Welcome back to my blog ~~

Now that you are able to identify your skin type, I'll walk you through different korean skincare routine steps that everybody is talking about.

Also just in case you didn't know, this is the second part of my "Skincare 101" series where I'm gonna go over the following sections in the next few weeks:

- What is your skin type?
- Korean skincare routine for beginners ← We are here
- 10 not so common ingredients widely used in K-beauty
- Double cleansing: why should we double cleanse?
- Exfoliation: Chemical vs Physical
- Wash-off masks: Types and purposes
- Toners: Types, and how are they different from western toners?
- Acids and Actives
- First essences: What are they exactly?
- Serums, Ampoules: What is the difference?
- Moisturisers: Lotion, Emulsion, Gel and Cream: What's the difference?
- Eye creams: Why should you use and eye cream?
- Sheet masks: Tips and Tricks
- Pores: how to deal with them?
- Acne: Products that helped me and my siblings to get rid of my acne.
Ps: Keep in mind that I will include in each step some recommendations by skin type.



What's a Korean skincare routine? and why?

Contrarily to western culture where they use makeup to cover their flaws with layers and layers of concealer and foundation (which makes their skin condition even worse in the long run), Koreans (and East Asians in general) are taught since the young age of 12-13yo to focus on taking care of their skin and treat their skin concerns, to maintain a healthy and radiant skin and minimize the effects of aging, also use makeup to enhance their features instead.

So what Korean skincare routines basically aim is preventing different skin concerns such as acne, fine lines, blackheads, hyper-pigmentation etc, instead of covering it to the point it's no longer possible and then start looking for expensive and invasive ways to fix these problems, which would eventually take a toll on their self-esteem and stress them out.

It's not really uncommon among the k-beauty community to hear about skincare routines including 8-12 steps of cleansing and layering product over product, which seems like it's a lot of work compared to the minimalistic western skincare routines that include barely 3 steps, but it is absolutely worth it! I mean, just look how nice their skin is and how they take pride in having some of the best skin in the world!

That being said, this doesn't really mean that you should imperatively go through all of the 10 or whatever steps every day, AM and PM. It's actually all about what you feel like your skin needs that specific day, and the variety of choices a korean skincare routine provides.


What are these steps?

Korean morning skincare routine:

- Cleansing: wash your face with water or a mild cleanser.
Your skin doesn't need much cleansing in the morning since all you have on it is the skincare from the previous evening, and few impurities that settled in throughout the night. So it is preferable to wash your skin only with water, or add a mild cleanser if you have an oily skin.

- Toner:

Toning is an important step to balance your skin pH and prevent it from dehydration. It also helps the following steps of your skincare routine to absorb better into your skin.
PS: it is preferable to use a toner within the first 3 seconds after you cleanse your face, which seems kinda impossible but I believe you can do it. Hwaiting!

- Essence/Serum/Ampoule:

Mainly used to target specific skin concerns.

- Eye cream:

It's important to keep this area hydrated since there are no pores or sebaceous glands there to produce natural oils that maintain the skin's hydration, and thus it is the first zone affected by aging factors.
Also, make sure to be gentle and preferably use your ring fingers to spread the cream, this way you won't apply much pressure on the skin.

- Moisturiser:

Make sure to keep your skin hydrated throughout the day, but don't overdo it otherwise you'll end up with a super shiny face the whole day. (remember that you can always carry on a hydrating mist with you and spray it over your face whenever you feel like your skin needs some moisture)

- UVA/UVB Protection:

I believe this is one of the most important steps in a Korean skincare routine. You should protect your skin from the harmful UV rays on daily basis and not only during summer holidays to keep your skin healthy and prevent acne complications, discoloration, uneven skin tone, fine lines and cancer.


Personally, I don't go through all these steps every single morning. Most of the days I wash my face with water, apply a hydrating toner, a light moisturising lotion and a sunblock.


Korean night skincare routine:

This is where it gets a little bit intense, and where you'll need to do lots of layering.
this is the usual order you should follow, but it's not always the case. Make sure to layer your skin care products from the thinnest to the thickest (except for if you are using acids or actives that need a specific order, I'll talk about them later in a detailed post)

- Oil Cleanser:

Apply an oil or balm cleanser over your dry skin to remove all the makeup, sunscreen and some other oil based particles and dirt that built up on your skin throughout the day. Keep in mind that you can still use it if you have an oily skin.

- Foam/Gel cleanser:

Another important thing in korean skincare is double cleansing: After removing all the oil based products from your skin, use a foam cleanser to remove any makeup or oil residue as well as water based impurities that are still on your skin.

- Exfoliation:

Once or twice a week, use a scrub or a peeling gel to get rid of the dead skin cells that make your skin look dull, your makeup patchy and might cause clogged pores, blackheads and acne.

- Toner:

Just like I said before, use a toner within 3 seconds of cleansing your face to balance its pH level (it's okay if you can't but just try), and allow the following products to absorb better.
It is preferable to use a cotton pad to apply toner in the PM routine and swipe it gently over your skin (you don't wanna rub your skin, sensitise it and create unwanted wrinkles) to make sure there is no left over makeup, and mildly exfoliate your skin daily.

- First essence:

First essence is something that you can rarely find in other cultures other than korean and japanese. This is considered as the heart of korean skincare routine although. It is a multipurpose product that targets at the same time wrinkles and fine lines, dullness and uneven skin tone by promoting the skin regeneration.

- Ampoule:

Ampoules usually are the most concentrated skincare product with active ingredients. Used for targeted skin concerns

- Serum:  

A less concentrated version of an ampoule, also used for targeted skin concerns

- Sheet mask:

One of the most interesting steps of a korean skincare routine. It can be anything (from cotton sheets to Kelp and gold sheets) soaked in a lot of essence that you leave on your face for 20-40min until your skin absorbs all the goodies. Some koreans use it on daily basis while some others use it once a week. it all depends on what your skin needs.
A more detailed post about sheet masks coming soon ^^

- Eye Cream:

Apply an eye cream to hydrate and protect your eye area.

- Moisturiser:

This can be anything from an emulsion to a rich and thick cream, depending on how much hydration your skin needs. It is imperative to use a moisturizer after all these steps to lock in all the goodies you layered on your skin.

Any more steps?

Some people use spot treatments, acids, actives and night packs in addition to these steps or instead of some of them (I for example, skip essences and ampoules, and use sheet masks once or twice a week only)

How much time should I wait between every two steps?

As long as you aren't using actives and acids, a minute or so until the product is fully absorbed is largely enough

Should I start with a full skincare routine?

As I said before, it's not imperative to go through all of these steps every single day, and if you are new to skincare, it is preferable to introduce products gradually to your skincare routine by replacing your western products or starting from scratch, this way you would know which product broke you out if they ever do.

If you are new to skincare, I would recommend to start first with:

- Cleansers (both oil and foam cleansers): cleansing our skin every day is imperative. you don't want to let dirt and small particles build up on your skin.

- Moisturiser: Moisturising our skin daily is a must. Most skin problems are related to the lack of moisture, since once it's dehydrated it becomes dull, loses its radiance and becomes easily irritated (=>acne), and you won't even need to treat them later.

- Sunscreen: protecting our skin from the sun damage including skin discoloration (and dark spots) and fine lines. Prevention is the key.

Remember, you should start using them one by one, and give each of them 3  days to test how your skin reacts to it.