Skincare Routine For Beginners | Everything You Must Know

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Want to know how to start taking care of your skin? Here is a comprehensive guide on skincare routines for beginners.

Starting high school my skin was soft, clear, and fresh. Then, 4-5 years later I was covered in acne, acne scars, and blackheads also, my skin texture was horrible. I didn’t know what to do, seeing a dermatologist wasn’t an option for me at the time. This is when I fell in love with skincare.

When I first approached skincare I didn’t know anything about it, but I was determined to find a solution to all of my problems. I started researching: I read any piece of information I could find and I watched every youtube video I could. Anything with “skincare routine for beginners” written on it was my jam.

Here we are, six years later, and my skin it’s the best it’s ever been. So, does skincare really make a difference?

Yes, it absolutely does. Investing early in the right skincare routine really pays off. Combining the right products in the right order not only will lead to beautiful, healthy skin but also makes it possible to age gracefully.

If you want to start your skincare routine journey, here are six years of information packed in a comprehensive guide on skincare routine for beginners.

What you need to know before you start

The first thing you need to do is set your goals. Do you want to get rid of acne? Maybe your skin is a bit dull and you want to revive it, you can choose anything you want.

Here is what you need to do: look at yourself in the mirror and identify what you like and what you don’t like. Now, take what you don’t like and write it down, you are going to need it later.

The next step is to determine your skin type. This is super important, every product you choose is going to depend on the answer to this question.

There are four main skin types:

1. Normal skin
2. Oily skin
3. Dry skin
4. Combination skin

To know which skin type you have there is a quick test you can run called the “wash and wait” method. Start by washing your face gently, then pat it dry. Don’t do anything to your skin, then after 30 minutes inspect it

• If your skin feels comfortable but not oily you have normal skin.
• If your skin appears shiny all over you have oily skin.
• If your skin feels tight and scaly you have dry skin.
• If your skin feels hydrated but is oily on the T-zone you have combination skin.

It’s important that you know that having oily skin doesn’t necessarily mean you have acne, just as having dry skin doesn’t mean you won’t get breakouts. Every skin type can be sensitive or acne-prone.

We are almost done. Finally, the last thing that might be important is to note any allergies you might have. Obviously, you will need to avoid any product that contains an ingredient you are allergic to.

Aurora’s tips

whenever you are trying a new product, especially if you are a beginner, you always want to patch test it first.

Keys to a skincare routine for beginners

Here are the main steps to a beginner skincare routine. Skincare products should be layered from the least dense to the densest. To save you some time I just put them in the correct order for you to follow easily.

When you gain a little bit more knowledge on skincare you definitely can add more products, but I recommend keeping it simple for now.

1. Make-up remover

This is the first thing you have to learn: NEVER go to sleep if you haven’t removed your makeup first. While you sleep your skin, like the rest of your body, is renewing itself. If you want healthy skin is very important that you give your skin time to rest and, of course, nourish it in the meantime.

I don’t recommend using make-up wipes as they will likely irritate your skin and strip it of its moisture.

Instead, if you have dry or normal skin you could use a cleansing balm. This should be your top choice if you want to gently remove your make-up while nourishing it in the process. I really love this product myself, the one I’m currently using is Yepoda Calming Balm. This is perfect if you have sensitive skin (meaning when you apply products it becomes red and irritated) as it’s gentle and calming.

I know Yepoda products can be a bit pricey, so if you are on a budget Elf Holy Hydration Cleansing Balm is the way to go!

I’m honestly not a big fan of micellar water, I think everyone should use some type of balm to take makeup off. That said, I know a lot of you still prefer this method which is why I’m including products I liked.

Just remember to NEVER USE MAKEUP WIPES!!

If you have combination skin you can use both, try them out and see what fits your skin best. Sometimes you will find your skin needs more hydration while other times it produces more oil, so you will need to adjust accordingly.

2. Cleanser

In addition to make-up removers, we have cleansers. These are key to cleaning and preparing our skin before we put any product on it.

If you have oily skin a cheap but super-effective option is CeraVe Foaming Cleanser. They also have an Acne Foaming Cleanser to best target acne, if this is something that concerns you. I recommend foaming cleansers only to my oily-skin or combination-skin girls as for dry skin these may be too harsh.

For dry skin types, I would recommend CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser. This Cleanser is going to leave your skin smooth like a baby’s butt, it’s phenomenal.

If you ever need a skincare product, since you are a beginner, you may not know where to look. I’m telling you CeraVe has it all. It’s really a brand that I’ve come to love and trust over the years, I hope you will love their products too. Plus, it’s fairly cheap.

If you have combination skin you may need to try products for oily skin as well as for dry skin and decide what feels right for you.

3. Active ingredients

Undoubtedly you have at least one skin concern you will want to address. Here are the most common ones.

Of course, acne is one of the most common issues. There are several types of acne and sometimes they need to be treated a little bit differently. Generally speaking though, acne occurs when hair follicles are plugged with oil and skin cells.

