I would like to know what your routine is in general, but I’m also specifically curious about what products you use, if you use them, and what the rationale is behind each product.
My routine:
Morning
- Rinse face with warm water.
- Scrub face and neck with warm, wet washcloth.
- Apply facial moisturizer with SPF (I use CeraVe AM Facial Moisturizing Lotion SPF 30) to face, neck, and hands.
Evening
- Shower.
- While in shower, scrub entire body with an exfoliating mitt (ie this one).
- Apply a retinol (I use Retin-A (tretinoin 0.05%)) to face, neck, and hands.
- Apply facial moisturizer (I use CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion) to face, neck, and hands
- Apply body lotion (I use CeraVe Moisturizing Cream) to whole body, excluding hands and face.
I have used, and considered continuing using a BHA (also AHA?) liquid exfoliant (I have read that it shouldn’t be used at the same time as retinol due to PH requirements, ie use it in the morning and retinol in the evening) (I previously used Paula’s Choice 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant, but I no longer because I have lost trust in Paula’s Choice overall due to their borderline false advertising regarding their retinol product [1]), but I am unsure of what a good product would be, and the rationale behind it. I have also heard about Vitamin E, though I’ve never used it.
References
- “[Research] Study: The Ordinary and Paula’s Choice retinols are unstable”. toa20. r/SkincareAddiction. Reddit. Published: 2023-01-26T17:49:01.223Z. Accessed: 2024-10-29T05:16Z. https://www.reddit.com/r/SkincareAddiction/comments/10lxshy/research_study_the_ordinary_and_paulas_choice/.
My kids say I use the 40 potions essential to a woman over 40.
Night:
Shower, and either body oil applied with damp washcloth to “dry off” and seal in moisture, or body lotion, lately the LaRoche Posay skin barrier one.
Then face: toner (lately Iunik gel toner, but it varies), serum (also varies, right now a skin004 b vitamin one) and Tretinoin 0.1
Morning:
No body anything.
Face: rinse, gentle toner (lately a centella water), prescription estrogen cream, and sunscreen - Iunic centella sunscreen is absolute magic in a tube.
So basically active stuff at night and calming protective stuff in the day, and my skin in my 50s is better than at any time before.
Everyday I have skin.
I also use E45 on my awfully dry hands and slightly dry face.
Up until my late 20’s, I had very oily skin. I think I might need to change a few things because I am still oily but I do feel some skin dryness from time to time.
In the AM…
Wet my face with warm water.
Clinique All About Clean Soap - face wash - I used this after trying a few others. I like this ok. I might revisit the CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser. I don’t remember why I stopped using it.
Rinse off with warm water. Blot face with towel.
Thayer’s Witch Hazel - toner - When I got the Clinique face wash, I got the three step set. It came with a toner that they called “Clarifying Lotion” and I hated it. I actually read it and it contains alcohol so I stopped using it. (Some “lotion”!) I saw that one of the ingredients in the toner was witch hazel, and it looks like it’s good by itself, so I just roll with that now. Just put some on a cotton round and gently apply it to the whole face. I use it because it makes my skin feel nice. I occasionally skip this step.
Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel - facial lotion - I’ve tried so many facial lotions and they usually cause acne for me. Including Cetaphil. I love this stuff. This is good by itself when I’m oily. When I’m a bit dryer, though…
Clinique Dramatically Different Hydrating Jelly - facial lotion - I put this on when my normal moisturizer isn’t enough. I put it on after the other stuff sinks in.
I use SPF after that. I either use Clinique City Block or the SPF included in my foundation if I’m wearing it. I want to get back into Korean sunscreen but I haven’t looked into it. I use what’s on hand for skin not on my face. The City Block is meh but it’s by far the least unpleasant feeling on my face.
If I am feeling extra lazy, I just cleanse my face with micellar water and moisturize. The micellar water I use is Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water, pink cap.
