A Beginner’s Guide to Building a Skincare Routine

With the growing popularity of skincare content and influencers all over the internet, more and more people are looking to improve their own complexions by creating their own skincare routines. However, the wide selection of skincare products available in the market can make this incredibly overwhelming for beginners, especially with all the marketing claims and content creators lending their own voices.

When you don’t know where to begin your skincare journey, it always helps to start with the basic essentials. Here are the fundamental steps of building a skincare routine to help you achieve the smooth and radiant glow that you’ve always wanted!

Step 1: Determine Your Skin Type

Figuring out what your skin type is will make the rest of these steps much easier. Not only does it help narrow your choices down the line, but it also helps you become more aware of your skin concerns and goals that you want to achieve with your routine. A good way to do this is by washing your face with a gentle cleanser and waiting for around 30 minutes after patting yourself dry.

The feeling of your skin after these 30 minutes will give you an idea of what your skin type is. Those with dry skin will feel an uncomfortable tightness on their skin, as well as possibly see a few visible lines when moving their faces. Those with oilier skin will see obvious shininess covering their entire skin and may even feel a bit of oil already forming.

Lastly, those with combination skin will feel the discomfort of tightness in certain areas while also seeing some shininess in others. Combination skin is very common but is probably the most complicated skin type to treat as it combines the concerns of both oily and dry skin types.

Step 2: Building Your Skincare Routine

Now that you have a better understanding of your skin, you’ll be able to buy skincare products that target and cater to your specific skin type. While you may have heard of a wide variety of skincare steps, you only need the absolute basics when starting your skincare journey—a cleanser, a moisturizer, and sunscreen. Don’t worry because you’re more than welcome to add more steps to your routine down the road.

The ideal cleanser won’t irritate or strip your skin of its natural oils, so look for more gentle formulations that don’t come with harsh surfactants, even if you have oily skin. A moisturizer is meant to give your skin the hydration that it needs, so look for certain ingredients like hyaluronic acid, ceramides, occlusives, or glycerin, depending on your skin type. Look for a sunscreen that offers broad spectrum coverage and has at least SPF 30 on it.

Step 3: Be Consistent

You have to be realistic about your skincare routine. You’re not going to see massive changes and improvements overnight because skincare is a long-term commitment and an investment in yourself. Don’t be discouraged when you don’t see any progress after a few days because these changes usually take weeks or months to show. Stick with your skincare routine and do it consistently, and you’ll definitely be seeing results in no time.

If you’re looking for more ways to elevate your skincare routine, download the Temu mobile app and browse through our wide selection of skincare products and tools today!