If you’ve been paying attention, you may have noticed Korean skincare, also known as “K-Beauty,” is getting a lot of hype. Korean women, and most Asian women, have this mystique of having young looking skin for seemingly forever. Some of it is genetics, yes, but another part of it is also that they take care of their skin. Korean girls sometimes start from the age of 12 about learning how to take care of their skin. As they get older, they can add and switch in different products to suit their needs. All for something called, “glass skin,” which really means having exceptionally smooth, clear, even-toned skin that’s so flawless it has the appearance of glass. A youthful, dewy complexion. Now, you may have seen people using an array of products, and it can be overwhelming with the rapid influx of K-Beauty products. Here is a breakdown of the most essential parts of a Korean skincare routine:
1. Cleanser
2. Toner
3. Essence
4. Moisturizer
5. SPF
You can skip the “essence” step if you wanted something even quicker, but most people do the essence step to have some extra moisture and nutrition in their skin.
- Cleanser
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If you wear makeup often, think about adding in something called an oil cleanser. Oil? On my skin? In this economy? Yes! Oil and water repel each other. Most cleansers are water based; you can see this by reading the ingredients. 9 times out of 10, the first ingredient will be good ‘ol water. You might still be skeptical and say, “I have oily skin, why would I add MORE oil?” In fact, oily skin is a result of not having enough natural oils in the skin, so it overproduces to compensate for the lack of oil. Oil-based cleansers help get rid of oil-based products and impurities. Ok, so why not just use something like baby oil or coconut oil? While yes, they may work, they won’t work as well as an oil cleanser, which is formulated especially to be washed off. More importantly, they’re formulated to NOT CLOG YOUR SKIN. That means less blemishes! Oil cleansers melt away excess sebum (stuff that gets clogged up into pimples), SPF (Yes, that needs to be washed off!), and other things like makeup and pollutants. I can tell you firsthand, taking off an entire face beat to DEATH with makeup is much easier with an oil cleanser than a makeup wipe or micellar water.
If you’re thinking of starting a Korean skincare routine, one of the essentials is a step called “double-cleansing.” This means using an oil cleanser to clean off makeup, SPF, sebum and then using a water-based cleanser to break down water-based impurities like dirt and sweat. Does it seem like a lot? At first, yes. But it makes a huge difference.
- Toner
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Next, a toner. You’ve cleansed, then cleansed again. Now, your skin is a little dry. That’s where toners come into play. Toners help to put back some of the moisture you’ve stripped off and wipe off any excess dirt remaining in the skin. It’s cool (and kind of gross!) to see! I would recommend Thayer’s Witch Hazel, which has different infusions for whatever skin type you have (unscented, cucumber, rose, lavender).
- Essence
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Now that you’ve cleansed and toned, it’s time for the GOOD stuff. I’m talking about essences. There are a lot; essences, ampoules, serums. They are concentrated ingredients made for your skin to help with whatever issue you have; kind of like a pre-moisturizer. The most popular is snail mucin, which is a gel-like substance that’s naturally antibacterial, moisturizing and antioxidant rich. It works for all skin types!
- Moisturizer
-
This step doesn’t really need much explaining. This step is just to moisturize and make sure your skin stays nice and hydrated. There are many different types of moisturizers, so just find the one that fits your needs the best!
- SPF
-
Yes. Sunscreen. Everyone needs to wear sunscreen. People of every shade of every color need sunscreen. ANYONE THAT HAS SKIN NEEDS SUNSCREEN. No, there is no arguing this. The biggest culprit of wrinkles, saggy skin, hyperpigmentation is the sun. UVA and UVB rays penetrate the skin breaking down important things like collagen (to keep skin firm and tight), suck out moisture, and aggravates pimples! Yes! Pimples are essentially wounds and need a coating of protection to keep them from getting worse. ESPECIALLY IF YOU POP YOUR PIMPLES! That’s an open wound, y’all. Put on sunscreen. With the introduction of Korean products that means no more greasy, gross, metallic smelling, white-casting sun lotion. There are two types of sunscreen, a physical and a chemical sunscreen. While no, a physical sunscreen is not going outside and fighting the sun, it’s minerals like titanium dioxide and zinc dioxide. They sit on top of the skin and reflect the sun’s rays. That’s why typical supermarket sunscreens feel so gross and heavy. A chemical sunscreen uses compounds such as oxybenzone and octinoxate which are absorbs sun rays as heat then bounce them off. These are thinner formulas and even come in gel form. The rules to follow with all sunscreens are, put them on 15-20 minutes before you outside so they can soak in and reapply, reapply, reapply.
Once you start a new skincare routine, you may start having a lot more blemishes. Don’t worry. That’s your skin purging itself. That means those pimples would have come up to the surface eventually. They’ll go away. The difference between skin purging and irritation is that skin purging should not be red, swollen, or itchy! Itching and pain are two big symptoms that a product is not suited for your skin or you could be allergic. Finding what products work best for you requires some trial and error. Remember, keep the receipt if you need to return a product. It’s better to get a refund than a rash. A great website to start your skin journey is Soko Glam. They have a skin quiz that can help you find your skin type and can recommend products to you. You can get those products on their site or for cheap on retailers like Amazon and eBay.
Happy Hunting! I wish each and every one of you beautiful, glass skin.