products like serums and moisturizers. This is why I recommend thoroughly cleansing at night, removing makeup before bed is not optional. Then you don’t have to cleanse in the morning if you don’t want to - just rinse your skin with cold or lukewarm water.

Toning

Unless your cleanser is pH balanced, toners are actually an important step. Cleansing your skin clears away the environmental debris and makeup of the day, but this also can disrupt the pH of the skin. Toning after cleansing restores the skin to a state where your moisturizer (and serums) can be efficiently absorbed.   

Moisturize

Moisturizers lock in water (in other words, hydrate the skin) using a few different ingredients - occlusives (which prevent water loss), humectants (which attract water to cells) and emollients (which smooth skin cells and allow water to penetrate). When skin cells are hydrated, they are able to repair themselves and turn over with greater frequency. This, in turn, can reduce or even prevent hyperpigmentation and wrinkles.

Sun Protection

Wear an SPF daily. Some moisturizers have SPF built in, and that’s great, but if yours doesn’t, apply factor 30-50+ after your moisturizer.