Skincare Routine: When do you use which product?

It may just be that you now have a rich assortment of high-quality skin care products 'on the shelf'. Attracted by the positive effects that the various ingredients bring, you think that you keep your facial skin in optimal condition. But: are you observing the correct order? Timing is everything. But also know what you are applying. Don't use too many products (at the same time) and they won't work against each other.

That is why we have come up with a basic and an advanced routine for you. So that you know exactly how you can best deal with your facial skin and make it sparkle. Are you already a pro and have you been using the basic skincare routine below for a while, you can immediately skip to the Advanced Skin Routine, Easy does it!

Exactly the right steps and with which products you achieve the best results.

BASIC SKINCARE ROUTINE (With Grown Alchemist !)

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Step 1: Facial Cleanser

The first step you take in the morning is to cleanse your face. That's an essential part of your skincare regimen. With a good cleanser you remove all sebum, dead skin cells and dirt from your face. You do that in the evening before you go to bed, of course. Washing your face with water alone is not enough. Water does not dissolve fat particles with the result that your sebaceous glands become clogged. In addition, the active substances in a toner or moisturizer can also penetrate better into cleansed skin.

We therefore advise you to invest in a good cleanser . One that suits your skin perfectly. In any case, it should be a mild cleanser that ensures that the skin does not dry out or become irritated. With an excellent facial cleanser you prevent clogged pores, pale dull skin and pimples.

Step 2: Toner

The second step to healthy skin is a good toner. A good mild moisturizing toner will help soothe and protect irritated skin. Using a toner also strengthens the skin barrier and ensures a healthy moisture balance in your skin. In addition, it also strengthens the active substances of other skin care products, think of it as a liquid primer that prepares your skin for the rest of your skincare regime.

Step 3:Face cream

The last step in a basic skincare regimen is to apply a face cream. Always apply a moisturizing cream (moisturizer) as soon as possible after using a toner. Many active ingredients in a cream are more easily absorbed by moist skin. By applying your face cream immediately after using a toner, you ensure that both moisture and the active ingredients of the toner are, as it were, enclosed in the skin.

In your skincare regime, always use a moisturizing product (in this case a toner) and then a moisturizing cream. Hydration supplies moisture to your skin, and moisturisers lock it in.

Our advice is to choose a face cream with SPF, so that you are protected against skin damage from the sun (the main cause of skin aging). Or even better, use a sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher after your cream. Not only in summer, but also in winter there is still enough UV radiation present.

Tip: If you have very oily skin, a day cream may be unnecessary. In that case, a toner is a great alternative to a cream. Just be careful not to dry out your skin, oily skin tends to crack.

ADVANCED SKINCARE ROUTINE (With Medik8 !)

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Above we have indicated the basic steps on how you can get and keep your facial skin in good condition in a relatively quick way. Of course you can take this a few steps further. It can always go next level. If you are ready for that, we now give you 7 steps to get and keep the skin in excellent condition.

Step 1: Facial Cleanser

Step 2: Scrub/Exfoliator

A step further in cleaning your face is exfoliating or scrubbing the skin. After a cleanser has rid your skin of dirt, you can use an exfoliant to remove the top layer of your dead skin cells. This ensures that you stimulate the skin cells to renew themselves faster and your skin becomes smoother, softer and more radiant. Scars and blemishes will also fade faster as a result. By the way, do not do this more than 1 to 2 times a week, unless it is indicated on the package that it is so mild that it is suitable for daily use. Of course you want to avoid damaging your skin.

What is the difference between scrubbing and exfoliating?

• Exfoliating is physical. With tactile grains you can sand away the dead skin cells in a fairly robust way.
• Exfoliating is chemical. Instead of literally sanding off dead skin cells, you use ingredients such as fruit acids, glycolic acid or salicylic acid to loosen the dead skin cells.

The result is the same, only the operation differs. So it just depends on what you prefer and what works best for your skin. Please note that when you exfoliate, you do this carefully. If you scrub too coarsely, the skin barrier can be affected.

