When looking for a good skin care routine, most of us are stumped by the foreign names that we hear but have no idea what it does for our skin. Cleanser? Moisturizer? Toners? Not to mention more products that seem to be in every beauty video or plastered on your feed while scrolling on Instagram. Being first introduced to skin care, it can be difficult to look through different articles and watching videos on what could be best for you. After all, everyone’s routines differ because of our skin type.

The first step is to figure out what skin type you are best categorized among the three. There’s dry skin, which is when people tend to peel on their face. Oily skin tends to have more natural oils to their face. Then there are people like me who have combination skin, meaning having dry and oily skin. For me, I have oily skin on my chin, nose, and cheeks. While my dry areas are the forehead and side of my face. After figuring out what skin you have, you now have to find out what type of routines you want and which products you should use.

This can be the most stressful part when looking at the bright shelf that has countless different formulas. However, it can get done if you don’t freak yourself out. As of right now I only have two daily routines (day and night) with five different products. These are the products that work for me and how I use them. You can follow this sort of guideline, but always explore your options to your liking.

Note that it is important to wash your hands before starting your routine.

Morning routine:

When I first wake up, I always wash my face with cold water, since it helps with reducing any puffiness I had from the night before, along with giving a wake-up call that I need for conquering the day to come. You should always have the water to a cold to lukewarm temperature, but it depends on your skin.

Next, I use a water-based cleanse like Equate Beauty Deep Cleansing Astringent for Sensitive Skin (which takes off sweat and dirt) with a cotton pad to clean off any dirt that was picked up throughout the night.

Lastly, I use a moisturizer that fits my skin. The product I use is Neutrogena Oil Free Face & Neck Moisturizer for Combination Skin which you can also find in dry and oily skin. It is key to note even if you have oily skin you’ll still need a moisturizer because your body is producing too much natural oil, that it doesn’t know how much is enough or too little. With a moisturizer, it’ll help control the balance. When applying I usually use one pump that I place on the back of my hand and dip a finger to the cream when needed and apply it throughout the face. Then I use another pump for my neck and you’re done.

Nighttime routine:

Before going to bed, I use Equate Beauty Foaming 2-in-1 cleanser which is an oil-based cleanser (takes off oil, makeup, etc.). When applied, I actually use a different tactic which is called dry cleansing. In this routine, I don’t wet my face first but actually place the cleanser on my face in a circular motion all over your skin. When it begins to look tacky, I wet my hands with water and go through the circular motion again, to deep clean the skin. After I feel like I have fully clean my skin, I then rinse my face with water.

Next, I go in with Neutrogena Alcohol-Free Facial Toner (toners help close up pores after cleansing) which I place on my hand and dab it on my face in order to let the product soak in my skin.

Lastly, I then go back in with moisturizer and follow the same steps I did in the morning. Make sure that whenever applying any creams to alway push up the skin to avoid dragging it down, which ultimately can make your skin become baggier quicker when aging.

Disclaimer: Please read instructions on the back of the product you have/want to purchase. I am not responsible for any skin irritation or bad reactions.