Make mornings easier with a customized skincare routine.
Even if you're prone to hitting the snooze button and grabbing your coffee on the road, you can still make time for a personalized morning skincare routine. It's much simpler than
you think. Not only does it start your skin off clean, hydrated, and glowing, it allows customized treatments to work even better. While the basic steps — cleanse, exfoliate, and moisturize — are the same for everyone, your routine and the number of steps required may evolve according to your individual skin type and needs.
So wave goodbye to dullness, dryness, and excessive oil and say hello instead to that coveted, "I woke up like this" glow. Here's what you need to know about the best morning skincare routine for your specific skin type.
Morning skincare routine for dry skin
Step 1: Cleanse
Got dry skin? Get your morning off to a great start with a gentle cleanser designed to remove the dirt and excess oil that accumulates in your skin's pores while you sleep. All About Clean Liquid Facial Soap in Mild or Extra Mild is a great choice. While gentle, it achieves the desired results without stripping any of the necessary lipids on your skin, so you never get that too-tight feeling after you wash your face. If you wear makeup, you may want to first use an oil-based makeup remover balm to harness the power of double cleansing.
Step 2: Exfoliate and hydrate
A gentle morning exfoliation can remove any extra sebum or dead skin cells that have collected on your skin overnight. Prep your skin for moisturizing by first sweeping away any residual dirt or dulling flakes that might still be left on the surface. You can achieve this smoother finish with the help of an extra-gentle, dermatologist-developed exfoliator like Clarifying Lotion 1, or Clarifying Lotion 1.0 Twice A Day Exfoliator for an alcohol-free version if your skin is both dry and sensitive.
Both these exfoliators are gentle enough to be used twice daily. “Using ingredients that are gentle and can support your natural skin turnover is always really nice," says Dr. Jenny Liu, board certified dermatologist. For dry and dry/combination skin, Dr. Liu is in favor of Clarifying Lotion 2 due to its ingredients such as witch hazel, she explains, “which is an astringent and can help with sebum control, especially for those with combination skin."
Step 3: Moisturize
Now that your skin is cleansed and prepped, it's time to moisturize. Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion+ comes to the rescue by keeping your face hydrated and balanced. There's a good reason it's such a cult classic — it strengthens your skin's own moisture barrier so more moisture stays in.
Step 4: Apply SPF
Almost done! Don't forget to protect your skin from the sun's harmful rays. SPF 50 Mineral Sunscreen for Face is gentle enough for sensitive skin while blocking aging UVA and UVB radiation.
Morning skincare routine for oily skin
Step 1: Cleanse
If your face is on the oily side, reach for a cleanser specially formulated for your skin type. All About Clean Liquid Facial Soap in Types 3 and 4 (Oily - Combination Oily to Very Oily Skin) do a great job of washing away excess oil, dirt, and debris. If you prefer a more dense cleanser, you'll love All About Clean Rinse-off Foaming Cleanser. Its rich, gentle foam is formulated with conditioning ingredients such as glycerin and hyaluronic acid to give you a softer-feeling clean.
Step 2: Exfoliate and tone
To remove any residual oil and sebum left on the skin, a toner is highly recommended. Clarifying Lotion 3 is a great option for oily skin.
Step 3: Moisturize
A lightweight, oil-free moisturizer like Moisture Surge 100H Auto-Replenishing Hydrator or Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel can give your face long-lasting, soothing. non-greasy hydration.
Confused as to why oily skin needs a moisturizer? All skin types need hydration to achieve that coveted radiant glow. (Learn more here.)
Step 4: Apply SPF
No matter how little time you have, you should never skip SPF! To keep your skin shielded from the sun, apply Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Sunscreen Oil-Free Face Cream. Want to simplify your morning skincare routine? Shave off this extra step by choosing a moisturizer that already has a built in SPF, such as Moisture Surge Broad Spectrum SPF 28 Sheer Hydrator for everyday use.
Want to take your skincare to the next level?
Elevate your regimen with a powerhouse serum and/or an eye cream between Steps 2 and 3 above based upon your specific needs:
- To treat fine lines, wrinkles, and other signs of premature aging, apply Smart Clinical Repair Wrinkle Correction Serum for results equal to a laser treatment on the look of lines and wrinkles.1
- For hyper pigmentation such as dark spots, a potent brightening serum like Even Better Clinical Radical Dark Spot Corrector + Interrupter could help you achieve a 39% visible reduction in dark spots in 12 weeks.2
- Struggling with adult acne as well as fine lines and wrinkles? Many women do. Fight them both with Acne Solutions Acne + Line Correcting Serum. Thanks to salicylic acid, this gentle, hydrating formula can help clear spots and visibly improve lines without resulting dryness.
- Need an extra hydrating boost? Add a few drops of Moisture Surge Hydrating Supercharged Concentrate. Filled with aloe vera and hyaluronic acid, it keeps your skin hydrated for a full 72 hours.
1 In a clinical study after 16 weeks, women who had one laser treatment showed the same improvement in the overall look of lines and wrinkles as those who used Smart Serum twice daily instead. Laser used: microablative, deka dot SmartSkin CO2™ (Cynosure, Westford, MA) with CO2 fractional tech.
2 Results based on consumer testing on 533 women.
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