What Is The Right Skincare Routine Order?

WHAT IS THE RIGHT SKINCARE ROUTINE AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

A skincare routine simply means that you’ve established a consistent, easy to follow regimen in which you’ve committed to properly using and applying your skincare products regularly. This is important because consistency is what supports us in seeing the results and benefits of our skincare products and helps us to determine their efficacy as part of our routine.

The importance of the proper order of skincare products serves so many purposes. Not only will your products work more effectively when applied in the order that allows their key ingredients to shine, you’ll also find that you may need to use less product than you think and your skin will sense the properties and benefits almost immediately.

Another one of the main reasons it’s important to focus on your skincare routine order is because the skin’s main job is to keep things out. Think: environmental stressors and toxins, pollutants, airborne irritants and more. What’s lesser understood is how certain ingredients, those that are reparative, nutritive, hydrating and nourishing are ingredients we actually want to get into the skin, allowing them to penetrate deeply. Simply stated, you don’t get the best results from your skincare routine if you’re not applying your products in the correct order.

One of the most important parts of ensuring your skincare order is correct is considering the density of the products you’re using. Applying your skincare in order of thinnest/lightest to thickest/richest products provides some of the following benefits:

1. Products have time to absorb fully for optimal benefits
2. Using certain products closest to the skin (like those that contain antioxidants) helps the ingredients penetrate deeper
3. Ensures you feel clear about whether a certain product is right for you and your skincare routine by allowing you to see how the product performs when used correctly
4. Helps you keep your routine simple so you are more inclined to stick with it

MORNING VS NIGHT SKINCARE; IS THERE A DIFFERENCE?

The simple answer to this question is yes. Typically, it’s recommended to consider using certainly targeted and specialty ingredients, particularly actives like vitamin C and retinol, at opposite times of the day. Tailoring your skincare routine to include different products at different times means you lessen the likelihood of causing irritation or reactivity to your skin.

The importance of the morning routine is to set yourself up for maximum skin protection. This means you’re looking to protect your skin from potential stressors such as:

1. Sun radiation
2. Air pollution
3. Smoke and other airborne irritants
4. Makeup products
5. SPF products (which are a requirement 365 days a year!)

The nighttime skincare routine is all about repair and restoration. This is the time in which choosing certain treatment products can benefit your skin while giving it time to rest while you sleep. Here you may choose products and ingredients that support:

1. Exfoliation for dull, dry skin
2. Richer moisturizers for added hydration
3. Face oils and other treatments for barrier protection

In the following sections, we’ll share more about how to build your best order for skincare, including breaking down step-by-step your morning and evening routines.

THE PROPER ORDER OF SKINCARE ROUTINE IN SIMPLE STEPS

We want you to feel confident when building a skincare routine that you’ll be able to apply what you know. Feeling comfortable with the order of the products you use helps to ensure consistency and ensures you’re getting the most out of the products you’re using.

Here at Saje, we’ve recently launched a brand-new collection of skincare products specially formulated to support all skin types and skincare goals. These 100% natural products have been formulated free of known irritants like parabens, synthetic fragrances, silicones, SLS, SLES and many more ingredients we don’t think are necessary for highly efficacious skincare. The new product lines are as follows:

GLOW ON FOR NORMAL/COMBINATION SKIN TYPES

This line of products has a green, fresh, herbal scent and was created for those who identify as having normal or combination skin. The products in this line were formulated to balance and renew the skin, leaving it feeling fresh and clean. Key ingredients in this line include squalane, parsley seed and raspberry seed oil.

Our favorite product in the line: Glow On oil Cleanser  

CALM-O-MILE FOR SENSITIVE/REACTIVE SKIN TYPES

This line of products has a light, floral, herbal scent and was created for those who identify as having sensitive or reactive skin. The products in this line were formulated to soften and restore the skin, leaving it feeling supple and balanced. Key ingredients in this line include blue and roman chamomile, calendula and apricot kernel oil.

Our favorite product in the line: Calm-O-Mile moisturizer

TRUE DEW FOR DRY/MATURE SKIN TYPES

This line of products has a rich, rosy, floral scent and was created for those who identify as having dry or mature skin. The products in this line were formulated to deeply hydrate and restore luminosity to the skin, helping it to feel plump and firm. Key ingredients in this line include rose otto, hyaluronic acid and helichrysum essential oil.

Our favorite product in the line: True Dew face oil  

CLARITEA FOR OILY/ACNE PRONE SKIN TYPES

This line of products has a fresh, herbal, camphorous scent and was created for those who identify as having oily or acne prone skin. The products in this line were formulated to help balance oil production and reduce the appearance of inflamed skin, helping it to feel calmed and balanced. Key ingredients in this line include tea tree, jojoba oil and patchouli essential oil.

Our favorite product in the line: Claritea toner

MORNING SKINCARE ROUTINE ORDER

The correct order to use skincare products has a lot to do with what you’re trying to achieve when you begin your routine each day. We’ve discussed the importance of using products that are protective and supportive of the skin throughout the day, helping to minimize the impact from pollution, environmental stressors and free radicals. We also believe that a simple, foundational skincare routine increases the chances of you following through with it each day, which is the most important consideration.

