Best Skin Care Routine Order

The order that you apply products in your morning and night skincare routine really matters. You see products can affect how well other product absorb and penetrate. So the correct skin care routine order will make every product work better.

This blog explains the order of skin care routine steps that I recommend to my patients in my dermatology practice to use in their morning and night skin care routine. Look at the table of contents below for which type of skin care routine steps you want to know: a simple routine, a 5 step routine, or a routine for men.

Best skincare routine step order for your skin type

The easiest and most accurate way to know the best morning and night skincare routine for you is to take our skincare routine quiz. There are 16 skin types and the routine steps may differ. I want to give you the best skin care routine order advice, but I don’t know enough about your skin until you take the quiz.

It matters a lot which products go first. For example, Vitamin C serums do not absorb well so they often need to be step 2 after cleansing in your routine. Whether you want a simple 3 step routine, a basic 5 step routine, or an advanced 10 step routine- the order of products is important.

best order of skin care routine steps

Take the Quiz

Skincare Steps in Order

5 step skin care routine order

Routine for skin types with more than one skin problem need more steps.

A full skin care regimen is 5 steps in the morning and 5 steps in the evening for more complicated skin types.

These 10 steps a day will give you the fastest results.

Not all skin types need all 10 of these skin care regimen steps.

Skin types with fewer skin concerns can do a basic routine of 3 steps in the am and 3 at night.

How many steps you need in your routine depends upon how many underlying barriers to skin health you have.

Our skin type quiz will tell you which barriers to skin health you have and allow you to build a skin care routine step by step to target your skin issues.

Morning Skincare Routine Steps

Morning Routine Skin Care Routine Steps

If you want a full skin care routine for the fastest, here are the best am skin care regimen steps:

Cleanser: A cleanser should be used first to prepare the skin and promote penetration

Eye Cream or Serum: An eye cream or serum protects the delicate eye skin from the treatment product

Treatment: The treatment product goes on clean skin to maximize penetration and absorption of the active ingredients.

Moisturizer: A moisturizer goes on top to increase penetration of the treatment product. Needs to contain ingredients that protect the skin from issues identified by the skin care product quiz.

Sunscreen: The SPF goes on top closest to the sun, to protect the skin and the skin care products from UV radiation and light.

You may need 2 different cleansers in the morning and night routine.

In most of our custom skin type routines, low pH cleansers such as hydroxyacids cleansers and salicylic acid cleansers are used in the morning. They may be too strong to use twice a day so a different cleanser may be used at night. Lowering the pH of the skin with these cleansers makes some ingredients like Vitamin C penetrate better into the skin.

Night Skincare Routine Steps

Night Skin Care Routine Steps

If you want a full skin care routine for the fastest results, here are the best pm skin care regimen steps:

Cleanser: Use a stronger cleanser than in the morning to remove makeup, SPF, oil and dirt

Eye Cream: Medications, retinoids and other ingredients that irritate the eye arrow can get on the pillowcase. Protect this delicate skin at night with an eye cream

Treatment: Serums with concentrated ingredients go in this layer to increase absorption

Moisturizer: A moisturizer goes on top to cause occlusion which increases absorption by slugging the important cosmeceutical ingredients into the skin.

Retinoid: When beginning a new skin care routine, retinol and other retinoids should come after the moisturizer.

The cleansers used at night should have increased cleansing abilities to remove makeup, oil, sunscreen and sweat and to prevent clogged pores.

Cleansers may be too strong to use twice a day so many skin care routines have a different am and pm face wash.

Use an eye cream to protect your delicate eye area from any products that follow. Skin care products get on your pillowcase at night and can irritate the eye area- especially acne and antiaging skin care products.

After the eye cream, apply the treatment product which is usually the most expensive of your skin care products or may be a prescription medication.

On top of the treatment products, apply a moisturizer. In many cases you will apply a retinoid on top of your moisturizer. Use our skincare guide to know when to apply retinol in your skin care routine.

simple skin care routine steps

Simple Skin Care Routine

Looking for a basic 3 step skin care routine that is simple and easy but covers all the basics?

The 3 most important parts of your routine are

Cleanse

Protect

Repair

The products you choose should protect in the morning and repair at night.

These simple starter routines are more affordable but do not work as quickly as a full 10 step regimen.

3 Simple Morning Routine Steps:

Cleanser: A cleanser should be used first to prepare the skin and promote penetration.

Moisturizer: A moisturizer hydrates and protects

Sunscreen: Use a SPF of at least 15 in the am

Simple night routine steps:

Cleanser: Always cleanse at night to prevent clog pores.

