Ever wonder how Japanese people appear so youthful? The short answer is good skincare! Many don't realize how important a good skincare routine is in maintaining the appearance of your skin, and by your 20's it's a must to protect your skin against the elements and early aging! It doesn't matter if you're a man or a woman, your skin is an important organ and you need to take care of it!
1. Cleanse
The first step of any routine is to cleanse! After a long day you need to remove the grime and makeup off your face
2. Exfoliate
Exfoliation is important to get rid of the build up of dead skin and help unclog those pores! In winter dry skin tends to build up especially. BUT, you don't need to exfoliate every single day! 1-2 times a week is enough and anything more than that is overkill and probably irritating your skin.
3. Toner
Using a toner is another very important step. After cleansing and exfoliating, you remove all the natural oils from your face along with the dirt and this can upset the pH balance of your skin. This can lead to problems like irritated skin and acne, but using a toner helps restore this pH balance for happy skin! Without it the skin can become dehydrated too, and it also helps the skin to absorb the next products you're about to apply.
4. Essence
Essence is essentially a hybrid between a toner and serum. It helps the skin to be hydrated and helps cell regeneration for a more youthful appearance. You can choose different types of essence to tackle any particular skin worries you have like dryness, redness or fine lines!
5. Serum
Serum contains a LOT of active ingredients and is again perfect to tackle any particular skin concerns you have! It's also great to mix and match this with the essence you use to tackle different areas! For example if you're worried about fine lines and hydration you can use an essence that tackles the fine lines and a serum that tackles hydration.
6. Eye Cream
Fun fact; there's no sebaceous glands around your eyes to produce natural oils, so it's essential to use an eye cream in this area to keep the skin hydrated and protected. If your skin is dehydrated fine lines and wrinkles will also become more apparent, so moisturizing this area well will reduce the appearance of these lines.
7. Moisturizer/ Lotion
The final step to any skincare routine is to moisturize! If you don't do anything else skincare-wise then you should be using lotion at the very least, so if you skip this step don't be surprised if you notice early aging and damage! As you get older your skin doesn't produce natural oils as effectively so needs the extra help. Moisturizing will help sooth the skin and keep it hydrated throughout the day.