STEP 1: CLEANSE THE FACE

In the morning, start by splashing your face with warm water and using a gentle cleanser of your choice to wash your face. Cleansing is a very important part of the process as this sets the stage for the products you’ll use afterwards as well as helping to remove dead skin cells and keep pores clear. Steer away from anything rough or potentially irritating to the skin, like wash cloths, loofahs or facial cleansing brushes with abrasive applicators and bristles.

A product to try: we’re big fans of the Calm-O-Mile Cleanser, in the morning, which is a gel cleanser blended with aloe vera, squalane and blue chamomile.

STEP 2: ADD MOISTURE TO THE FACE

Next, you want to ensure you’re using a nourishing facial moisturizer to add hydration back into the skin every morning. Yes, everyone needs hydration – even those who identify as having oily skin. Our skin becomes parched and depleted by the sun, other weather elements and pollutants we encounter on the daily, so taking the time to hydrate each morning and night is imperative.

A product to try: our go-to for daytime hydration is the Glow On moisturizer, a light and balancing blend of oat kernel extract, elderberry extract and parsley seed oil.

STEP 3: PROTECT YOUR SKIN'S BARRIER

The final step we recommend in a simple daytime skincare routine is a protective and supportive face oil. Face oils help to strengthen the barrier of our skin, helping to lock in moisture to prevent the loss of hydration. Face oils can also help even the tone of our complexion and provide a healthy-looking glow. Because of the nature of a face oil’s thickness, we recommend starting with just 2-3 drops pressed gently into the skin and allowed time to fully absorb.

A product to try: for a healthy and radiant look throughout the day, we suggest our Glow On face oil, made with camelina seed, argan oil and labrador tea essential oil.

NIGHTTIME SKINCARE ROUTINE ORDER

In the evening time, your skincare routine should reflect your goals of helping the skin to repair and restore from the exposures of the day, like makeup, sun exposure and buildup from airborne pollutants. You may choose to exfoliate the skin or add additional treatments to your routine as your skin has the opportunity to renew while you sleep. Here’s our simple recommendations for a three-step routine that supports your nighttime order of skincare products:

STEP 1: CLEANSE THE FACE & CONSIDER A DOUBLE CLEANSE

The nighttime cleanse is the most important of the day by far. This is the step in which you’re looking to remove dirt, oil and grime from the skin that accumulates throughout the day, as well as some of the products you may have applied like makeup and sun protection.

It’s crucial for the health of our skin to have time each day to breathe and begin its renewal process. Many people are touting the benefits of double cleansing, which quite simply means to thoroughly cleanse your face twice with different cleansers. Typically, in order to achieve the best results, you’ll want to use two different types of cleansers. It’s often recommended to use an oil cleanser like Glow On oil to first break down makeup and SPF, and then follow with your regular cleanser of choice.

A product to try: for the second cleanse in our nighttime routine, we reach for True Dew cream cleanser, a rich and nutritive cleanser made with avocado oil, safflower oil and rose essential oil.

STEP 2: ADD MOISTURE TO THE FACE

At nighttime, you might reach for your most deeply hydrating moisturizer to help restore your skin’s elasticity and create softness and suppleness in the skin. Hydrators that are thicker or richer are sometimes better used as nighttime moisturizers because they will absorb over the course of several hours while we sleep. We should consider one of the goals of our nighttime moisturizer as helping to prevent water evaporation, which is the key to healthy, soft and supple skin in the long run.

A product to try: for the densest amount of moisture, our top pick is the rosy, rich in vitamins and minerals hydrator called True Dew, blended with hyaluronic acid, rosehip oil and frankincense essential oil.

STEP 3: PROTECT YOUR SKIN'S BARRIER

Some people may find that using a face oil in the daytime isn’t their preference, particularly if they’re also applying SPF (a must!) and makeup. The face oil as part of your nighttime skincare order is ideal, because it allows the product to be fully absorbed through the night while you sleep and isn’t impacted by any additional products you may use. Face oils help to soften, balance and nourish the skin, even helping to promote regular in the skin’s oil production.

A product to try: our hands-down #1 choice when it comes to a face oil we love as part of our nighttime proper skincare order is True Dew face oil, formulated with strengthening pomegranate seed oil, blueberry seed oil and sea buckthorn extract.

STEP 4: OTHER ADDITIONAL TREATMENTS

Many people choose to add additional products to their nighttime routine such as toners, exfoliants, serums and eye creams. When choosing to add these products to your skincare regimen order, remember to reference what was mentioned above in regards to applying products from thinnest/lightest to thickest/heaviest, for best results and maximum efficacy.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ORDER TO APPLY SKINCARE PRODUCTS

Lastly, we want to leave you with reference to a number of articles we’ve shared in the past to help you learn more about our new skincare collection, the products we’ve included as part of the lines and how we came to choose some of the 85+ ingredients that were thoroughly vetted for safety and efficacy as part of our collection.

Introducing Our Brand New Line of 100% Natural Skincare Products

Exploring Carrier Oils, Plant Extracts and Other Ingredients in Our New Skincare Products

Frequently Asked Questions: Our New Skincare Collection

We always welcome you to reach out to us at hello@saje.com if you have any additional questions or comments regarding the right skincare routine order for you.