This question is more common than not.
Cleansers, exfoliators, day creams, night creams, eye creams, moisturizers, masks, oils, serums, toners, face tools, etc. If you can’t keep up, you’re not the only one!
The skin care industry is confusing, and you might be falling for buying every single Product you come across! But if you don’t know how to use it properly, it’s unlikely you’ll see good results.
Confusion, step aside, we’re about to answer which Skin Care Product should come after which and the Face Yogi rule of thumb when it comes to layered skin care.
Your Night Time Skin Care Routine
We’re starting with the night routine because this is the most important in our world and the one that requires the most steps. The skin goes into repair mode at night, meaning that your night routine is helping your skin fight off any damage and re-regenerate! This is why the evening is the best time to cleanse your face from all the environmental factors and Products such as makeup and sunscreen it was exposed to during the day.
Depending on where you’re at in your Skin Care Journey, we’re also going to let you know which steps you can omit for beginner skin care enthusiasts.
Advanced:
CLEANSER
As we already alluded to, properly cleansing your skin at night is the most critical step of all! A gentle cleanser is perfect for an evening routine to remove impurities off your face but one that won’t strip your skin off essential oils. Simple makeup wipes won’t do it; you need a proper cleanser for this step. No way around it.
Cleansing your skin allows for the ingredients of your Products to absorb properly, meaning that removing your makeup and washing your face is a MUST! Make sure to gently blot your skin dry. Harshly rubbing your skin with a towel causes irritation, and it also pulls your face down.
P.S. This is also the one step you simply can’t skip!
TONER
After you cleanse, always apply toner!
But before we get into the nitty-gritty of toners, let’s first get something straight. Toners or astringents back in the day were full of alcohol and were highly harmful to your skin. Those aren’t the toners we’re talking about here!
The toners we’re referring to serve as a bridge between your clean skin and whatever you’re going to apply next. A quality toner will prime your skin and enhance the absorption of ingredients. It also balances your pH levels and your overall skin appearance.
You want to look for a toner that isn’t packed with alcohol, though, but instead has brightening, soothing, and anti-aging ingredients. Pro-Aging Toners should nourish and replenish your skin, unlike the astringents mainly used to wipe off excess oil.
P.S. You can also use a toner throughout the day as a refresher for your face, especially if you live in a harsh environment.
SPOT TREATMENT
If you have scars, dark spots, or pigmentation, this is where you’ll want to include a spot treatment. Once again, this comes at night because this is when your face works hardest to repair itself. If you include spot treatment, it should come before a moisturizer to more easily penetrate into the skin. Vitamin C Concentrate brightens skin and lightens hyperpigmentation and dark spots over time!
SERUM
A rich, powerful, packed full of goodness, plasma, or serum comes next! The Face Yogi rule of thumb is thinnest to thickest. Meaning post-toning, regardless of whether you do a spot treatment or not, the serum comes before moisturizer or eye cream.
You can think of a serum as an infusion of hydration and regeneration to your skin.
The idea here is to layer Products so that the more potent ingredients can absorb more quickly and can get sealed in with the thicker Products found in the next step.
MOISTURIZER
To seal in all the goodies you’ve already applied and finalize the evening skin care routine, a lightweight moisturizer comes next! And there’s no such thing as too much moisture! Meaning that this step should not be skipped! Applying your lightweight moisturizer post a packed rich serum or plasma is our secret sauce. Moisturize and hydration is what’s responsible for the health of your skin so you can think of a moisturizer as food from the outside in!
Beginner:
If you’re new to the world of skin care we know that seeing five steps to an evening routine can feel overwhelming. Rest assured, you can simplify this routine and still have glowing skin!
An introductory evening routine will consist of 1) cleansing 2) moisturizing! Yes, that’s it!
There’s simply no way around cleansing the skin, and why would you want to?!
Your skin craves a fresh feel just as you crave new, crisp sheets. No matter what stage of skin care you’re in, this is a must — every single night. Once your face is clean, you’ll moisturize.
If at any point you wish to add more “oomph” to your skin care, simply follow the steps above, or slowly introduce one Product and step at a time.
Your Day Time Skin Care Routine
Your daytime routine is essential for refreshing your skin after all of the regenerative work your skin’s been doing, AND it protects your skin from sun exposure.
100 TIMES FACE SPLASH
At the Face Yoga Method, we don’t always need to use cleanser in the morning. Instead, we prefer the 100 Times Face Splash. This Face Yogi favorite is great for boosting your complexion, refreshing, and brightening your skin. It also eliminates access oils which allows you to omit cleansing. However, if your skin feels extra oily or if you personally feel a cleanser is a must for you in the AM as well — listen to your skin!
TONER
You know the saying, “you can never have too much of a good thing?” Well, it’s certainly true here! You can think of a good quality toner as your fairy godmother — there for you whenever you need it! It won’t do any harm, but it’ll always make you feel good.
MOISTURIZER
Moisturizer is the one thing we recommend not skipping in both your night and day time routines. We stressed the importance of hydration for your skin care and that’s why you can never have too much moisturizer. Even if you have oily skin!
SUNSCREEN + 100% Pure Oxygen Plasma
Another one on the MUST list is sunscreen! We cannot stress the importance of protecting your skin from harmful UV rays, and premature aging. From 10am to 5pm you should ALWAYS have sunscreen on your face.
Sunscreen protects your skin. Period. You can opt in for a moisturizer that has SPF in it, however, we recommend a sunscreen with a higher SPF for your skin and suggest you apply this step separately.
But just before sunscreen, there’s one more powerhouse Product that’ll actually accelerate your skin's natural healing process, replenish the oxygen levels in your skin, stimulate the production of new cells — all while protecting your skin from sun damage and UV rays. Meet the 100% Pure Oxygen Plasma! In combination with sunscreen, your skin will be nourished and protected. The boosting effect of these two paired together is unparalleled.
Beginner Day Time Routine
Once again, don’t look at those steps and get overwhelmed! You evolve into your skin care routine at your own time and pace. While some steps can certainly be left out, for a beginner day time routine, you’ll stick with 1) toner 2) sunscreen! However, The 100 Times Face Splash is highly encouraged in your morning routine as it won’t only make you look good, it’ll make you feel fresh and alive too!
Finding Products That Compliment Your Skin
The rule of thumb with Skin Care Products, as mentioned, is thinnest to thickest. But in the Face Yoga Method world we also have another rule of thumb — INTUITION!
You know your skin, and your needs better than anyone and we wish for you to anchor in and trust that knowing. With that said, you can play around, add, or remove the steps that aren’t necessary for your skin. However, always know you can come back to these steps as your skin care changes and evolves, or as you wish to test out new steps.
But just as figuring out the order of Products can be confusing, deciding which Products to actually buy is frustrating in and of itself!
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Just one question, I have bought all of your beautiful products and I’m loving them, please could you clarify, the plasma serum is thinner than the vitamin C concentrate and the moisturiser so should it be applied before both?? I was slightly confused when reading this skin care article . Many thanks Juliette x