The Correct Steps To Do For Your Morning Skin Care Routine

In order to get the best results from your morning skin care routine, it’s important to do three things: choose the best products for your skin type, use them in the right order, and apply them correctly. Doing so every morning will give you maximum benefit throughout the day while your skin is subjected to pollution, harmful UV rays, and other environmental stressors.

In this post, you’ll learn the exact order you should be applying your products in for the perfect morning skin care routine. I’ve also included some helpful tips and frequently asked questions to clear up any confusion you might have—once and for all.

Best Tips for Your Morning Skin Care Routine

You always want to perform your routine quickly, especially after cleansing. You have a one minute window to get your toner on before water evaporation occurs.

Your morning skin care routine will be slightly different than what you do at night because of the different needs your skin has. Daytime is about protection, and nighttime is all about repair. The main focus of your morning routine should be: How can I make sure my skin is best protected from daylight?

When using an acne spot-treatment in the morning, it’s best to use one that is formulated to be compatible with makeup. You want to avoid ones that pill or ball up. Many sunscreens used during the day can create uneven application of liquid foundation afterward. You’ll have to find one that doesn’t make this happen, so the formula should be a gel or liquid.

Facial oils are not ideal to use in the morning because they can interfere with your sunscreen and make it less protective. Skin oils in their pure form may dissolve your sunscreen throughout the day, similar to the way that your skin’s own natural oils can.

Always choose products for your morning skin care routine that are made for your skin type.

Your Skin Function Changes From Morning to Night

In the Morning and During Daylight Hours:

• Water content in the cells is the highest
• Your skin’s protective barrier function is increased to provide a defense against environmental stressors
• This means skin care products are being deflected and are less likely to penetrate than at night
• The skin’s natural antioxidant protection is increased
• Mitochondrial energy needed for cell health is lowest in the morning and late afternoon
• Cell growth and production is decreased
• DNA protection is increased

In What Order Should I Apply My Skin Care Products in the Morning?

Step 1: Wash with a Cleanser

Cleansing is a key step for the performance of your daytime products and you don’t want to get this step wrong. In the morning, I recommend using a gentle, sulfate-free foaming cleanser as they use surfactants that can cut through oils without leaving the skin feeling tight or dry. Once done cleansing, immediately go to your next step. Don’t wait. Work fast!

Step 2: Use an Alcohol-Free Toner

Toners are misunderstood, but they are very important to use and do serve many beneficial purposes for your skin.

The benefits of using an alcohol-free toner:

• When left damp on the skin, they give your skin a drink of moisture before applying serum or moisturizer. This helps prevent dehydration.
• Removes drying chlorine and minerals found in tap water.
• Balances the PH of the skin.
• Enhances absorption of your serum when used beforehand
• Supports your skin’s natural protective barrier.

Apply all over the face using a thin toning cloth to avoid wasting product, and leave damp. Immediately go to your next step.

Step 3: Layer on an Antioxidant Serum That Contains Vitamin C

The next step for applying your skin care products in the morning is to use an antioxidant serum. Using a well-formulated vitamin C serum in conjunction with your sunscreen is the most effective way to protect your skin cells from environmental damage caused by UV daylight, pollution, and debris.

Apply a dime-size amount and spread it over the entire face and neck. Since your skin is damp from your toner, this should make for easy spreading. Let the serum absorb for sixty seconds before applying moisturizer.

Step 4: Apply a Moisturizer That Contains Sunscreen

Next up in your morning skin care routine is sunscreen. This is the most important part of your daytime routine and a step that creates confusion for many people.

Most sunscreens (which are FDA-approved drugs) are formulated with the same type of ingredients as moisturizers by using emollients, occlusives, and humectants. This is why a sunscreen feels like a moisturizer consistency when applied to the skin. Due to FDA requirements, you’ll read things on the bottle like, “Apply 15 minutes before sun exposure. Reapply after 40 minutes of swimming or sweating. Repeat every two hours.”I believe this type of language leads people to not think of it as a daily moisturizer but a separate product from their moisturizer, so many people think they need both a moisturizer AND a sunscreen in the morning.

As long as you’re using a sunscreen formula that feels like it’s giving the right amount of moisture you need, and you can tolerate the scent (some smell very sunscreen-y), it can be used every day as your morning moisturizer. Granted, some do get caked on and aren’t so compatible with liquid foundation. You just have to find the best one that works for you and that you’ll commit to using as part of your morning skin care routine.

Step 5: Apply Eye Cream

Eye cream is a must, especially as we get older because that skin around our eye is so thin and delicate that it’s the most prone to wrinkling. If you’re a makeup wearer, oily or greasy eye creams could cause mascara on your lower lashes to bleed onto the skin. A better choice is to use a lightweight cream or gel in the morning, which will wear better during the day.

Step 6: Apply an Acne Spot Treatment (Optional)

There is definitely confusion about the order in which to apply a blemish spot treatment during your morning skin care routine. If you apply it before your sunscreen moisturizer, even if you let it dry, your moisturizer will re-wet it and break it down. This causes it to lose its effectiveness since it has now smeared all over the face where blemishes aren’t present.

Here is how I recommend you use it in the morning to get the best benefit:

• Using a damp cotton swab or tissue, wipe the blemish or broken out area to remove the skin care products that were just applied.
• Apply the acne spot treatment and let it dry.
• Lightly pat (don’t rub) a tiny amount of sunscreen back over the affected area.

Proceed with concealer over the blemish, if you choose to wear it. Ideally, your concealer would have sun protection in it. A mineral-based one is the best.

Step 7: Proceed with Makeup

I believe that some sort of liquid foundation makeup or powder should be used on the face every single day. People think they should occasionally give their skin a break from wearing makeup, and that’s a myth but if you choose to follow that, make sure you’re still wearing sunscreen. Makeup plays an important supporting role in your morning skin care routine, whether you realize it or not.

To best take care of your skin regularly, however, is with a professional facial. Botanica Day Spa is ready to pamper you and your skin. Book a facial today from our many options online or by calling us at 727-441-1711!

Love,

Gen