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a-slice-of-beauty-blog · 6 years

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The 10 Step Korean Skincare Routine

Two years ago, I read a book called The Little Book of Skincare: Korean Beauty Secrets for Healthy Glowing Skin. After reading it, my perspective on skincare changed. The simple routine consisting of just washing my face with Peter Thomas Roth Anti-Aging Cleansing Gel, followed by Thayers Rose Petal Witch Hazel as toner, and Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Relief as moisturizer was inadequate. I barely wore sunscreen unless it was summer time and if I did, I’d wear those fragrant sunscreens from Hawaiian Tropics, or Neutrogena. However, I hated the white cast these sunscreens left on my face as well as how greasy it made my face feel, which caused me to stop wearing it.

At first, 10 steps seemed a bit too much. I barely have enough time to pamper myself but having to do 10 steps both in the morning and evening was ridiculous. I learned not everyone has to do the entire 10 steps and can simply do 5 steps, everyone has different skin concerns therefore each individual has their own preference on how many steps they use in their routine. My first purchase was the Erborian Cleansing Balm and Neogen Green Tea Real Fresh Foam Cleanser along with the Son & Park Beauty Water, which would later become my holy grail, Mizon All-in-One Snail Repair Cream, and Missha Mild Essence Sun Milk.

After trying all four products, my skin felt and looked different. One, my skin was smoother and less rough. Two, after suffering from occasional acne breakouts this calmed my breakouts to the point where I barely had a pimple on my face unless it was hormonal acne. Three, I was totally convinced that this was a game changer. Eventually, one by one I increased my routine from 5 steps to 10 steps. Now, I don’t follow all 10 steps everyday but 1-3 times a week I perform all 10 steps. Also, my morning routine is different from my evening routine.

Step 1: Oil Cleanser

The first step of the entire routine, double cleansing requires using an oil cleansers and water based cleanser. In the nighttime, I use

wipes to remove makeup just as an extra step before starting oil cleansing. First use the oil cleanser, which either comes in the form of a balm or oil on a dry face. If it is in the form of a balm, once you rub the product on your face it dissolves, breaking down any makeup, sunscreen, dirt, and pollutants on your face. When rubbing the product, you want to use gentle circular motions making sure you massage the product into your face. Wet your hands and massage your face again to emulsify the cleanser, the wash off. As of lately, I've been using the Banila Co Clean It Zero Cleansing Balm Original.

Step 2: Water-Based Cleanser

After washing off the oil cleanser, use the water based cleanser to remove any extra debris that the oil cleanser missed. It is recommended that you spend about 1 minute massaging the cleanser into your face just as you would spend 30 seconds washing your hands to thoroughly. However, I am guilty of massing my face for 10-15 seconds and rushing to rinse it off because I'm tired or in a rush. On a good day, I sometimes massage my oil cleanser for about 2 minutes and 1 minute for my water cleanser just to be meticulous. If you leave the cleanser on a littler longer than usual it deep cleans your pores.

My current water cleanser, is the Klavuu Pure Pearlsation Revitalizing Facial Cleansing Foam.

Step 3: Exfoliation

Ever wonder why your skin looks dull, lifeless, or why your pores are large or why you have dark spots? Well that's because your dead skin cells have built up, which is why we exfoliate. Our cell turnover rate, slows significantly as we get older. Cell turnover is the procedure in which our skin produces new skin cells that travel from the bottom layer of the epidermis to the top layer resulting in the shedding of the skin. You can exfoliate your skin using physical or chemical exfoliators.

Physical exfoliators are pretty much your average scrub that we are re all familiar with and are done manually with your hands. Some tend to have micro-beads, small grains, nutshells, or used with a brush, or muslin cloth. Despite that, exfoliators with micro-beads, nutshells, fruit pits or any large exfoliants should be avoided because they cause micro-tears. Micro-tears occur when the agents in an exfoliator are too sharp or jagged, resulting in small tears in the skin. One of my favorite scrubs is the Mizon Honey Black Sugar Scrub. Compared to physical exfoliators, chemical exfoliators exfoliate the skin using acids. I know it's alarming but acids actually help speed up cell turnover and promote smoother and brighter skin if you're looking for glowing skin.

Step 4: Toner

Most people think this step is unnecessary but toners actually help hydrate your skin. After double cleansing and exfoliating your skin dries out and needs moisture added back. Toners also help balance your skin's pH levels and get rid of any excess filth your cleansers missed. I read somewhere after washing your face, there's a 10 second rule to apply toner. My holy grail and I cannot stress how much I love this product is the Son & Park Beauty Water.

This product is not only a toner but it is multifunctional. We're all familiar with micellar water such as the Garnier bottles sold at the drugstores or the Bioderma ones. Even though micellar water gets rid of your makeup it doesn’t hydrate your skin that much. That is where cleansing waters come in. Compared to micellar water, cleansing waters are refined H20 with different ingredients incorporated into it providing it with cleansing properties minus the need to lather the product. It is usually developed with essential oils, minerals, collagen, and plant extracts. Also, cleansing water can be used as part of your double cleansing method in place of the water cleaners, referring back to the multifunctional properties.