Moisturizer: Choose a moisturizer that repairs damage

Retinoid: Most skin types need a retinoid to slow aging, even skin pigmentation, and prevent acne

Skin Care Routine Steps for Men

The skin care routine for men is slightly different than a woman’s because of shaving.

If you do not shave your face, you can follow the same 10 skin care routine steps discussed above.

A good male skin care routine is:

Wash face with a face wash using warm water

Leave face wash on skin to soften your beard while you wash and condition your hair

Wash off any hair conditioner and face wash with warm water

Shave using either a shaving cream of a face cleanser made to shave with like Zerafite Creamy Cleanser and Shave Cream

Rinse off and pat dry

Apply any toner or serum your skin type needs

Apply moisturizer

In morning, apply SPF. At night apply retinol if right for your skin type.

I test products from different skin care brands by layering skin care products on the skin and following outcomes. I use this information to customize skin care routines for each Baumann Skin Type.

Why Skin Care Routine Order Matters

The order to layer your serums, creams and lotions depends upon which Baumann Skin Type you are.

One of the important things that I think about when I customize and personalize a skin care regimen for my patients is the circadian rhythm of the skin cells.

This daily skin rhythm affects the cell cycle and determines what skin care products should be used in the am and which skin care products should be used at night. (1)

Processes that protect the skin are active during the sunlight hours, so it is best to use protective skincare ingredients such as antioxidants and ingredients that protect from pollution in the am.

Repair processes are active at night.

Use ingredients that promote repair such as niacinamide and retinoids at night.

Circadian rhythm of skin

Your Baumann Skin Type determines which skincare ingredients are best to protect your skin in the day and which repair processes to target at night.

Dermatologist Advice on the Best Skin Care Routine Order

Below I discuss some factors that I consider when I design a skin care routine for my patients. Please understand that this is just scratching the surface of the science that dermatologists consider when developing skin care routines.

Most skin care routines focus on one skin issue only such as dryness or acne. However, the best skin care routines target all of the skin’s issues. This is where deciding on skin care regimen steps becomes complex.

Things to consider when designing the skin care routine order of skin care products:

Circadian rhythm

How the products affect skin pH

How light affects the products (to know if to use in the am or pm)

How the products interact with each other

Is it complicated- this is why I build a custom skincare routine builder to help you put together your skincare routine steps properly.

Considerations for Regimen Design

Consider these 3 issues when designing your routine:

When two products are layered on top of each other- they combine on the skin. This causes chemical reactions that change the way the products perform.

The more issues the skin care routine needs to address , the more skin care ingredients need to be used.

Ingredients can affect penetration and absorption of other ingredients

The more products that are used-= inthe routine- the more likely it is for the ingredients to adversely affect each other. This decreases effectiveness and increases side effects.

If you need help building your skin care routine, take out quiz or make an appointment with one of the medical providers and doctors I have trained to help you design your skin care routine!

Take the Quiz

16 Baumann skin types

Interaction of Products

Products interact on the skin so the step order that you use products is important.

skin care products layered on the skin

2 products that are placed on the skin together will act differently than if they are used alone.

products combine on the skin

Just like layers of paint combine to change color- the products skin care routine combine, have chemical reactions, and their activity changes.

skin care regimen step order

This is why skin care product step order is so important!

What to Consider When Building a Skin Care Routine

The order of skin care routine steps is determined by a number of factors. These factors differ by skin type.

These are the issues to consider when building a skin care routine:

How the products affect penetration of skin care ingredients

How the products affect the skin pH

Which fatty acids are in the products?

Which ingredients inactivate other ingredients

What ingredients mix with others to turn into irritating ingredients

You can learn more about individual cosmeceutical ingredients here in our ingredient library.

Order of Routine Steps

The order that you use skin care products affects how well they work.

The steps in your morning skin care routine should protect your skin while the night skin care routine should repair skin damage.

The correct skin care routine step order depends upon which of the 16 Baumann Skin Types you are.

Use our skincare routine builder to get the best skin care routine order for your skin type.

Once you take the skin care routine quiz and learn your Baumann Skin Type:

We will give you the exact skin care routine steps for your skin type.

You will know how to layer products

You will be able to build a skin care routine step by step from many brands.

You can shop by your skin type

You can read reviews from your skin twins (others with the same skin type as you.)

You will be confident that the skin care products you choose are in the correct skin care routine step order.

You are 3-5 minutes away from seeing which one of 40,000 dermatologist-developed skin care routines is right for you!

