You may have just three skincare products, or you may have eight as part of your daily routine! Is there an order to all the madness of skincare products? Absolutely! Here is how you layer your skin care products to be the most effective!

Step1: Cleanse

 Your cleanser will always come first, as this cleans any dirt or debris from the skin. Follow this with your exfoliator to clean any dead skin away. It is best to not exfoliate on a daily basis if using a chemical exfoliator as it may be too harsh. After these steps your skin will be like a blank canvas ready for your products.

Step 2: Tone

If you have any products that are applied to a soaked pad, this would be your next step. This would include your toner.  Pads and toners are water-based products which help prep your skin for the next layer of skincare.

Step 3: Correction

If you have acne, Target Treatment Products should be applied next. These products work best when applied right after toners and can freely reach deep into your skin. If you apply them later in the layering, the ingredients will be diluted and not be as effective.

Step 4: Hydrate

Gel products will come next. This includes hydrogels that are formulated with water. These water-concentrated products help boost the cellular function of our skin and allow better penetration of future products.

Serums usually have the consistency of egg whites and are the next step in your skincare. Serums are made up of smaller molecules and give a concentration of ingredients that can penetrate deep into the skin and have the ability to pull other products down deep where the real work begins!

Step 5: Moisturize

Moisturizers are a vital step because they will seal all the other products into your skin.  You layer this from lightest and thinnest to thickest-so first lotions, creams, and finally ointments.

Step 6: SPF

You should put on your Sunscreen after your moisturizer. It is best for them to sit on the top layer deflecting UV rays off the skin, like a mirror. It is called a physical SPF because of this. Think of it like this, your sunscreen is the icing on the cake before the decorations and your makeup is the decor!

Bonus Tip! When applying products, if you give a short amount of time in between each application, it will help the absorption process. A great example of doing this is; after putting on a toner, brush your teeth before applying a serum, then comb your hair before adding a gel or moisturizer.