Skin is the largest organ of the human body that needs a constant care to remain healthy and glowing. The clarity of skin not only reflects a person’s overall wellness, it is also responsible for a brimming confidence. A healthy-looking skin is a result of maintaining an internal regimen, healthy diet, regular exercise, and other healthy practices.

On the other hand, skin is unmistakably sensitive too – it gets damaged due to various elements. Getting exposed to the hot sun, freezing cold climate, and pollution, the skin loses its elasticity and sheen.

The fact is everyone wants a wore-free appearance and this desire has made the marketplace booming with an ever-growing skincare industry. The skin care industry has witnessed a shift in demand from older consumers to a growing younger consumer base. As more and more people are joining the bandwagon, it is estimated that the global skincare market will touch $180 billion by 2024.

When it comes to skincare, the market is flooded with different routines, rules, and products. It is almost impossible to choose the most appropriate ones so that you can get the complexion of your dreams. You might already be overwhelmed with a dizzying number of opinions about how to protect your skin, or dos and don’ts of skincare. We, therefore, have compiled certain best practices that help you sort through this noise.
Here is a list of steps to build a great skincare routine:

1. Know your skin type

The first and foremost step of skincare is to understand your specific type and how it reacts to different circumstances. It is important to know your skin’s specific needs, which will help you choose the right options that will result in a healthier and more radiant complexion. Although every person’s skin in unique in certain ways, there are a few common skin types that may help you identify where your skin fits in the most. The following facts will help you identify your skin type:

  • Dry skin is flaky, scaly, or rough.
  • Oily skin is shiny, greasy, and may have big pores.
  • Combination skin is dry in some spots (cheeks) and oily in others (forehead, nose, and chin).
  • Sensitive skin may sting, burn, or itch after you use some makeup or other products.
  • Normal skin is balanced, clear, and not sensitive.

2. Best ways to cleanse, tone, and moisturize

cleanser

The real facial skin care regime begins with a good cleanser. It is one of the building blocks of a healthy skin. An effective cleanser helps remove the excess oils and impurities from the skin and improve its glow while preparing the skin for the application of other products. You need to choose the most suitable cleanser for your skin type, whether it’s milk, a balm, or a facial wash.

Cleaning normal/combination skin: Cleaning doesn’t mean to grab any soap and start off, neither it means you have to buy fancy, expensive products. You have to get a professional facial cleanser specifically designed to be gentle on delicate facial skin yet powerful enough to remove dirt and impurities effectively. Don’t scrub your face, rinse with warm water.

Cleaning dry skin: Use a gentle cleanser without alcohol or fragrances – these ingredients dry out the skin even more. Don’t wash with hot water – it removes the natural oils from your face. Try exfoliating once a week to get rid of flaky skin cells.

Cleaning skin: As the term suggests, the oily skin produces excess oil causing acne and other complications. To clean it, you need an oil-free foaming cleanser. It is better to use a toner or astringent after, but make sure it doesn’t irritate your skin.

Cleaning sensitive skin: For sensitive skin too, use a gentle cleanser and rinse with warm water. Don’t use an exfoliator; it might irritate the skin further. Avoid products that contain alcohol, soap, acid, or fragrance. Instead look for products that contain ingredients like aloe, chamomile, green tea polyphenols, and oats.

Toner

Toners are specifically prepared to remove impurities, excess oils, and stubborn dirt left over after cleansing. Most of the toners are water-based liquids made up of specific active ingredients, including plant extracts and essential oils. These are especially helpful for people with oily and acne-prone skin. Today, toners are being reformulated to go beyond their basic role. They are used to target a varying array of skin concerns—from acne to dryness to aging.

Moisturizer

Moisturizer is one of the most important steps in a skincare routine. Using a good moisturizer helps limit various skin problems, keeping your skin hydrated, soft, and more youthful in appearance and feel. If you have a dry skin, something heavier like an oil could be beneficial, whereas, oily skin generally need lightweight gels. A good moisturizer can also complement the naturally found protective oils and other building blocks within the skin, such as ceramides.

Anti-aging

Any skincare regimen is incomplete without anti-aging practices. From a variety of anti-aging products on the market to natural anti-oxidants are widely in use. The fact is collagen products are supposed to firm up the skin, which does it internally or getting absorbed through the skin. Since a large number of people are concerned with wrinkles or dark spots, so an anti-aging regimen becomes very important for them. In view of this, there are widely used facial fillers specifically designed to reduce the appearance of wrinkles, contour the face, and make the skin youthful.

3. Add a serum and see the results

To get better results for a glowing skin, along with your cleanser, toner, and moisturizer, you can apply a serum to your skin. Loaded with nutrients, ceramides, glycerin, and vitamins like C, K, E, serums are serums are oil or water-based products. The serum is made up of smaller molecules that can penetrate deeply into the layers of your skin to deliver a high concentration of active ingredients.

The most common benefits of serum include hydration, increased nourishment, brightening of skin, and acne prevention. They also help in strengthening your skin cells.

4. Wear sunscreen

As we pointed out earlier, your skin is prone to be damaged from sunrays. Whether it is summer or winter, monsoon or spring, you need to shield your skin from the sun’s UV radiation. There are two types of ultraviolet rays – UVA and UVB. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, UVA rays account for up to 95 percent of the ultraviolet radiation that reaches the Earth’s surface. Thus, applying sunscreen actually blocks these harmful rays from penetrating the skin and triggering skin disorders.

A prolonged exposure to the sun also causes premature aging of your skin that can be slowed down by using a sunscreen. Now, which kind of sunscreen would be helpful for you? A sunscreen’s efficacy has been measured by its sun protection factor or SPF. It indicates how long it will take for UV rays to redden skin when using a sunscreen. The Skin Cancer Foundation maintains that SPF of 15 or higher is necessary for adequate everyday protection.

5. Take off your makeup at night

It is very important to remove makeup before going to bed as it can cause extensive damage to your skin during the night. According to Dr. Eric Schweiger, founder of the Clear Clinic, and Dr. Erin Gilbert, an NYC-based dermatologist, sleeping with your makeup on can result in unnecessary exposure to free radicals in the atmosphere.

These can cause break down healthy collagen in the skin, resulting into wrinkles. During sleep, makeup also clogs the pores that can cause acne. Moreover, wearing makeup during the night can lead to a dull-looking complexion in the morning.