Got a few minutes every day? Poreless, glass, flawless - call it whatever you want, but think less texture, blemishes, and fine lines. Everyone wants it and actually can have it. Here's how to get a basic Korean skincare routine happening.
Oil Cleanser: (Evening) Time – 2 Minutes: Oil cleansing is going to get rid of sunscreen, makeup, pollution, and daily grime that builds upon the face. It will NOT clog pores because you follow it right after with another type of cleanser.
Out with the yuck, basically. Jojoba and squalene are top-notch :)
What to Do: Take your hands or a soft washcloth, and warm the oil to smooth over the entire face and massage for blood circulation.
And next, comes the cleanser to wash off makeup and oil resdiue to get things squeaky clean.
Cleanser: (Day & Evening) – 3-5 Minutes: To be fair, this skin may need to be skipped altogether if you have very sensitive skin. If you find irritation, just simply use a warm washcloth over the face for cleaning off a night of sleeping.
Otherwise, you will do this set in the morning and after oil in the evening to open pores and prepare for the next steps.
What to Do: Using a washcloth or cleansing device, work the cleanser over the skin of the face, avoiding any areas that are breaking out by using light pressure.
Exfoliate: (2-3 Weekly) – 1 Minute: Done less frequently depending on your skin type, exfoliates is going to sluff off any dead skin left, and stimulate blood flow beneath the surface. If you end up with any redness or irritation that lasts, cut back how many sessions you do per week.
Don't go ham and make your skin annoyed! This is gentle since you can have chemical exfoliants like lactic acids do the real exfoliation in your routine.
What to Do: Using the product with your hands, very gently rub it over the skin, avoiding the eye area where the skin is thin and prone to tugging and damage. For any cuts or areas with blemishes, skip over these – and don’t forget about your lips!
Toner: (Day & Evening) – 1 Minute: Think of a toner as a way to prepare the skin for what comes next, cleaning out any leftover residue of the exfoliation and often giving a thin layer of calming ingredients.
It's going to make your skin chill out.
Essence: (Day & Evening) – 2-3 Minutes: Often touted as the essential step, essence is a concentrated blend of ingredients, often in a watery-like mixture, that often boasts specific benefits. Place on a cotton ball or allow it to be sprayed, and wait until fully soaked into the skin.
But if you don't have it, just work with things like your serums or other goodies - hyaluronic acid is your bff already, right?
Serum: (Day & Evening) – 4-5 Minutes: Serums bring properties, like anti-aging, skin clearing, or hydrating, into the skin with its smaller molecules, unlike traditional oils like coconut that stay on top of the skin.
This is the step where you slather on everything before moisturizer locks it in.
What to Do: Take the serum within the palms, and spread to warm. Pat the serum into the skin over the entire face, and allow it to fully settle.
Sheet Mask: (2 Weekly) – 20-25 Minutes: Packed with their own essences, sheet masks are effective in helping the skin retain moisture for hours later. During sleep, a loss of water from sleeping can make the evening an ideal time to do this step before bedtime.
Or after super stressful workdays, hangovers, and other hair-pulling inducing events.
What to Do: Take out the sheet mask, and apply it for a long period of time – yes, this is the longest step. Once you are done, drag the sheet mask over anywhere needing moisture to get the most out of each use.
Eye Cream: (Evening) 2 Minutes: The area around the eyes is the most delicate, and lacks any way to produce its own moisture. Over time, our aging skin lacks collagen and needs to be given some help by a nightly eye cream with smaller molecules to absorb into the skin.
You can even try a little dab of oil if you've got skin that is reminiscent of a crepe.
What to Do: Using the pinky finger, which is the weakest to not drag the skin, apply a tiny amount of the eye cream around the orbital rim. You can move to the next step and let it overlap since you will be putting face moisturizer everywhere but under the eyes.
Moisturizer: (Day & Evening) 3 Minutes: Giving hydration back to the skin, moisturizer is essential – even for teenagers if proper skincare routines got followed. How it behaves on the skin varies, and over time you’ll find which ones are ideal for your type.
If you see breakouts, clogged pores, and other nasties - back away and try another one.
What to Do: Like the serum before, spread a nickel-sized amount into the hand and spread across the palms. Pat into the skin, and allow it to settle before moving on unless it is nighttime in which case, you are done!
Sunscreen: (Day) 3 Minutes: The most important skincare item for slowing aging skin and offering protection? Yes, it’s sunscreen. You also should try using a great hat, but make sure your sunscreen is healthy for the environment too.
No reason to make the coral reefs dead (woah, that got a little heavy).
What to Do: 30 minutes before heading outside, apply a generous amount of sunscreen over any area that will be exposed to sunshine. Even on cloudy days, the rays of the sun that are damaging do come through!
With all that, your skin is for sure going to be WAY better within a few weeks.