When your acne is not active anymore it can leave some marks on your skin, these are called acne scars.

You could also have dryness. This means you have dry skin, sometimes though this condition can be a bit extreme. You basically have flaky, scaly, and rough skin.

If you want to know how to get rid of dry skin I have an entire article on the topic, plus here are the best moisturizers for dry skin. If you have dry skin I encourage you to check these out!

Fine lines and wrinkles are also an issue. This is pretty self-explanatory, but they are creases in your skin. With the right skincare routine, you can prevent them or soften their look. To address these issues your best bet is retinol or retinoids, if you’re interested here is a comprehensive retinol guide for beginners.

Dark spots, or hyperpigmentation, are some areas of your face or body where your skin produces more melanin. In simple words, they are exactly what they sound like: spots in your skin that are darker compared to your overall skin.

Here you can skip to what you may include in your skincare routine to address these issues.

4. Moisturizer

Whether you have oily or dry skin it doesn’t matter. Hydrating your skin is necessary in order to achieve healthy skin.

Of course, your choice of moisturizer will vary a lot depending on your skin type. For example, if you have dry skin you should gravitate towards a really rich and nourishing moisturizer. These two are my favorites, I 100% recommend them:

For those of you with oily skin, I suggest something lighter, often gel-like moisturizers will have the perfect consistency for oily skin types.

Combination skin types should gravitate towards either something light but with hyaluronic acid or niacinamide or something a little bit more rich used in combination with a foamy cleanser.

What active ingredient should you choose?

To treat acne

To treat acne you can use several products, there is no limit I swear. To make your life easier here are some ingredients you should look for, these can be found in any type of product from cleansers to serums.

Basically when you find a product that is said to treat acne make sure it has at least one of these ingredients.

• Salicylic acid
• Retinoids
• Benzoyl peroxide
• Azelaic acid
• Alpha-hydroxy acids (AHA)
• Tea tree oil
• Sulfur

Personally salicylic acid is the one that gave me the quickest results. I personally used Vichy Normaderm Salicylic Acid Serum every night, this made a huge difference in my skin.

To treat acne scars

If instead, you have acne scars (or even if you have both) these are the ingredient you need to look out for

• Vitamin C
• Salicylic Acid
• AHAs
• Lactic Acid
• Retinoids
• Rosehip
• Niacinamide
• Azelaic Acid

I actively use a lot of these ingredients and they are all great. I think you should consider your skin type to narrow your choice though. For example, if you have dry acne-prone skin a niacinamide serum is perfect since it also has hydrating properties.

I highly recommend The ordinary niacinamide serum if you want great results on a budget.

Instead, if you feel like splurging a little bit this is my top favorite niacinamide serum: Glow recipe watermelon niacinamide dew drops.

I cannot even tell you much I love this product. It is highly hydrating, the first time I tried it in Sephora I had to buy it instantly that is how good this was. Plus, prepare to have the brightest most radiant skin of your life, this product is magic!

To treat dryness

Those with dry skin need to look out for these ingredients:

• Squalane
• Hyaluronic Acid
• Ceramides
• Glycerin
• Coconut Oil
• Cucumber Extract
• Avocado Oil

I highly recommend choosing a hyaluronic serum as your active ingredient. You need to dampen your face a little bit after you cleansed it, then apply the serum on your face. This is the right way to apply it.

To treat fine lines and wrinkles

Since you are a newbie I’m assuming you are looking for a way to prevent and maybe already soften the look of fine lines and wrinkles. These are the best ingredients for you:

• Retinoids
• Vitamin C
• Hydroxy acids
• Coenzyme Q10
• Peptides
• Tea extracts
• Grape seed extract
• Niacinamide

I highly recommend you focus on retinoids or rather retinol since you are a first-timer. Retinoids and retinol can be highly irritating and there are lots of things to know before jumping on this ship. Here is a retinol step-by-step guide to help you through it.

To treat dark spots

These right here are the holy grail for treating dark spots

• Azelaic acid
• Glycolic acid
• Kojic acid
• Retinoid (retinol, tretinoin, adapalene gel, or tazarotene)
• Vitamin C

Vitamin C is the main ingredient that gave great results. I’m currently using The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% + Alpha Arbutin 2% and I have to say I really love it. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it if you have really oily skin though since it leaves my skin a little bit greasy.

Related questions

How long should a skincare routine take?

Skincare experts suggest a simple skincare routine as using too many products can irritate your skin in the long run. This means it’s probably best to keep your skincare routine around 5 minutes.

How long does it take for a skincare routine to show results?

To actually see any results with your skincare routine you need around 20 days. This is because in order for you to see any progress you need to reveal deeper layers of your skin by shedding. On average, the outer layer of your skin needs this much time to completely turn over and reveal your progress.

How often should you do your skincare routine?

Experts say it’s best to have both AM and PM skincare routines. If you only want to do it once a day it’s still possible, but prefer a nighttime routine over a morning one.

This post was all about a step-by-step guide on skincare routines for beginners.