Choice Architecting Skincare Routines
In writing about the three different skincare routines, here, here and here, my goal is to get you, the reader, to act on the information. To buy and use whatever recommendation that best fits your needs and realize the benefits. I’m writing for the absolute beginner. How I classify beginners is such: You don’t use anything special to take care of your face. You wash your face with soap, maybe use body lotion to moisturize and use sunscreen only at the beach or for long outdoor exposure but not every day.
The first thing I’d focus on is getting you to wear sunscreen everyday. EVERYDAY. This is just health care, period. Skin cancer is not a joke. Every moment your skin is exposed to sunlight, even when it’s overcast, even if you’re indoors, you subject your skin to UV damage. That damage accumulates over time. So using sunscreen daily is non-negotiable for me.
Next, there’s nothing wrong with cleaning your face with soap. But soap is very basic (chemically speaking, has a pH of 9-10) and skin is mildly acidic (pH of 4.7-5.75.) It’s best to use products that have the same pH levels to keep skin healthy. Also, soap strips your skin of its natural oils and is very drying. When skin is dry, its barrier function is compromised, which could potentially lead to being susceptible to other skin conditions.
There’s also nothing wrong with using body lotion on your face. However, your body lotion may have ingredients that’s too heavy and could clog your pores and lead to blackheads and overall rougher texture.
So for better, healthier skin, a beginner routine would have:
a gentle, low pH cleanser that won’t strip skin of its natural moisture
a moisturizer that won’t clog your pores
and a sunscreen that’s cosmetically elegant enough to use every day.
These three products would address the core functions of hygiene, barrier support and sun protection. You could end here and call it a day. This is all you need from a health care perspective.
So why did I add hydrating toner to the mix? Why the 4th step? Visual aesthetic beauty, baby.
You don’t NEED a hydrating toner step. You could skip it for budget and time constraint reasons. A moisturizer would have some water content to deliver hydration to the skin. But in my opinion, it’s not sufficient if you want to have that dewy, plump look.
So with these 4 steps, you cover your basics and have a little extra boost. Hopefully the results from using these would be pleasant and motivating enough to make this routine a permanent aspect of your self-care.