Are you someone who is suffering from varied skin issues? Do you have pimples, sudden skin breakouts, flaky skin, patches here and there and hyper pigmented skin in spite of following skincare routine using expensive products?
Well welcome aboard! A significant percentage of women share the same story. They follow a daily skincare routine, eat healthy and sleep adequately. They use expensive and trendy products from social media irrespective of their needs.
Still many of them go through unending breakouts, pimple scars, hyper pigmented skin, rashes and dry flaky patches and what not. Ever wondered why this happens? Are you someone who is on the brink of losing hope and giving up??
Then you have landed on the right page. Skincare plays a crucial role in maintaining the overall health quotient of our skin. As discussed previously, daily skincare routine is divided into two parts – morning skincare routine and evening skincare routine. And yes you need to follow both to get that healthy glowing skin.
We have already provided you with the perfect morning skincare routine guide. Now we will share the skincare routine guide for the evening, which if you can follow religiously, then you surely would have beautiful, healthy, hydrated and glowing skin.
Understanding The Need of Evening Skincare Routine
The secret of achieving glowing skin is to consistently follow an effective skincare routine in the evening. Now you may ask what is the need of an evening skincare when you are doing a morning skincare routine everyday?
Throughout the day, your skin absorbs all dirt, pollution, UV Rays and even blue light. Then comes makeup, sweat and excess oil which if not cleaned at the right time, it will clog your pores and cause sudden breakouts.
All these cause disruption of the natural balance of your skin. Accumulation of dead skin cells and environmental damage leads to dullness. Dehydration due to moisture loss and harsh weather cause dryness and flaky patches.
Acnes and sudden breakouts are caused due to clogged pores and inflammation. Collagen breakdown and fine lines caused by UV exposure and free radicals leads to premature aging. This is why your skin needs evening skincare to repair and rejuvenate while you sleep at night.
Why is a Basic Evening Skincare Routine Not Enough?
You need to understand that your skin is accumulating lots of dirt, sweat, oil and pollution. So just a cleansing of your face is the very first step but not all. The face wash will take all the dirt away but you will still face skin issues at large due to negligence.
The trick is to treat the underlying issues like dryness, dullness, breakouts, aging and hyperpigmentation. Just a cleanser would only make your skin tight, dry, irritated and prone to breakouts. Your skin needs ingredients that can repair any damage, boost collagen production and provide a healthy, radiant glow.
Without a proper evening skincare routine, you are leaving your skin vulnerable. You are stopping the ability to regenerate over the night. The fact is – as we age gradually, the ability to heal slows down over time. Only a targeted skincare routine in the evening can help you.
A Step-by-step Evening Skincare Routine for Glowing Skin
Step 1: Double Cleansing
The effectiveness of any skincare routine starts with cleaning. The art of double cleansing includes two parts.
First you take an oil or balm based cleanser, like Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Oi or Clinique Take the Day Off Cleansing Balm. Massage it on your face and then emulsify it with water and then rinse it off to get rid of excess sebum, makeup and dirt.
Second step is to follow it up with a water based cleanser to get rid of impurities and get a squeaky clean face. You can try out foamy or gel cleansers for dry or oily skin types. It is best to include salicylic acid in your cleanser to prevent sudden acne and pimples like COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser or Minimalist 2% Salicylic Acid + LHA Face Cleanser with Zinc for Reducing Sebum & Acne.
Step 2: Exfoliation (2-3 Times A Week)
This step removes dead skin cells. In result the skin becomes smoother, softer and brighter. It helps penetration of the rest of the products more easily. It is better to use chemical exfoliators like, The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution than physical exfoliators like St.Ives Apricot Scrub.
Step 3: Toning
You should now use a toner to balance your skin’s pH level and prep your skin for the next steps. You can use a hydrating toner with ingredients like hyaluronic acid, rice or glycerin, like Tirtir Milk Skin Toner or Tony Moly Ceramide Mochi Toner to give overnight hydration and brighter and radiant skin.
Step 4: Serum for Targeted Issues
You can use serums for your specific skin issues. These are concentrated forms of treatment to address specific skin concerns. Like choose The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Solution if you have acne issues. Follow it by The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%.
You can use retinol like, Minimalist Retinol 0.3% Face Serum if you are a beginner and build up gradually to prevent early aging of skin. Following it up with a niacinamide, like, Plum 10% Niacinamide Brightening Face Serum with Rice Water is the best way to lock all the goodness and amplify it.
Step 5: Eye Cream
The skin around your eyes is very delicate and thin. So it tends to dry up early, forming wrinkles, dark circles and puffiness. A good under eye cream like Beauty of Joseon Revive Eye Serum moisturizes and protects the area.
Step 6: Lip Exfoliation (2 Times A Week) & Lip Balm
You should exfoliate your lips at least twice a week to get rid of dry skin cells. You can use homemade sugar, honey and coffee paste or the MCaffeine Coffee Lip Scrub. You can use Hyphen Vitamin Infused Peptide Lip Balm or Mango Lip Balm to moisturize dry chapped lips.
Step 7: Moisturizer (Night Cream)
Your night cream depends on your skin type. It is crucial as it seals all the previous steps providing overnight hydration. You can choose a gel based night cream like Plum Green Tea Night Gel Cream if you have oily skin. If you have dry skin you can choose CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizer Lightweight Night Cream with Ceramides.
Step 8: Face Oils
If you feel your skin to be dry and dehydrated, you can include facial oils in your routine. It will provide you the extra layer of hydration and nourishment. You need to apply facial oils, like Kama Ayurveda Kumkumadi Youth Revitalizing Facial Oil or Minimalist 100% Squalane Facial Oil, after your night cream to lock in hydration.
Tips To Follow For Healthy Glowing Skin
- Use a clay or gel mask based on your skin type twice a week.
- Use a sheet mask thrice a week. You can choose from Nykaa ones that are made in Korea. You will get different variants based on your issues and skin type. You will also get from brands like Tony Moly, Innisfree, Laneige, The Face Shop India, etc.
- You need to slowly introduce retinol into your skin due to its potency. Start with applying 1-2 times a week and gradually increase the frequency once it settles down.
- Use salicylic acid serum twice a week. Do not pair up salicylic acid and retinol together in the same routine. Using sunscreen is absolutely mandatory the next day if you are using these acids in your evening skincare routine.
- Eating healthy, following a good lifestyle, drinking 3 to 4 litres of water daily, including fruits and vegetables more in your diet, sleeping for a minimum of 7-8 hours – are musts.
- Always do a patch test before using a new product.
- Choose products based on your skin type.
- Always apply products from thinnest to thickest consistency for better absorption.
Final Thoughts
This guide is like a holy grail for achieving healthy, radiant and glowing skin. It is the perfect step-by-step evening skincare routine for you that will deliver prominent results if followed religiously. Remember consistency is the key. Following all the steps hardly will take 30 minutes of your time every day. But it will improve your skin texture, reduce dullness, increase overnight hydration and provide a radiant and healthy skin over time.