When I was starting my intentional skincare journey in 2018, I really wish I found a beginner guide to daily skincare that didn’t leave me more confused after reading . Many I found at the time were too scientific for a layman to understand, so it was a struggle for me. I used to wonder what the fuss was about when people line up different products on their shelves and bath themselves in oil ( Like I used to think) Lol. Although I have always had acne-prone skin, the best I ever did was apply use Make-up wipes, Facial cleanser, shea butter, coconut oil and Funbact A. Now I know better.

If you are just starting out with skincare, you might be confused with video after video or ad after ad swearing about the effectiveness of a particular product.  The truth is, you don’t need everything on the market, no matter how good or effective they are. Perhaps, you have gone ahead to buy lots of products, and you might still not be getting any good results because the order in which you apply them is wrong. Dermatologists say that the sequence in which you apply skincare products determine their overall effectiveness in your regimen.

So here’s a step by step beginner guide to daily skincare

1. Cleansing & Exfoliating

This is perhaps the most important step to any kind of skincare routine, this step usually includes products like makeup wipes, micellar water, cleansing balms,  foaming wash/cleansers, exfoliating scrubs, Konjac sponges, washcloths, and more. Cleansing your face helps you get rid of dirt and oil that may have found their way to your skin via the air, surfaces, your phone, and other things. Exfoliating also takes your cleansing a step further by removing dead cells and improving the texture and glow of your skin. It’s often advised that you should exfoliate 2-3 times a week.

For cleansing & exfoliating, here are some of my current faves;

Yves Rocher Hydra Vegetal

Cerave Hydrating Facial Cleanser

Caudalie Foaming Cleanser

Arcona Cranberry Gommage Exfoliant

2. Toning/Deep Cleansing

I used to overlook this step in the past because I felt it was a repetition of step 1, however, this step is so crucial, as it seems to do much more cleansing than step 1. Both work hand in hand and should not be skipped. Since I have acne-prone skin I do not really use toners but if you don’t have acne, there are so many good toners on the market. Some affordable ones that most people recommend are; the Inkey List Glycolic Acid Toner, The Ordinary Glycolic Acid and Pixi Beauty Glow Tonic. For my acne-prone skin, I use Clean & Clear deep cleaning astringent with Salicylic acid, I apply with a cotton pad to wipe my face to eliminate dirt, makeup residue or grime from step 1.

Update August 15th: I went in search of a good toner at ShoppersDrugmart. The Inkeylist Glycolic Acid was highly recommended but unfortunately I didn’t find it at the store I went. I ended up getting the Clean & Clear Lemon Juice Toner. I will try to find the Inkeylist Toner later this week.

3. Serums

This is the tricky part! There are so many kinds of serums, one would wonder exactly what they do and how to apply each one. A rule of thumb for daily skin care is to apply from thinnest to thickest. Serums are usually water like and are necessary to boost hydration and provide nutrients to your skin. Some of the most important beginner-friendly ones in my opinion include;

Vitamin C serum, Hyaluronic acid, Retinol

Vitamin Chelps to brighten dark spots, while hyaluronic acid helps to boost hydration to avoid dryness and breakouts, Retinol is a derivative of Vitamin A  that helps boost collagen production and reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkle, and spots. You can also find collagen supplements at buoyhealth.com that help promote the production of other proteins that help structure your skin.

MY current faves are:

Vichy Vitamin C Brightening Serum

The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid

Cerave Hydrating Serum with Hyaluronic acid

Murad Skincare Rapid Age spot & Brightening serum

As your skincare advances, you might want to add masks, eye-cream, essence, oils, peels, and some other products to this step but since this is a beginner guide to daily skincare I will skip those.

4. Moisturizer

Some of the products in step 3 already do the job of a moisturizer, like the Hyaluronic Acid or Serum and the Retinol, however, you might want a moisturizer just in case you would like to have it handy or use on days when you want to skip step 3. I personally use the Jurlique Moisturising cream which is a little pricey but a more affordable recommendation would be Cerave Moisturising Cream with essential Ceramides. Recently I have added the Olay Regenerist Retinol 24 and I find that its an excellent choice for moisturising as well. It’s very important to lock in moisture in your face to avoid dryness and breakouts. Your daily skincare regimen is incomplete without a moisturizer.

5. Sunscreen

Step 5 is the seal that holds 1-4 together and makes all your effort worth it, you should never skip sunscreen in your skincare routine especially in the mornings, at night you can use rosewater mist instead. A good sunscreen will stay on top of your skin and protect it from rays that could damage it. Continous use of sunscreen will help keep your dark spots from getting darker and will also keep you from aging too fast.

My current sunscreen faves are:

Laroche Posay Athelios 60 SPF

Kerstin Florian Day creme SPF 30

Banana Boat Simply Protect SPF 50

The last step after my sunscreen is a lip Balm, I usually use BurtBees Ginger &Lime balm.

Conclusion

When it comes to building a skincare regime, I believe that with a lot of research and as time goes on, you would know what products work best for your skin. It’s equally important to go with products that are affordable since you’ll want to be buying them over and over again. I find that in Canada Cerave products are the most affordable and equally very effective as they are formulated by dermatologists. You can easily get them at Shoppers Drug Mart or on Amazon
Clean & Clear also has one affordable products available in Nigeria & virtually all countries.

Additionally, it’s essential to watch closely to see how your skin reacts to every product you apply. With a consistent routine, you would definitely see a difference in the overall look and feel of your skin.

Remember to take good care of your skin, as there are no spare parts for it.

If you liked this post, Kindly leave me a comment and help share it on your social media. It means a lot to me and I’m sure someone else you know needs to see this also. Thank you.

So what skincare step is most important for you?

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