How to Find the Right Skincare Routine

If I had to go back in time and restart my skincare routine, this would be the guide I would follow.  

Let’s start with some backstory. I started getting acne at around 12 years old. It wouldn't be for another four years that I would put in the work to do the research to create a skincare routine that catered to my face and my needs.  

That was nearly ten years ago, and after a decade of trial and error, I have finally got a skincare routine that feels right for my face.  

I have had facials, chemical peels, and spent thousands of dollars on my skin over the years. I know I am still learning, but my skin care is rooted in what I feel like I need at that time.  

Lineup of some of my skincare

Step One- Skin Type 

Finding out what kind of skin you have is the official first step in any skin care regimen. Are you oily, dry, or a mix of both? 

Wash your face with a cleanser and wait an hour. Analyse how your skin feels after that one hour, and you will have your answer. If you are unsure, plot a piece of tissue around your face, and if it picks up oils, then you have oily skin. If it is only in some areas, you are a combination of skin types.  

This will be the base of what your skin needs, and how it will react to certain products. 

Step Two - Goals  

Set out your skin care goals. Do you want hydrated, plump skin? Or maybe you want to control the oil, minimise the size of your pores, and avoid breakouts. Maybe it is all of it. But narrowing down what you specifically want, and need will benefit the process.  

Once, you have it figured out, then look for products that do just that. I recommend highlighting no more than 3 key factors you want to focus on. 

Skin care is a gradual process, sometimes your skin will need moisture, while other times it will need a tone corrector. This step is figuring out the basics of your skin care routine.  

And we want to keep it basic! If I have learned anything, it is that less is more when it comes to skin care. Having 15 step skincare routine can do more harm than good.  

For me, I want to focus on acne prevention, wrinkle prevention and healing old acne marks. 

Step Three - Products 

Find products that suit your needs. This is a very personal and intimate step, unfortunately you will need to put in the work and time to figure out what will suit your needs best.  

However, I have tried tons of products, so I can advise you on what worked best for me to give you some ideas on how to find products for you.  

No matter what, you will need a moisturiser. Cere Ve has a range of great moisturisers, Aveeno Calming Restore Oat Gel Moisturiser, The Inky List Omega Water Cream, E45 Hydrating Moisturiser or if you live in the UK, Boots Everyday Moisturising Cream is a cult favourite. 

The product that I have bought repeatedly over the years is The Ordinary Niacinamide 10 + Zinc. It is water-based and helps control acne, oil and balances your skin tone.  

I am not sure if it is because it is water-based, but you can use this product with plenty of other products which makes it a great addition to your routine.  

I also use the retinol from The Inkey List. This product is beginner-friendly for using retinol. Retinol is basically for avoiding wrinkles and helps skin clarity. It can be used for both skin types.  

For a general rule, salicylic acid removes dirt and oils from your pores. Think of this ingredient as a pore cleaner and skin exfoliator. It also helps reduce the size of pores, acne control, dark spots and sun damage.  

Retinal is a stronger version of retinol. Both products can cause irritation, so start small and listen to your skin if you have a bad reaction.  

Glycolic acid provides support for ageing skin, fine lines, and evening out skin texture. It is like salicylic acid, but it gets into the skin a bit better.  

Vitamin C is a great product for skin texture, dark spots, and overall brightens and evens your skin. It is gentler on the skin and causes less irritation than glycolic and salicylic acid. I would recommend using it with sunscreen for maximum effect.  

Azelaic acid is used to treat breakouts, reduce inflammation and clean out pores while killing bacteria.  

There are many more components of skincare but use this list to get started.  

Step Four - Assembling and Organizing 

My biggest issue with finding my skincare routine was not knowing how to put it together.

There are some products and ingredients you can’t use together, and things can get tricky. You don’t want to risk using products together, as it can create breakouts, reactions, or possibly even burns, so you must do your research on your products.  

First, you will need to assemble your skin care routines into day and night. This will make combining products easier. To make it even easier, I pick one goal for my morning skin care for me, it is hydration and one goal for my night routine, acne prevention and evening/brightening my skin tone.  

Having as few products as possible in my routine was one of my goals. Every product I chose directly applies to one aspect of skin care I wanted to focus on. I use my products with intent. My morning routine has 4 products plus cleanser, and my nighttime routine includes 3 products outside of cleanser.  

A general rule for a morning routine should consist of a cleanser (I use CereVe), serum (hyaluronic acid, Vitamin C, etc), eye cream (Beauty of Joseon Revive Eye Serum Ginseng + Retinal, is the best eye cream IMO) , moisturiser and SPF. If you are putting on makeup, then add your primer before moisturiser and SPF.  

If you wear makeup, then double cleansing is advised. To do this, take your makeup off with an oil-based cleanser (BYOMA Milky Oil Cleanser, Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Cleansing Oil, etc) and finish cleansing with a water-based one (La Roche-Posay Toleriane Gentle Hydrating Cleanser, CereVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser, etc).  

Once your skin is clean, add serums (Niacinamide, salicylic acid, etc) and/ or retinol. If you have products you want to use, but they can’t mix, then alternate your nights of using the products. If you are a beginner to retinol, then only use it a few times a week before using it every day.  

After the cleansing and serums, add your moisturiser. Avoid touching your face to let the skin care settle in your skin and always sleep on silk pillowcases (if you don’t know by now, start doing it!)   

Step Five - Weekly Treatments 

After you have your routines, it is important to incorporate other forms of skin care such as face masks.  

Not only is self-care important, but if you want to level up your skin, then you must put in the time. Doing weekly masks can be a great way to relax and nourish your skin with what it needs.  

My absolute favourite face masks are the Biodance Radiant Vita Niacinamide Real Deep Mask and the Biodance Collagen Mask. You have to leave these masks on for at least 2 hours, but the result is worth it.  

Finding the Right Routine 

The key to success truly is trial and error in this case. Figuring out your skin, what it needs and what it responds to can only be done with time. It will constantly be changing and evolving, but finding the core ingredients and a basic routine will help you learn your skin.