Maintaining any body organ requires keeping your daily habits in check. If you want strong lungs, you will exercise more. A less oily diet would lead to a healthier heart. Likewise, taking care of your body's largest organ would entail specific steps to keep it in its best possible shape. These steps are what consist of a skincare routine. And just like keeping any organ of your body in top form, an effective skincare routine helps you keep your skin nourished, radiant and healthy. Healthy skin gives you the confidence to take the day head-on and be the best version of yourself. And since it is your face that gets maximum exposure to pollutants, dust, sun’s rays, and other environmental conditions, it needs a little extra care and attention than the rest of your body.
All About Skincare Routine
A skincare routine is a set of steps followed regularly to keep the skin’s health optimum. It is important to note that what works for others might not work for you. So, before you jump onto someone else’s skincare routine, pause and try to evaluate your skin condition. And if you're confused about what your skin needs are, read this article to understand the various types of skin and the category in which your skin fits best. Once you have decided on your skin type, you can build a skincare routine around it.
You need to start with getting the basics right. Your routine should be simple and easy to follow on any given day without overcomplicating it. A healthy skincare routine follows the below-mentioned basic steps.
- Cleanser
- Toner
- Serum
- Moisturiser
- Sunscreen
- Lip Balm
Cleanser: Keeping your skin clean is essential before you apply anything to it. Throughout the day, your skin pores come in the vicinity of pollutants, dirt etc. and accumulate there along with the natural oil produced by your skin glands. This leads to your pores getting clogged. Although this natural oil or sebum is released to keep your skin protected and moisturised naturally, excessive production leads to choking the pores. Unwashed makeup is another reason for clogged pores. Along with dirt, oil, and dead skin cells, these clogged pores result in blackheads, whiteheads and acne breakouts. The foundation of good skin health is clean skin with controlled sebum production. As easy as it sounds, this is also the step where most people falter. Most people think that using most drying cleansers is most effective, as they give a “squeaky-clean” feel. However, you must avoid harsh products that dry out your skin since that is never the aim of this step. Always use a mild cleanser to clean dirt, excess sebum or makeup. Do not scrub your face too hard, as it won't have any extra effect in cleaning. Make sure you rub the cleanser gently for at least a minute for it to work its charm. A gentle cleanser does not suck away the natural face oil, which is crucial for the skin’s health. Rather, it removes only the excess oil from the skin. An excellent cleanser that is both gentle and effective on the skin is Kzen’s Bareglow Cleansing Balm. Once applied to the face, this balm effortlessly dissolves dirt, oil, makeup and other impurities, leaving a radiant, refreshed, glowing skin. Its main components include jojoba oil, grapeseed oil, shea butter, peppermint essential oil and papaya seed oil, which promote moisturising and cleansing properties to the balm, making it one of the most efficient and gentle cleansers out there. Use this cleanser twice a day and clean it after use with a cotton pad soaked in warm water for the best results.
Toner: After washing your face gently, use a toner. Toners are generally helpful in getting to the dirt and oil your cleanser might have missed. Basically, it is a backup for your cleanser. Toner gently refreshes and calms your skin without drying it out of its natural oils. Stay away from toners which irritate or cause excessive dryness. Toners also help in minimising pore size. After a few days of using a toner, you will see a significant reduction in the appearance of your pores, giving your skin a smoother texture. Not just that, toners also help correct patchy skin and improve skin tone. Toners are amazing for balancing the skin’s pH level, making them ideal for maintaining the skin’s optimum health. Two of the most effective toners available in the market are Ageless Face Toner and AHA + Vit C Clarifying Toner. The Ageless Face Toner by Kzen contains pure rose water, orange peel hydrosol and Vitamin E as key ingredients. This toner helps hydrate, smooth, tighten, and maintain the right pH balance of the skin. It also has anti-ageing and anti-acne properties. The AHA + Vit C Clarifying Toner by Kzen is yet another powerful toner with guava hydrosol, hibiscus hydrosol and sweet lime hydrosol as the key ingredients. This toner is rich in antioxidants and works as a mild exfoliant. Apart from its toner functions, it aids in increasing collagen production and also helps in decreasing pigmentation. Overall, a toner is necessary to achieve a clean skin base for the next product and help tighten the pores and smoothen the texture of your skin.
