The Five Essential Steps to Skin Care – The Basics of a Good Routine

The Five Essential Steps to Skin Care – The Basics of a Good Routine

Skin care is the most important thing you can do for your complexion. There are so many products out there, it can be difficult to tell what you should use. So I wrote this article so you could know what your basic skin care needs are, and what products fulfill those needs.

What are the essentials of skin care? Why do I need to do them?

Mary Kay Inc. was the first to scientifically prove that there are five essential steps to skin care:
1. Cleanse: this one is a bit obvious. Who doesn’t wash their face with something? However, a good
cleanser will remove impurities, dirt, surface oil, and makeup. Without removing these things from your skin they can clog your pores and cause skin irritation further irritating any skin condition you may already have.
2. Exfoliate: removes the top layer of dead skin. It helps the body do what it was trying to do naturally.  Unfortunately our natural body process of sloughing off dead skin slows as we age, and built up dead skin on the face is a major cause of fine lines and wrinkles, not to mention dead skin can flake into pores and clog them as well. Exfoliating in the morning will also prevent midday
makeup meltdown.
3. Freshen: restores the skin’s natural pH balance so it doesn’t get irritated. Also plumps up the skin around the pores so that it’s harder for dirt and pollutants to get into the skin. The freshener can also pick up left over makeup, dirt, and mask left from the first two steps.
4. Moisturize: helps your skin maintain its own natural moisture. If you are oily you still need to
moisturize. The right, oil-free, moisturizer will actually help your skin control the excess oil it produces by providing the barrier to moisture loss. A good moisturizer for really oily skin will also absorb the excess oils and help control shine. Moisturizer will also automatically even out your skin tone and make your skin look more radiant.
5. Protect: There are two ways to protect your skin.
5.1.Like a forcefield for you face, foundation keeps dirt, pollution, and free radicals from being able to get
into your pores and cause premature aging and skin irritation. Think of it this way, it’s either on your
foundation and down the sink at night, or on your face and in your pores causing damage. It’s up to
you, but I’d prefer that stuff go down the sink. Foundation has come a long way. Find one that
matches the tone of your skin. You can go to a department store or an independent beauty consultant
to help you find the perfect match.
5.2.Sunscreen. There is no quicker way to age your skin than to keep it unprotected against the sun.
Sunscreen is the most important step, especially for those who opt out of the benefits of foundation.

With so many steps, it’s no wonder people don’t know what to use, when to use them, or how to use them correctly! So the next question is:

When do I do what?
You do the first 4 steps, in order, morning and night. Protect you only need to do in the morning. It is VERY important that you do all four steps twice a day, just like brushing your teeth. In fact, do it as part of your routine of brushing your teeth.

Even if you don’t wear makeup, and you don’t have to, taking care of your skin is important and will keep that natural look you have going, all natural beauty.

How do I know what is what?
A Cleanser is just a facial wash. Personally I avoid products that have acne medications in the wash. Acne medication is best in the freshen step, or as a supplement.

SOAP IS NOT A FACIAL CLEANSER!! You know that grimy slime on your shower
door from your soap, aka soap scum? That film it leaves on the shower is what
soap leaves on your face! Do not wash your face with soap! In fact, don’t wash
any part of your body with soap unless you want to age it. A good facial (and
body) cleanser will dissolve in water and wash away leaving nothing on your skin
The Five Essential Steps to Skin Care – The Basics of a Good Routine 2 of 2
but your skin.

An Exfoliater: This will either be a mask, or a scrub. A mask is the slow step. You’ll have to have some time (at least 10 minutes) to do a mask.

For a Freshener just look for a product that says: freshen, tone, or astringent.

A Moisturizer will have the word: moisturize, hydrate, and sometimes lotion.  Make sure it’s lotion for the face!

Protect is either a) your sunscreen, and/or b) your foundation.

What is a supplement?
Supplements are anything that do not fulfill any of your skin’s five essential needs (cleanse, exfoliate, freshen, moisturize, protect), or is not gentle enough to use everyday, twice a day. These include: anti-aging, products, targeted action wrinkle reducers, acne medications, dark spot reducers, microdermabrasion, etc.  Supplements may or may not be a part of your daily routine. For instance, microdermabrasion (which does exfoliate) should only be done up to three times a week. It’s a supplement because it is a deep skin exfoliater – it removes more than one layer of skin. Your basic five should be apart of your skin care routine every single day, twice a day.

Do I need a supplement?
You only need a supplement if you want to give your regular skin care program a boost. Also, this is where you can add acne medications safely.  Acne medication can be harsh on the skin and so sometimes it is necessary to skip the application of these products. For instance, if your skin is irritated because of a sunburn or is dry and flaky, or is just irritated in general, you shouldn’t use your acne products as this could further irritate your skin and cause more problems.  However, you should still continue using your Basic Five steps of skin care. This is why I avoid products that put
acne medication in the wash, mask, or moisturizer.

Where in the routine of the five steps do I use a supplement?
In most cases, supplements go after the freshen step, and before your moisturizer. Consider it step 3b in your routine.

I don’t have time for FIVE steps!
Then I recommend using a 2in1 or a 3in1 cleanser. A 2in1 will have the cleanser and scrub, a 3in1
will also have the freshener. Besides facial cleansing clothes which have all three first steps, Mary Kay is the only brand that I know of that has 3in1 liquid cleansers and bars. The 3in1 cleansers are great because you go from 5 steps to 3.
A definite bonus.

You are welcome to contact me with any questions. I’d love to help find you the perfect lineup

of skin care!
My best,
Nancy Newren
Independent Beauty Consultant
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The information in this article is for informational and entertainment purposes only. It is solely the opinion of its author.