Growing up I read all the magazines telling me how important it was to have a skin care routine. I, being young and rebellious felt that washing with soap & water was more than enough. However; now with more knowledge and age creeping up, a ritual for skincare has become of great importance. I use the term ritual because it sounds more like an indulgence than saying skin care routine.

You only get one face and it’s up too you, to keep it looking as healthy as possible.

Daily ritual

Cleansing
Cleansing removes dead skin cells, perspiration, and makeup residue. The importance of cleansing cannot be understated. Skipping this step allows your pores to get clogged resulting in blackheads pimples and a dull complexion.

Your morning cleanse removes the residue of whatever nigh treatment you have used and your evening cleansing routine removes the days pollution grime and residue. Regardless of whether you wear makeup or not, cleansing your face is essential.

Exfoliate
Exfoliating removes those hard to get rid of dead skin, improves circulation and helps give you a fresh faced looked. Depending on your skin type, this can be done, every other day as I do with my oily skin, or once a week. A cost-effective way is to buy oat bran mix with water and rub over your face. I tend to exfoliate in the evening as in the morning I’m too busy just trying to wake up as it is.

Toner/Astringent

There are two different schools of thought on this. Some feel it has now become an unnecessary step in the cleansing routine, yet others still find it necessary.

A common ingredient in toners is witch hazel. Save your self some money and pick up your own witch hazel as opposed to the more expensive brands which have added ingredients. It works just as well.

Moisturize

It is one of the most overlooked aspects of skin care. Moisturizers of today help treat numerous skin conditions from acne to fine lines there’s a moisturizer for you.

Your daytime moisturizer should contain sunscreen to protect your skin further. Night time is when the skin repairs itself. For this reason most night creams are called night repair creams. Most of these creams are heavier than a day cream because they contain added moisturizers that would be too greasy and heavy for day time use.

If you use a serum, or gel product this is normally done after toning but prior to moisturizing.

I found the best way to get into the habit of having a daily cleansing ritual is to make a chart and post it on the mirror. It doesn’t have to be fancy, just a chart either weekly or monthly, with a.m. and p.m. columns as well as the headings cleanse, tone, moisturize and exfoliate. Every time I’d see it I’d feel guilty if there was no checkmark in the am or pm column. After two weeks, the ritual was ingrained as something I did daily.