Finally! You?ve found the perfect skincare algorithm for your face.
After countless experimentations with brands, contraptions and configurations, you?ve settled on the right combination of face wash, sunscreen, moisturizer, and [insert any of the countless other skin care products you may utilize; antioxidant serum, Retinols, acne products, anti-aging lotions, eye-creams, etc., etc.] that actually keeps your skin the way you like it.
But, applying multiple skin care products at the same time can be confusing.
Does the order matter? What about the method of application?
Even with the best skin-care intentions, a crowded medicine cabinet can easily endanger the efficiency of your skin-care regimen.
In order to erase any furrows of frustration from your brow (in more ways than one?), here are some guidelines on the proper way to layer and apply your favorite skin care products.
As a general rule, apply thinnest to thickest.
To make sure that your various skin-care products are able to penetrate your skin and do what they?re supposed to when stacked on-top of each other, it is imperative to apply each product in the correct order.
The lightest, thinnest products should be used first, working your way up to the heaviest, thicker ones.?
Last Step for Day
In the morning; sunscreen should be the last step of your skincare routine. (Once your sunscreen is on, you can move forward with any makeup application.)
When it comes to sunscreen, an alarming amount of women depend on the SPF included in their tinted moisturizer, BB Cream, or even foundation. But, as these products are intended more for cosmetic purposes than providing reliable sun protection, the SPF ?built into? these products is usually not high enough to be able to safely rely upon.
Instead, if you absolutely cannot find a sunscreen that you like (have you tried this or this?) you should look for a moisturizer with built-in sunscreen of at least SPF-30.
If you?re making your own tinted SPF moisturizer by mixing your foundation with your favorite moisturizer with SPF, stop!
Sunscreen is a drug that?s tested and approved by the FDA in its final form, and if you are going to alter its chemical makeup in anyway, you can no longer trust that your concoction is going to protect you.
Last Step for Night
Before bedtime, follow your moisturizer with your more intense, strong-acting skin-care products. By applying them before you go to sleep, you are enabling the product to maximize its efficiency by giving it uninterrupted quality time with your skin. Additionally, when applying aggressive-products over your moisturizer, you are allowing for a more comfortable process. (Especially good when using Retinols. The moisturizer will act as a buffer between your skin and the potentially irritating product.)
Warning!
It is important to only use “nighttime” products at night, because some of the active ingredients can be dangerous for your skin if exposed to sunlight. For example, the drying-effect of Benzoyl Peroxide can be exacerbated by the sun?s light, so it is important to only use products containing that ingredient at night when your skin will get the benefit of the product without any of the potential risk of burning.
Best Application Method?
There are two schools of thought regarding how you actually apply products.
- Rubbing
Some experts believe that you should rub everything into your skin because this way you?re stimulating a bit of blood-flow to the skin. - Patting
On the other hand, there are rubbing-naysayers (any word combination for this inherently sounds dirty!) that swear by patting, instead.
?Rubbing pulls and stretches at the skin which can break the collagen and elastin, leading to the first signs of aging,? says Arin Kahan, treatment provider at Philadelphia based About Face Skin Care. Instead, Kahan recommends that clients gently pat the products into their skin (starting from the center of the face and moving out toward the ears). She notes that this application method will still stimulate circulation. ?I believe in the benefits of increasing circulation to the face, there?s just a gentler way of achieving that.?
Don?t neglect these important areas!
Aside from the obvious places on your face, there are additional body areas that need skincare TLC which will make a big difference in your overall appearance.
Eye Sockets
When applying your eye-cream, you?ll reap the most benefit by treating the entirety of your eye socket. Instead of just putting eye-cream underneath your eyes, you should actually be applying your preferred product all the way around your entire eye. This skin is extremely thin and fragile, and by taking care of all of it, you can maximize the anti-aging/revitalizing/moisturizing effects of your product.
Neck and Chest
Although your hands and neck/d?colletage are exposed to the sun almost as often as your face is, these areas are often over-looked when it comes time to beautify in the AM or PM. While you might not want to use your expensive serums and night-creams on these larger body areas, you should at least make sure to sunscreen.