What does a skin care routine include?

In fact, the core logic of daily skin care is very simple. The most basic three steps are cleansing, moisturizing, and sun protection. All the other additional steps that sound complicated are all flexibly superimposed based on personal skin type, skin care needs, and even the skin condition of the day. There is no "N-step process that everyone must follow."

I just helped my best friend with oily skin adjust her skin care routine a while ago. She followed the trend and bought a whole set of Internet celebrity skin care lines, from serum, toner, two functional essences to lotions and creams layered on top of each other. In summer, her T-zone is all closed and she gets acne. , then I asked her to stop all the functional steps in the middle, and use a mild amino acid cleanser in the morning and evening, apply a refreshing moisturizing gel, and apply sunscreen. After just half a month, most of it was gone, and the face was not so easy to be shiny.

Some people may think that what I said is too simple. Are the seven or eight step processes on the Internet an IQ tax? Of course not, just like when we eat, basic rice flour oil is indispensable for every meal. If you have additional nutritional needs, it’s okay to add some supplements. The same is true for skin care. For example, if you have anti-aging needs, you can add a retinol essence after cleansing and before moisturizing. ； If you have a dull complexion and want to brighten it, you can add a niacinamide or vitamin C product. It’s completely on-demand and there’s no need to impose any steps.

Speaking of which, I have to mention a few topics that have been particularly hot on the Internet recently, such as whether to exfoliate regularly? Now the views of both parties are quite clear. One party believes that the stratum corneum of healthy skin itself has a 28-day metabolic cycle, and old cuticles will fall off on their own. Artificial exfoliation can easily destroy the skin barrier. I used to have a friend with dry skin who followed the trend and used scrubs to rub his face every week. Within two months, he became a sensitive skin, and his whole face turned red when exposed to cold or heat. It took him more than half a year to recover. ； The other side believes that for oily skin that produces a lot of oil, old dead skin cells can easily clog the pores and form blackheads and closed pores. Gently rubbing the T-zone with a mild fruit acid toner every two or three weeks can indeed reduce the problem of clogged pores and make the skin more translucent. Both opinions are reasonable. The core depends on your own skin tolerance. There is no unified standard answer. There is also the "Morning C and Late A" procedure that is very popular now, but it is not suitable for everyone. People with sensitive skin, pregnant women, and those with skin allergies who insist on following the trend will easily end up with bad faces.

And the process is not complicated. If you are in a hurry to go to work in the morning, you can even wash your face with warm water, apply a moisturizing cream and sunscreen and go out. There is no need to waste time trying to make up for the steps.； If you have plenty of time at night and want to create a skin care ritual, it’s absolutely fine to apply a soothing mask after removing makeup, and then apply essence and cream. If your face becomes red and stinging after staying up late one day, don’t put any functional products on your face. Use only the mildest cleansing and repairing moisturizer, and give your skin a two-day holiday, which is better than anything else.

To put it bluntly, skin care is never an addition problem. The more steps, the better the effect. It is much more useful to understand the temperament of your own skin than to follow an Internet celebrity to follow a dozen-step process.