There are so many facial skin care products on the market today. As a result it’s often difficult to determine the best facial skin care routine that you should implement for your own skin. We want to share some basic guidelines for you to follow in finding that balance.

Everyone’s body and face are different. In the process of discovering what is best for your skin, it may take trial and error to figure it out. If you have normal, pretty adaptive skin you may be able to use more of a variety of products. On the other hand, if you have more sensitive skin, you may be someone who needs to look for natural products that include the least amount of chemically formulated ingredients.

Ingredients are a whole other issue that we won’t go into depth here. But where an ingredient shows up on the list of ingredients, on the back of your product bottle, signifies how big of a percentage is in that product. So, the closer it is to the beginning the larger percentage of that ingredient is in the product and thus, the farther down the list the lower the percentage.

What is a good routine? Below are some basic guidelines that you should follow. It’s also important to use a skin care system made by the same product line. Why? Because each of the products have been formulated to work together and you are likely to see much better results than if you mix and match different skin care systems.

Eye Makeup Remover:

Before cleansing your entire face, you should rid your eyes of any eye make up that you’ve used or is lingering from the day before. We all know that using a product specifically designed to remove eye makeup is important for comfort. But specifically formulated eye makeup removers are gentle on the delicate skin around your eyes which is dramatically different from the skin on the rest of your face.

Cleansing:

It’s important to cleanse your face twice a day. You will want to cleanse once in the morning before applying your makeup and once in the evening to remove that makeup. Even if you don’t wear makeup it’s still important to cleanse twice a day. I just use that as a time reference.

A good cleanser will unclog your pores. Unknown to you throughout the day and evening not only makeup gets in a clogs pores but dust and pollution also makes it’s way on your skin. Your first cleanser should be formulated to deep clean and exfoliate dead skin cells.

Toner:

Many do not understand the value of following the cleansing process with a good toner. A toner not only continues the cleansing process but will refresh your skin. It will remove all remaining traces of impurities and enhance your skin’s appearance.

Apply a toner twice a day right after cleansing. We suggest applying a toner with a simple spray bottle rather than applying with a cotton swab. Cotton swabs are often harsh on the skin and can cause irritation. Let dry naturally.

Facial Mask:

At this point in the cleansing process you will want to use a facial mask once to twice a week depending on the product you use. Some masks even call for using two different mask products for the best results.

A facial mask will clean and revitalize the skin gently yet deeply. Some masks also accelerate skin renewal.

Moisturizing:

The last step is to apply a moisturizer specially formulated for your face. Please, please do not use hand and body lotions on your face. You may not see the harm that you are doing immediately but you will as you age! Moisturizing should happen twice a day right after you use your toner or mask.

Facial moisturizers will absorb and hydrate the skin while keeping it moist throughout the day or evening. Not only should you think about a facial moisturizer but one for your eye area as well. And if you have bags, small lines or black circles under your eyes, there are moisturizers specially formulated to reduce the signs of aging around your eyes.

Do not over moisturize if you have dry skin. It is a mistake made by many to think that if you moisturize your face all day long with a "normal" moisturizer you are doing the right thing. Wrong! You should be using a moisturizer specially formulated for dry skin and thus will only need to apply twice a day same as everyone else. And conversely, do not under moisturize your face if you have oily skin. The same principle applies. Moisturizers protect your skin from the environment and are a critical part of your cleansing routine.

If you are dedicated to your skin, as you age you will no doubt see the benefits!