Serum: Serums are basically concentrated potions for your skin which are used to serve a host of purposes depending on their ingredients. Some are nourishing, while others can be used for keeping acne at bay. Although optional, applying serums is an excellent practice to keep your skin healthy. This is the only step where you apply a potent solution to treat specific skin problems. Though almost all skin types can benefit from applying Vitamin C serum in the morning. Most dermatologists recommend this step as Vitamin C is rich in antioxidants. It can protect your skin from environmental damage that you may get exposed to throughout the day. It also helps in brightening dark skin patches and helps even out skin tone. It is beneficial for keeping acne in control. Kzen’s Ageless Face Serum is an excellent example of Vitamin C in a bottle. It also packs the goodness of hyaluronic acid and aloe vera, which are super hydrating and nourishing for the skin.
Moisturiser: Once your skin has soaked up all that serum, it is time to give it a big moisture shot to lock everything in. That is where a moisturiser comes into the picture. This step is absolutely crucial, even for those who have oily skin. A moisturiser keeps your skin barrier healthy and nourished by infusing it with hydration. Now, it is recommended that you apply moisturiser twice a day. You can use two different moisturisers day and night. In the morning, you can go for a light moisturiser since you would not want to attract pollutants and dirt throughout the day. Such moisturisers are cream or gel-based and are especially beneficial for oily skin types, but if you have dry skin, you can opt for a denser or cream-based formulation. For the night, you can go for the same moisturiser for your skin type or opt for the one that you find more nourishing, that you could otherwise not use in the morning. If you’re looking for a moisturiser but are unsure which one will be ideal for your skin, then Radiance Face Oil by Kzen is what you need. This face oil works as a moisturiser and packs the wholesomeness of essential oils such as Himalayan turmeric, kumkumadi (saffron), mandarin orange, and evening primrose. It is enriched with antioxidants, helps prevent signs of ageing, boosts collagen, removes blemishes, and provides a natural sheen to the skin. You can use it in the morning and at night; all skin types can benefit immensely from it.
Sunscreen: Probably one of the most crucial steps in the entire skincare regime is using a potent sunscreen. When our skin gets exposed to the UVA and UVB rays of the sun, it harms the skin in multiple ways, such as hyperpigmentation, redness, and even skin cancer. To avoid these and protect your skin, sunscreen must block out harmful UV rays. But what is sunscreen? How many types of sunscreen are there? And how does it protect our skin? Read our detailed analysis about sunscreens and everything you need to know about them in this blog so that you can understand just how important this step is. When it comes to protecting your skin against the harmful rays of the sun, you can always rely on natural ingredients that have SPF properties. Natural ingredients such as aloe vera are excellent sun-protectants and help block out a significant portion of the sun’s rays. Ageless Face Serum by Kzen incorporates aloe vera gel, which acts as an excellent defence against the rays. Vitamin C in the serum is yet another naturally occurring agent that further helps in sun protection.
Lip Balm: Your lips' skin is thinner than your face's by multiple folds. Thus, what might work for your face might not work for your lips, as they need extra love and care. You realise just how fragile lips are, especially when they get chapped and dehydrated in the wintertime. That is why you must always use a highly nourishing lip balm. Kzen brings you not one but three lip balms to choose from. Our range of lip balms, called Zen Lips, has three balms: Mango Detan, Mint and Cocoa Vanilla. Each of them comes with unique properties, and you can take your pick per your needs. Zen Lips-Mango Detan has mango butter, orange peel powder and lemon essential oil as the main ingredients. It not only helps nourish the lips but also helps in keeping them wrinkle-free. It diminishes dark spots while also protecting them against sun damage. Zen Lips-Mint is a lip balm for those who want to soothe their wind-chapped, dry or sun-burnt lips and helps restore moisture. It packs the goodness of beeswax, shea butter, castor oil and peppermint essential oil. It also helps to diminish dark spots and has anti-wrinkle properties. Zen Lips-Cocoa Vanilla contains cocoa butter, vanilla essential oil and coconut oil. It is highly potent and works its charm even in the harshest environmental conditions. It has anti-ageing and SPF properties and keeps nourishment locked in for several hours.
Final Thoughts
A skincare regime can get overwhelming to follow on days when you don't feel like you need to do much for your skin. But trust us; it pays to stick to a regime in the long run. Over time, you will notice a significant reduction in breakouts, your skin will glow from within, and you will look more youthful. These changes will reflect your mood and overall personality. When your face, the most expressive part of your body, is in its best form, you become pretty much unstoppable. Thus, ensure you follow through with the above-mentioned steps, and we promise your skin will thank you for it.