Hi guys! I’ve been meaning to share my skin care routine with you for a while and I’m sorry for the delay. However, it allowed me more time to master my new routine in the last few months and share my results. I recently did a poll on my Instagram and many people were interested in hearing about my skin care routine. I’m by no means a skin care expert but I’ve been religiously implementing a solid routine for the past eight years. It’s been a whole lot of trial and error, and still is, but I’ve managed to learn a lot along the way and I hope it can help you guys too!
I know finding a skin care routine that suits you can be extremely frustrating and daunting. There’s always something that doesn’t work for your particular skin or clashes with another product. Unfortunately, it’s really hard to pinpoint exactly which product is really irritating your skin and what should be kept and eliminated. It only makes it worse that there are so many different acids and formulations to worry about. I’ll be sharing my technique that I’ve created over the years to tackle that.
Before we dive deeper, it’s important to understand what the different acids and formulations are and what they can do for your skin.
AHA/BHAs
AHA/BHAs are non abrasive exfoliants for your skin. They absorb into your skin and help renew it from the inside, unlike a physical exfoliant which would only address the superficial layer. They tackle acne scars, acne, skin texture, dullness and hyperpigmentation. A popular form of AHAs is glycolic acid. Glycolic acid is derived from sugar cane and helps remove dead skin cells for more radiant and even looking skin. It also thickens your skin and stimulates collagen growth. Another popular form you may have heard of is lactic acid. Lactic acid helps keep your skin hydrated, improves skin tone and signs of aging, reduces your pores, and firms your skin. A well known form of BHA is salicylic acid. Salicylic acid works in the same way as AHAs in the sense that it removes dead skin cells and promotes skin renewal, but it is really good for unclogging your pores, controlling oil production and deeply cleaning and purifying your skin. This is why it’s usually perfect for someone with oily/combination skin. Both AHA/BHAs are a great addition to your routine and will help address many skin concerns.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is a legitimate holy grail for your skin. It is a real game changer and essential to all skin types. Vitamin C comes in many different forms – some are less irritable (such as magnesium ascorbyl phosphate) and therefore more suitable for sensitive or dry skin types. Other forms are more potent and effective (such as l-ascorbic acid), but better for oily or normal skin that isn’t sensitive. Whichever you end up choosing, I can assure you it will be quite beneficial to your skin. Vitamin C adds a youthful radiance to your skin, fades hyperpigmentation & dark spots, diminishes fine lines & blemishes, promotes collage production, and protects your skin from free radicals since it’s an antioxidant. Vitamin C has proven to be so beneficial for our skin that it’s recommended we take it in pill form daily to ensure healthy skin.
Retinol
Retinol, also known as retinoids or vitamin A, is quite literally a wonder drug. It’s one of the best skin care products in the market today and can be prescribed by your dermatologist or bought over the counter in the form of a serum. Though not as potent as retinoids, retinol is still very effective and helps reduce wrinkles and fine lines. It increases the production of collagen and even stimulates production of new blood vessels in your skin. It will also help reduce your acne and any scarring by increasing cell renewal production. You should definitely incorporate this into your routine as you hit your mid-twenties as a preventative. Start with a low percentage and build your way up slowly.
Niacinamide
Niacinamide is a form of vitamin B-3, an essential nutrient for your skin & body. Niacinamide is great for anyone who has sensitive skin, redness, acne, large pores, or oily skin. It increases your skin’s resiliency, minimizes any redness or blotchiness, regulates oil, treats hyperpigmentation and minimizes pores. It’s also anti-inflammatory so it will help treat any acne. You can layer this under your retinol product for added benefits.
Hyaluronic Acid
Hyaluronic acid is naturally found in your body and retains water to keep your tissues hydrated and moist. So it’s only safe to say it’ll definitely hydrate your skin. In addition, it reduces the visibility of your wrinkles/fine lines and creates smoother looking skin by helping increase skin cell production. This is the one skin product that every single person can use (yes, even if you have oily skin, it needs to be hydrated) and it’s the one product that you can layer with any other acid without causing harm or unwanted side effects.
If you choose to add different acids and formulations, remember that many acids don’t mix well with one another. So here’s a little cheat sheet for you:
vitamin c + retinol = 🚫
retinol + aha/bha = 🚫
aha/bha + vitamin c = 🚫
niacinamide + retinol = ✅
hyaluronic + aha/bha = ✅
hyaluronic + vitamin c = ✅
hyaluronic + retinol = ✅
So simply put, using any of the acids with one another will offset the ph balance of your skin and make it super sensitive. It will cause acne, redness and can even ruin your skin’s barrier. Refrain from using vitamin c, retinol and any aha/bha formulations (glycolic acid, lactic acid/salicylic acid) with one another in any kind of combination. Hyaluronic acid can be used with almost every other acid since it’s super hydrating and will only help balance out the dryness caused by the aha/bhas. Niacinamide (form of b3 which helps balance oil production, improves texture and minimizes pores/redness) can be layered with retinol, which is what I do every alternate night.
The technique I’m about to share with you guys next will basically solidify my foundation as a psychopath in your eyes, but it’s something that has truly helped me get my skincare down to a T. And following it has done wonders for my skin. Of course, you don’t have to follow this to achieve your skin goals, but if you’re experimenting with different acids, it’s a good way to see how they can be incorporated in your routine at different times of the day and week.
My routine:
Daytime:
Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun: non-alcohol toner, vitamin c serum, moisturizer, SPF, vitamin c facial oil (on dry days), eye cream
Tue, Thur, Sat: AHA/BHA toner or peel pads, hyaluronic acid, moisturizer, SPF, eye cream
Nighttime:
Mon, Wed, Fri: essence, non-alcohol toner, aha/bha serum/peel pads, moisturizer, facial oil, eye cream
Tue, Thur, Sat: non-alcohol toner, niacinamide serum, retinol serum, moisturizer, facial oil, eye cream
Sun: non-alcohol toner, moisturizer or sleeping mask, eye cream
Like I mentioned, you absolutely DO NOT have to follow this routine. I just wanted to show you guys how you can time out and place different acids & formulations into your skincare routine without having them clash with one another. I also do a mask once or twice within the week and use a physical exfoliator (such as the Tatcha rice enzyme powder or Kate Somerville’s exfolikate) once a week during my non-aha/bha nights.
If you’re just starting your skin care routine, I would tell you to keep it extremely simple. Don’t overcomplicate your routine and introduce your skin to too many different products right from the get go. The key to a good regimen is starting slow and building up to certain acids and formulations. If you’re a beginner, start with: a toner, a serum, a moisturizer, SPF (in the day) and an eye cream. This allows you to get into the habit of applying skincare daily and nightly and with limited products, you’ll be able to easily gauge what works for your skin and doesn’t.
Use a serum that is absolutely essential to your skin concerns. So if you’re looking to tackle acne scars, dark spots, or hyperpigmentation, I would recommend going with a really good vitamin c serum in the day (and even night in the beginning) and eventually switching & building up to a glycolic/lactic acid at night. If your concern is acne, I’d recommend a serum or spot treatment with salicylic acid at night. If your skin is super dry, just a good hyaluronic would be a great addition to your routine. If you’re looking to prevent/treat anti-aging, I’d suggest retinol. Really try to tackle your main skin concern first and then start adding other products in slowly.
I’ll be sharing more of what I use product wise on this blog and on my Instagram stories. It can be super complicated and I want to simplify it for you as much as I can. Please feel free to message me and reach out to me for any questions! I hope this article helped a little and I’ll be back very soon with more skincare tips!
Stay well!
xo, S
Sassy Sherni 