Consistency in following a weekly skin care routine can help keep skin looking and feeling its best. Daily cleansing, moisturizing, and sunscreen are the foundation of healthy skin. Adding a few targeted weekly treatments can help address concerns like dryness, dullness, congestion, or uneven texture. There is no one “best” routine because all of that will depend on your skin type, lifestyle, and personal goals. But there are general tips that everyone can use to help build a skin care routine that works for them.
For more tips on building a skin care routine, here are some other posts to read:
Skin Care Routine For Dry Skin
How to Layer Skincare Products
Weekly Skin Care Routine
A weekly skin care routine differs from a daily routine. A weekly routine builds on consistent daily habits while adding targeted treatments. While your daily routine may look different for certain days depending on what your skin needs, all of those steps do add up to real results after a long period of time. Determining what exact products you need for each day can be decided by your or a board certified dermatologist, but the best routines are the ones that you will actually commit to.
What Is A Skincare Routine
Daily habits and weekly treatments work together in a skincare routine to help deliver the results that work for your skin. While the products you use day to day may change, there are certain overall steps and concepts for putting together a skin care routine that work for almost everyone.
Difference Between Daily And Weekly Skin Care Routine
The differences between your weekly and daily skincare routine comes down to what you are looking to achieve with your skin. Some treatments and devices are better used once or a few times each week.
How To Build A Weekly Skincare Routine
Always Cleanse First
Before applying any products, your skin must be fully cleansed. Applying skincare products on top of makeup or dirt/grime from the day will affect their efficacy.
Introduce new products gradually
When building a routine, add products one at a time. This helps prevent irritation and allows you to see how each product affects your skin.
Avoid over-exfoliating
Exfoliating too often can damage the skin barrier and make dryness worse. Limit exfoliation to once or twice a week and choose gentle exfoliants if needed.
Stay consistent with your routine
Be sure to stick with your routine daily in order to see the results that you want. It doesn’t matter if you have an oily skin type, dry skin type or combination skin type, it’s important to be consistent.
Adjust your routine for day or night
Keep your morning routine simple with hydration and protection, while nighttime routines can include richer moisturizers or facial oils that help repair the skin barrier overnight.
Give the Product Time to Absorb
If you have the time, it’s best to let products absorb a bit before applying your next step. Try to wait at least 30 seconds to 1 minute in between each step of your skincare routine.
Layer Thinnest to Thickest
Skincare products should be applied based on their texture. Thinnest products should be applied first followed by thicker formulas after. If you are applying multiple serums, try to determine which serum is the most lightweight and apply that first. If they are all the same consistency, a good rule of thumb is to apply your active ingredients (retinol, acids, etc) first then follow it up with any hydrating or soothing serums (such as a hylauronic acid based product). This theory also applies if you want to apply different moisturizers – go from lightest to heaviest.
SPF Is Always Last
Sun protection is a non-negotiable so be sure to apply a sunscreen every day. It should always be the final step in your morning skincare routine.
Weekly Skincare Routine Steps
Start with a cleanser
It’s always important to cleanse your skin every single day. It’s best done at night, but you can also cleanse in the morning as well. Choose a cleanser that works with your skin type. I prefer to double cleanse each night which has made such a difference in the health of my skin. The first cleansing step is to remove all the makeup, sunscreen, etc from the skin. After that, I will use a second cleanser to help balance and hydrate my skin. Below are a few of my favorite cleansers:
Elemis Pro Collagen Hydrating Cleansing Balm (discount code: MAREE20)
Then I Met You Living Cleansing Balm Makeup Remover (discount code: MAREE10)
OneSkin Prep Facial Cleanser (discount code: MAREE15)
Experiment Beauty Plasma Wash (discount code: MAREE15)
Apply Toners/Essences
Using a toner can help rebalance the pH of the skin after cleansing. It is also a great time to add in additional moisture with an essence. You can also use an exfoliating toner at this step for a gentle chemical exfoliation. Below are a few of my favorite toners/essences:
Sarah Creal Beauty Moisture Source
Farmacy Honey Milk Hydrating Essence
Use Your Face Masks
If you decide to use a mask in your routine, it’s good to use it after you have cleansed/toned but before you apply your serums. Below are some of the face masks I use regularly:
Clarins Cryo-Flash Instant Lift Effect & Glow Boosting Mask
Blue Lagoon Skincare Algae Mask (discount code: MAREE15)
Spray Your Face Mist
You don’t have to use a face mist every time you do your nighttime routine, but if you do this would be the time that you would apply it. Additionally, you can also apply your face mist throughout the rest of your routine each time you want to add in a burst of moisture. Here are some of my tried and true face mists:
Cocokind Calming Magnesium Face Mist
Biodance Collagen Jelly Peptide Mist
Follow with Eye Cream
There is much debate about when to apply your eye cream but for me personally, I like to apply it at this step. The reason I apply it before my serums and moisturizers is so I can get it on bare skin rather than possibly layering it over the serums/moisturizers making it harder to get through all those layers. I have two eye creams that I love and regularly repurchase.
OneSkin OS-01 Eye Topical Supplement (discount code: MAREE15)
Layer Serums Thinnest to Thickest
If you use a retinol, you can apply it before applying all your serums. When applying your serums, it’s best to layer them from thinnest to thickest. This helps me figure out the order whenever I add a new serum into my routine. Deciding which serums to add to your routine will depend on your skin concerns such as fine lines, anti aging, dark spots, etc. This may be different for everyone but the process of how to layer them will remain the same.
End With Your Moisturizer
Finish your nighttime routine with your moisturizer of choice. Here are some of my favorite moisturizers that I rotate through regularly:
Dieux Instant Angel Moisturizer
Experiment Beauty Molecular Mesh Moisturizer (discount code: MAREE15)
INNBEAUTY Project Extreme Cream Firming & Lifting Moisturizer
Face Oil To Seal It All In
If you want to use a face oil as well, be sure it goes after your moisturizer. Any face oil should be the final step of your nighttime routine because oils can be heavily occlusive not allowing any other products to penetrate past it. For this reason, use it as your last step.
Apply sunscreen daily
Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen every morning to protect the skin from UV rays, prevent sun damage and maintain healthy hydration levels. I have tested tons of sunscreen formulas but have a handful that I swear by.
Tatcha the Milky Sunscreen SPF 50
Versed Good Defense Daily Sunscreen SPF 50
OneSkin OS-01 Face SPF Protect + Repair SPF 30 (discount code: MAREE15)
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