Note: If you have used an exfoliator, it is not advisable to use a serum that contains glycolic acid or salicylic acid afterwards. Those acids are already in the chemical peeling, so that the skin undergoes the same treatment twice in a row. You then run a high risk of damaging your skin. Our advice is therefore: “Work smarter, not harder”.

 

Step 3: Toner

After you have removed the dead skin cells from your skin, a toner is the next step to healthy skin. A good mild moisturizing toner helps to soothe and protect irritated skin. Using a toner also strengthens the skin barrier and ensures a healthy moisture balance in the skin. In addition, it also strengthens the active substances of other skin care products, think of it as a liquid primer that prepares your skin for the rest of your skincare regime.

Step 4: Serum

Think of applying a serum as an extra tool that you can use to address a specific skin problem. You can think of combating skin aging, pigment spots, moisturizing dry skin or treating impurities. It is therefore important that you choose a serum that suits your specific skin problem.

• Skin aging, wrinkles and fine lines: Vitamin A (retinol), vitamin E, hyaluronic acid, peptides
• Hyperpigmentation: Thiamidol, vitamin C, azelaic acid, vitamin B3 (niacinamide), alpha arbutin
  Acne: Salicylic Acid (BHA), Vitamin B3 (Niacinamide), Glycolic Acid (AHA), Azelaic Acid, Vitamin A (Retinol)
• Dry skin: Hyaluronic acid, ceramides
• Dull Skin: Vitamin C, Vitamin A (Retinol), Glycolic Acid (AHA)
• Sensitive Skin: Vitamin B3, C and E, Salicylic Acid (BHA), Glycolic Acid (AHA)
• Oily skin: Vitamin B3 (niacinamide), vitamin C, licorice root extract (glycyrrhizia glabra), hyaluronic acid

Step 5: Face cream

A perfect next step after a serum is to apply a high-quality face cream. The advantage of a high quality face cream is that you maintain the skin's moisture balance. It nourishes and keeps the skin healthy.

Our advice is to choose a face cream with SPF, so that you are protected against skin damage from the sun (the main cause of skin aging). Or even better, use a sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher after your cream. Not only in summer, but also in winter there is still enough UV radiation present.

Tip: Especially with dry skin, it is advisable to use a nourishing and moisturizing night cream. This cream can then move in all night and thus nourish and hydrate your skin.

Step 6: Eye Cream

It is important not to forget about the skin under the eyes. This fragile area is very sensitive. This is where the signs of skin aging start to stand out first. That is why we recommend that you also apply a high-quality cream or gel here.

A good eye cream not only nourishes and moisturizes, it also improves the elasticity of the skin and fights fine lines, dark circles and bags under the eyes. The sooner you start taking care of the areas around your eyes, the smaller the chance of dark circles, puffy bags and noticeable lines. For best results, use an eye cream during the day and apply before going to sleep.

Note: If you use a special serum or cream for under the eyes, make sure that you have not applied a face cream to this area first. That is double and affects the nourishing effect.

Work Smarter. Not Harder

Make sure you don't use products with the same ingredients twice, because that doesn't make much sense and can even be harmful to your skin. So always read what ingredients are present in which products. For example, do not use a serum with acids such as glycolic or salicylic if you have just extensively scrubbed your face with an exfoliator that contains exactly the same ingredients.

Also avoid mismatches. It often goes wrong with vitamin C in particular. You should rather not combine products with vitamin C with vitamin A (retinol) and other acids (hyaluronic acid, on the other hand, can do no harm). That is why we recommend using products containing vitamin C in the morning and skincare products with other active ingredients in the evening before going to bed.

It is also better to use moisturizing products in the evening anyway, because then your skin has a chance to really absorb a moisturizer. Men with dry skin in particular would do well to use a good night cream.

Do you see water burning when reading some difficult terms in this article? Then read our Large Skincare Dictionary . Here we explain all skin care terms (that you as a man should know) in detail for you. If you still have questions based on this article, we would of course like to hear from you! Then we are happy to help you with this.

Good luck!

Your friends, The Alpha Men.