In the PM…
If I’m wearing makeup, I remove it with micellar water or Clinique Take the Day Off makeup remover, depending on what I put on that day.
I wash my face, use toner. Then…
Clinique Even Better Clinical Dark Spot Corrector + Interrupter - serum - I’ve tried this because I want to get rid of some of these dark spots on my face. I’m going to finish this bottle and not re-buy this though.
I moisturize when I’m done.
If I’m feeling lazy, I do the same micellar water and moisture deal like in the morning.
For the rest of my body, I use Gold Bond Diabetic Body Lotion, and I use Mediheal hand cream for my hands. I also apply witch hazel to irritated skin. If I have an irritated spot that would take over a week to resolve itself, using witch hazel makes it heal in just a day or two.
I used to use Stridex pads because I would get pimples often until my mid-20’s or so. I stopped using them. They were good but I haven’t found the need to use them any more.
I used to use Ole Henriksen Truth Serum at night. I stopped during the pandemic due to… Well I wasn’t feeling great at that time. I liked the serum, though.
I was thinking of researching what I can do for my dark spots and pitting from acne from years ago. I was going to look at Paula’s Choice, but now looking at your link I am reconsidering.
How is the tretinion treating you? Is it worth getting a script for it? If you’re American, was it difficult to get? I hear it is really good for many skin concerns and might help with the ones I’m looking to treat.
Men, it’s okay to care about your skin. It’s not feminine, it’s human. If your answer to this question was ‘I shower’ or something else snarky you may want to consider looking up simple skincare routines for people your age and skin type. Just a tiny bit of attention to your skin can do so much for not just for how it looks and feels now, but for the difference it can make compounded through the years. Of enough soapboxing.
This ~30 lady’s routine:
I use a non alcohol toner in the morning followed by Kiehl’s moisturizer.
In the evening I use a daily enzyme face wash, hyaluronic acid serum, and the daily moisturizer.
I rarely see the sun, I never wear makeup. When I did those things woooo boy were there more steps.
PSA consider using a daily SPF moisturizer. I promise it doesn’t feel like that crappy beach sun block. Give it a try, skin cancer is no joke. Fuck I’m on my soapbox again.
Men, it’s okay to care about your skin. It’s not feminine, it’s human.
I find the “feminine” premise of this argument silly. So what if it is feminine? Is there something inherently wrong with femininity? It’s one thing to simply be somewhere on the spectrum of femininity and masculinity, but it’s another to fear that position and to force another based on one’s insecurity of the perceptions of others.
That isn’t what I meant — if I am understanding your comment to mean that you thought that I was saying that skincare is feminine so people who avoid feminine things should avoid skincare. I was saying that people shouldn’t fear something due to its perceived femininity or masculinity — the hypothetical fact that skincare is feminine should be of no consequence to one’s own interest in it.
That is my answer, though. I shower in lukewarm water and a little bit of dilute Castile soap where needed, and wear wide-brimmed hats in the sun. I get compliments on my skin softness, people guess that I’m 10 years younger. Honestly, it seems to me that a good half of people’s elaborate skin-care routines are just trying to undo the damage caused by the other half. Our skin is really remarkable in taking care of itself, if you let it.
This has to be genetic, though - my mom’s skin was so bad, and mine was bad until I started taking care of it; and my husband’s routine was yours - he started taking care of it when he started to look a lot older than me.
But there is no rule, you should do whatever you are most comfortable with.
Maybe it’s genetic, but also, my skin improved vastly after I stopped doing the things that harm it, primarily long, hot showers, scrubbing/exfoliating, and overuse of strong soaps. Plus, bonuses like no more oily hair, no more stinky socks, and greatly reduced pit odor. These things are backed up by good science; I just saw a WaPo article the other day with these recommendations from dermatologists. I see a lot of talk about exfoliating, and I know from experience that most people take long, hot showers, so I figure it’s worth passing that information along.
