“What order am I supposed to apply my products?”
This is a question I get asked a LOT. And fair enough - if I hadn't been trained in this industry, I would be just as confused as a lot of my clients are. The world of skincare can be difficult to navigate, but here's the good news: we’re here to walk you through it.
First and foremost is your cleanser. Removing oils, sweat, and general debris from the skin leaves you with a clean canvas to work with.
Second (if you are including this step) is your exfoliant. Again we are clearing the canvas ready for your other skincare products, but with this step we go a little further - removing dead skin cells to smooth, brighten, and allow your other products to penetrate better by removing the layer of dead skin that acts as a barrier to absorption.
Now that your skin is clean and prepped, you are ready for the rest of your products. From here on out, everything stays ON the skin (cleansers and exfoliants are almost always removed after application.)
Serums, Oils & Moisturisers
When applying serums, oils and moisturisers, it's important to get the order right. For example, if you apply a facial oil first, and then try to apply a lightweight serum - the oil is going to act as a barrier on the skin, and will prevent proper absorption of the lighter serum. A general rule of thumb is lightest to heaviest, to allow the best possible absorption and thus, efficacy, of your products.
Light serums go on first, and have priority of absorption. Serums are usually packed with the highest concentration of active ingredients out of all of your skincare products, so we want them to go deepest in the skin, which is why we apply them first.
Oils come second. Oils should always be applied after your serums, as they not only nourish the more superficial layers of the skin, but act as an occlusive to seal in the serums you just applied and prevent moisture loss from the outer layer of the skin.
At night time, moisturiser would be your final step. The moisturiser is hydrating the very outer layers of skin and sealing in the oil you just applied. Primarily to protect and seal it is the last “skincare” you will apply.
Sunscreen & Make Up
Sunscreen is a product that creates a lot of confusion. As a rule of thumb, your sunscreen is always applied AFTER your skincare, but BEFORE your makeup. It's the middle layer. We don't want our sunscreen to penetrate to the deeper layers of our skin - it is acting as a surface barrier against UV rays. Makeup comes last, always.
If you are ever unsure about how to use your skincare, feel free to email or call us anytime - we're here to help.