Properly Layering Skincare Products

Today’s blog post is all about properly layering your skincare products.

Did you know that skincare products need to be applied in a specific order? Yup!

Some of the most common questions we get from clients purchasing products is “which should I use first?” Or “how do I incorporate this into my home routine with products I already use?”

1. It goes without saying that you should start with your cleanser. Other products cannot penetrate to the underlying layers of skin if they cannot even stay on the surface due to oils, makeup, environmental pollutants, etc. If you do a double cleanse, you want to start with the oil-based one first to loosen all the makeup and oil from your skin. Follow this up with a gel cleanser that will then get to everything the previous cleanser missed.

2. Next in order is your toner. A question we get often is: “Do I really need a toner?” And the answer would be yes! Your hair, skin, and nails are extremely porous. And oftentimes our skin is left dry from cleansing because the natural oils have been stripped. I like using this analogy: think of your skin like a sponge. When it’s dry, it doesn’t absorb a thing (strange phenomena). However, the moment you wet it, it suddenly absorbs quite a lot! Your skin reacts the same way. A toner lays the foundation and preps the skin to be able to accept and process the other ingredients you apply. Lastly, a toner also neutralizes your skin’s pH, helping other products work properly and at their optimum abilities. It can even act as a skin refresher throughout the day for an instant skin pick-me-up!

3. Following your toner is your highly active products, a.k.a. serums. Serums are potent vehicles for serious results-driven ingredients. It is A-OK to layer serums, but a good rule of thumb is to layer them from thinnest consistency to thickest, allowing each to dry between applications.

4. Eye treatments come in next. Always remember to pat in using your ring finger, don’t ever rub!

5. Moisturizer is next. If you use a face oil, it can be applied in place of your moisturizer or, for those wanting some heavy-duty moisturization, it can be layered on after your moisturizer.

6. Last, but definitely not least, top it all off with your SPF.

I hope this handy blog post has helped decode the confusing world of layering skincare. Email me with any questions or comments.

Stay healthy, stay well, and have a beautiful day!

xoxo - Jessie