Step 5: Essence

As we get older, our skin creates fewer nutrients that hydrate it. Essences add moisture back into your skin and helps smooth out fine lines and wrinkles. The ingredients packed in this product also help brighten and even out your skin tone. Essences are more lightweight and watery than serums and ampoules but are thicker than toners. One key factor to remember is that when you apply products, you apply them by the lighter products first before the heavier products. Thus, the reason why you apply toner first then essence is because of the consistency. In addition, essences balance the skin after double cleansing and toning. If you apply the heavier products first, it just seals your skin barrier blocking the lighter products from actually doing their job, therefore not noticing any results. When you apply the lighter products first, everything absorbs much better and by the your last step every product will be sealed in.

Step 6: Serums/Ampoules

Serums and Ampoules have a thicker consistency than essences and toners. They seep deeper into the skin to provide a high concentration of active ingredients into the skin. They are usually used for spot treatments to target problem areas such fading brown spots, acne scars, decreasing pores, and pigmentation. Serums also hydrate, strengthen and protect your skin barrier. Be careful as some of this treatments increase your sensitivity to sun exposure so it is best to wear sunscreen to avoid skin damage. I suggest using serums when you are doing your nighttime routine to avoid sun exposure.

Step 7: Sheet Masks

Ah! My favorite part of the skincare routine. I mean who doesn’t love a good sheet mask. For those who do not know what a sheet mask is, it's a mask with eye, nose and mouth cutouts drenched in ingredients you generally find in essences. I like to consider sheet masks as an at-home spa treatment for myself. After exfoliating and applying toner, I like to pop on a sheet mask along with an eye mask. There are two different types of sheets masks material, hydrogel and microfiber. Hydrogel masks well it speaks for itself (water) are gels masks that are 100% water soluble making it additionally hydrating for your skin. Microfiber masks are a cotton type material. Using sheets masks are a potent way to achieving that dewy glow by locking in the nutrients from the mask onto your skin. What makes sheet masks even better, is that they are inexpensive.

Step 8: Eye Cream

Now I know some people think they don’t need eye cream because they do not have wrinkles or dark circles under their eyes. However, using eye cream once you hit your 20s is a preliminary to preventing aging in the eye area. Even though you do not have wrinkles it is better to start using eye cream at an early stage. The area around the eye is the thinnest layer on our face, so when you rub or tug your eye you can cause damage to the skin. Using eye creams helps strengthen the skin barrier around your eyes, help boost collagen production to promote brighter and smoother eyes. Did you know that a thin skin under your eye causes dark circle, bags, and droopy eyelids?

Now I understand why my grandma was so persistent that I use eye cream from a young age. As of right now I am using Erborian Ginseng Infusion Total Eye.

Step 9: Moisturizer

Moisturize is the thickest formula and the last to be applied to your face. Moisturizers work because they have smaller molecules to draw moisture to the skin and then retain it therefore hydrating the skin. This is one step you never want to skip since it is essential because like I said before the heaviest consistency helps seal in all the other products you put making certain you stay hydrated. I find myself switching moisturizers based on the seasons and also based on skin concerns. My skin is oilier in the summer and in the winter my skin is dry but in between those two seasons, my skin is combination. In the summer I use Mizon All in One Snail Repair Cream, yes snail. Snail mucin has many good properties in it that I'll explain another time. In the winter since I love to have that "glow", I use Son & Park Beauty Filter Cream Glow.

Also once or twice a week depending on how my skin feels, I used a sleeping pack/mask in place of my night cream. Sleeping packs or masks or used overnight to give your skin a bunch of hydration as if you were at a spa for the day but while you're sleeping. You apply it like lotion, spreading a thin layer all over your face but unlike a night cream, you do not pat it in. Overnight your skin absorbs the hydration slowly and in the morning you wash it off. I am currently using Mizon Snail Wrinkle Care Sleeping Pack for my face and

Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask for my lips. You lips need hydration too!

Step 10: Sunscreen

This is the most crucial step during the day as moisturizer is the most crucial step at night. Sunscreen's purpose is to protect your skin from the harmful UV rays from the sun. Not wearing sunscreen can cause some serious damage to your skin. I am guilty of not wanting to wear sunscreen because of that horrible white cast it left on my skin making me look like Casper the ghost. I'll let you know what UV rays do to your skin. The sunray damages your dermis and the collagen fibers and elasticity of your skin causing wrinkles, sunspots (what I have), and of skin cancer. Still don’t want to wear sunscreen? Now there are two different types of sunscreens, physical and chemical. Physical sunscreens are the ones we usually use and it stays on the skin like that white patch we always get on our nose from applying sunscreen at the breach. Chemical sunscreens are lighter than physical and apply to the skin just like moisturizers leaving no residue. One sunscreen I use in the summer is the Missha Mild Essence Sun Milk SPF 50/PA+++. There is also a waterproof one. PA+++ means high UVA protection. UVA means ultra violet aging ray.

Now I know you're looking at all these steps thinking who has time for all of this? Like I said, you do not need to do all 10 steps. Start of small and the more you get accustomed to this routine you'll see it does not take longer than 10 minutes to do everything. Also, do not just buy a whole bunch of products. If you try many products all at once and breakout you won't know what is causing the breakout. Start off one by one and wait a few weeks before jumping into another product.

I hope this helps and encourages you take invest more into your skincare!

#kbeauty #skincare #beauty #asliceofbeauty

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