The Ultimate Guide: How To Build A Skincare Routine

You can’t solely hold genetics responsible for your good skin. It may certainly play a part; however, good skin is also a result of adopting healthy skincare habits over a period of time. While you may have heard all about CTM – cleanse, tone, moisturize, and syncing your AP/PM routine, it isn’t necessary that you have all the intel required to actually put it to practice. When starting out on the route towards glowing skin, knowing exactly how to build up your skincare routine is a must. Founder of Paula’s Choice and cosmetics cop, Paula Begoun guides you on how to get started.

Paula Begoun, Founder Paula's Choice Skincare

“There are a few basic skincare products that everyone needs to use to achieve the best skin of their life,” she says.

This begins with using a gentle but effective rinse-off cleanser, a gentle makeup remover to remove the last traces of makeup and a leave-on BHA or AHA exfoliant to help the skin exfoliate. This must then be followed with an extremely light, non-greasy serum, loaded with antioxidants to prevent pollution damage.

Let’s not forget the application of sunscreen being an essential step in the process. Without daily use of a sunscreen (SPF 30 or above), you can never achieve the desirable skincare results you expect. Sun damage is the number one cause of skin ageing after all! While picking the sunscreen, ensure that you do so keeping in mind your skin type.

• For normal to oily skin, use a sunscreen with a fluid texture.
• For normal to dry skin, use a sunscreen with a more emollient, creamy texture.

The next move would be to pay heed to your skin concerns and ailments, if any. For acne-prone and oily skin you wouldn’t be using the same beauty products as someone with dry skin. The same goes for if you suffer from multiple skin problems such as advanced signs of sun damage (ageing), stubborn and clogged pores, or rough skin. If you have any of the following concerns, you must curate your routine keeping them in mind, and must choose products to address those specific issues.

• For acne-prone skin, you must pick a product containing 2% BHA (salicylic acid) and 10% azelaic acid. Azelaic acid can also minimize skin discolorations and redness, while brightening the skin.
• To tend to clogged pores, 10% niacinamide can make a world of a difference.
• For the dry skin type, emollient treatment moisturizers with skin-restoring ingredients that protect and rebuild the surface of the skin, while delivering hydrating ingredients to the lower layers of skin are essential.