Let us help you build the perfect custom skincare routine. Search out library, use our chat bot, or email me with questions.

But first- take the quiz!

DQH Can I use salicylic acid first and then vitamin C? It’s easy to create a skincare routine, but knowing how to use it is another thing entirely. In most cases, if you’re not getting the desired skin results, it could be due to the layering of conflicting ingredients. So, is it possible that salicylic acid and vitamin C are such ingredients? Or are these active ingredients the duo that’s been missing from your skincare routine? If you want answers, stick around because today we are going to explain the benefits of salicylic acid and vitamin C and how they can be used in your daily life. What are the benefits of salicylic acid for skin? Salicylic acid is one of the most commonly used beta hydroxy acids and is favored by many people with oily, acne-prone skin. This acid is derived from willow bark, and unlike its water-soluble relatives (called alpha-hydroxy acids), salicylic acid is oil-soluble, which means it can penetrate deeper into the lower layers of the skin. Once it reaches the lower layers, it can help unclog pores of excess sebum, dirt, bacteria, debris, and impurities. This results in clearer skin tones and greater definition. Not only does salicylic acid benefit the underlying layers, but the outer surface of the skin benefits as well. When applied to the skin, salicylic acid removes the buildup of dead skin cells. This is accomplished by breaking the bonds that hold dead cells to the surface. Over time, this can cause the complexion to look dull and prone to acne, blackheads, and other blemishes. If you’d like to learn more about salicylic acid and how it can improve your skin, check out this dedicated blog post from a beauty insider. What are the benefits of vitamin C for skin? Vitamin C is considered one of the most powerful antioxidants, which means it is very effective at fighting free radicals and preventing them from causing further skin damage. Examples of free radicals include pollution, central heating, UV rays and harsh climate. They attack proteins, fats and cell membranes as soon as they come into contact with the skin, causing signs of premature aging such as fine lines and wrinkles as well as hyperpigmentation, flaky patches of skin and loss of elasticity. Many people usually prefer to use vitamin C in their morning routine as this ingredient gives the complexion a radiant glow. You’ll also find that vitamin C can target areas of hyperpigmentation, plumping the skin and reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. The thing about vitamin C is that there are a lot of outdated studies going back to the 1950s that describe vitamin C as an unstable skin component. Thanks to improvements in modern technology, this is no longer the case as all products now contain a stable form of vitamin C. Visit The Beauty Insider to learn more about vitamin C. So please check out our blog post. Can I use salicylic acid first and then vitamin C? Yes, you absolutely can. In fact, it’s thought that using salicylic acid before using vitamin C ensures it penetrates faster and works faster. This is an efficient way to utilize two power sources, and the reason has to do with pH. For example, the skin’s natural pH is about 4.7, making it slightly acidic. Salicylic acid and vitamin C are also both acidic, and you’ll find that vitamin C is absorbed quickly into the skin. Therefore, using salicylic acid beforehand can increase the acidity of the skin and allow vitamin C to penetrate into the skin faster. While this is considered an effective way to combine two powerful ingredients, you need to be aware of your skin type and how it reacts to certain active ingredients. Even people with perfect, normal skin can experience skin sensitivity and irritation. Therefore, always consult a doctor or dermatologist before using any new products on your skin. It’s also important to follow skin application rules. In this case, you need to use the product correctly to ensure you get the best results for your skin. If you’re not sure what I mean, the basic rule for skin is to start with the thinnest consistency and work your way up to the thickest consistency. This prevents a barrier from forming on the surface, preventing other active ingredients from penetrating the skin. Can I use salicylic acid at night and vitamin C in the morning? Yes, absolutely, this is considered the most effective way to get returns without any adverse side effects. This is because there is enough time between applications to ensure that the skin’s pH levels return to balance. You’ll also find that Vitamin C is rich in antioxidants and is perfect for use in the morning to ensure your skin is protected and looking its healthiest. Due to the small size of salicylic acid molecules, it is an acid that is able to reach the deepest parts of the skin. While this is effective at keeping skin clear, it also increases the risk of irritation and photosensitivity. Therefore, many people prefer to use powerful BHAs in their evening routine without exposure to UV rays, pollution, or harsh weather. Warning: If you avoid using sunscreen every day, none of these ingredients will do what your skin needs. The combination of chemical peels and powerful ingredients increases the risk of further damage to the skin’s surface. Use SPF 50 every day to keep your skin protected and your lipid barrier healthy, even on cloudy days, keeping your skin in top condition.

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