Sequencing in Skin Care

Are we all juggling with multiple tasks in hand? Do we have jam packed schedules? Do we wish to have a healthy skin? I would say a big yes. But, how do we manage everything?  Like we do for majority of our tasks, lets chart out our skin care products and create a regime.

Let us see, why is sequencing so important.

For this we need to understand that the most important function of our skin is to act as a barrier, a barrier to keep unwanted things out.

Day Care Regime

1. Cleanser

A gentle cleanser with warm water should be used to help clear your skin off the grime, dirt, pollutants and let it breathe.  For an oily skin, a cleanser with alpha or beta hydroxyl acids can be used whereas for sensitive skin, a mild cleanser which is SLS free is preferred with normal water.

2. Toner

Some toners now infuse amino acids, vitamins etc apart from cleaning our skin and should be used before a moisturizer. They can be applied with bare hands or using a cotton swab.  Alcohol based toners are best avoided especially in people with sensitive skin.

3. Serum

What are serums? Power packed concoctions is the term! Serums are concentrated products like hyaluronic acid, vitamin C, certain amino acids etc. free of diluents. Serums are best applied on a clean skin before a moisturizer covers it. Just a few drops, spread evenly with your fingers are sufficient to cover the entire face.

4. Eye cream

The most sensitive part of our face and yet the most ignored one, is the skin around our eyes. UV rays in the car, long working hours with laptops, phone screens at night, rubbing our dry eyes, all damage the thin skin which starts to show in the form of dark circles and fine lines. Our eyes deserve extra care and a good eye cream used twice a day does the trick.

5. Moisturizer

Moisturizers forms the backbone of our skin care regime. It restores and replenishes the skin of its natural ingredients. Extra hydration for oily skin and increased protection form sun, chemicals etc. is what a moisturizer does for sensitive skin. Water based moisturizers are preferred for oily skin. They should be used at least twice a day for keeping our skin soft and supple.

6. Sunscreen

In a country like ours, no skin care regime is complete without a good sunscreen. The old times of oily, sticky sunscreens that make you sweat is now gone. We have some amazing sunscreens with different compositions customized for each skin type. A sunscreen with an SPF more than 15, applied uniformly to cover the entire face and neck and reapplied every 2 to 3 hours is good enough.

Nighttime ritual

7. Night Creams

Once the skin is cleansed well, a night cream which contains anti-aging products, prescription medications like anti-acne or specific therapies for irritated sensitive skin should be used.

Give time for these products to get absorbed and eventually layer your skin with a thick moisturizer just before hitting the bed. This is the time when our skin heals, repairs and prepares itself for yet another grueling day.