Scheduling a Skincare Routine
We won’t deny that there are probably too many products in our respective routines, but we have become much more aware of what’s important and what’s fluff. Over the last six to nine months, we’ve placed ourselves on a strict routine schedule to ensure that we’re staying consistent with the types of products we’re using without overdoing it to our skin.
The following routine is an example of how we schedule an active-rich day-to-night routine for a weeklong period, centered around non-prescription retinoids, AHAs/BHA, and alternative brightening ingredients.
Daytime (7x/week):
Cleanser (if we feel we need it)
Hydrating liquid base layer—essence, toner, face mist (all non-active)
Brightening Serum: we opt for gentler brightening agents, such as Alpha Arbutin, Potassium Azeloyl Diglycinate (azelaic acid derivative), Diglucosyl Gallic Acid (kojic acid derivative), or Vitamin C derivatives.
SPF 30-50
Evenings—as you can see, our evening routines are much more involved and tailored to our skin concerns, which include clogged pores, singular pimples rather than widespread breakouts, hyperpigmentation, and dryness.
Each night, we do our best to double cleanse to remove any makeup, SPF, and gunk that sat on the skin throughout the day. After that, the routine changes depending on the night:
Night 1: non-active liquid base, non-active antioxidant serum (or a skin barrier supportive treatment, or peptide serum), retinoid serum, moisturizer.
Night 2: non-active liquid base, non-active antioxidant serum (or a skin barrier supportive treatment, or peptide serum), moisturizer. Additionally, we sometimes apply a facial oil or sleeping mask as our true final step here.
Night 3: AHA/BHA liquid exfoliant, non-active antioxidant serum (or a skin barrier supportive treatment, or peptide serum), moisturizer.
Night 4: this is our “wild card” night. Sometimes, we do absolutely no skincare after cleansing and go straight to bed, other times we’ll apply just one product: a facial oil, a sleeping mask, a facial balm, etc.
Night 5: the system resets to Night 1.
Night 6: the system resets to Night 2
Night 7: the system resets to Night 3
and so on.
This schedule is, of course, still flexible and customizable. Notice that we did not include any specific products/brands, because part of the fun involves finding the products that work best for you. We highly recommend trying out a skincare schedule like this for a period of at least three months to give your skin a consistent plan for healing, resurfacing, brightening, etc. but in the event that you suffer some sort of mild, temporary skin issue (a compromised skin barrier, dryness from environmental changes, an allergic reaction and subsequent irritation/sensitivity, etc.) we recommend taking 1-3 weeks off this routine and focus solely on healing and moisture.