From cleansers and mists to oils and serums - understanding the correct order to apply your skincare products can be daunting. While skincare routines aren't one size fits all, we've broken it down into 8 steps you can easily follow, or skip, to reveal your most radiant skin.
Step 1: Cleanse
In our opinion, this is a vital step in any good skincare routine! Cleansing removes the dirt, sweat and makeup our complexions accumulate throughout the day, ensuring a clean and clear canvas for the rest of your products. Take it a step further by using an oil-based cleanser, followed by a water-based cleanser for the perfect double cleansing routine.
White Willow Purifying Cleansing Gel is a beautiful water-based daily cleanser for all skin types. This gel has a silky and sudsy texture that deeply cleanses while maintaining the integrity of healthy oils that lock in moisture. Relieve skin irritations and blemishes with a combination of white willow bark and sandalwood. Pro tip: use this water-based gel as your second cleanse to ensure you've effectively washed the day away.
Blue Azul Soothing Cleansing Emulsion is an oil-based cleanser intended for normal, dry, and sensitive skin types. This formulation combines skin-soothing oils and botanicals to remove impurities while easing inflammation and redness. Pro tip: use this oil-based emulsion as your first cleanse in a double cleansing routine.
Kaolin + Coconut Milk Radiant Cleansing Balm is an oil-based cleanser designed to melt away makeup and sunscreen without soap to leave your skin balanced, glowing and residue-free. We use Marula oil for a potent antioxidant boost. Pro tip: use this oil-based balm as your first cleanse in a double cleansing routine.
Keep in mind that the general rule of thumb post-cleanse is to apply your products from lightest to heaviest!
Step 2: Exfoliate
A relaxing ritual for the skin that we like to indulge in 1-2 times/week is a face mask to gently exfoliate, detoxify or provide an intense dose of whatever it is your complexion is craving!
Superfruit AHA Brightening Face Mask exfoliates the skin to deliver instant softness. Thanks to a unique blend of superfruit complexes and alpha hydroxy acids, skin feels smooth, rejuvenated and nourished.
Charcoal + Matcha Detoxifying Face Mask helps clarify your complexion while delivering a burst of antioxidants. While charcoal draws out bacteria and other micro-particles, matcha and French green clay detoxify to leave skin feeling revitalized, soft and balanced.
Step 3: Tone
Next, you'll tone with your face mist to balance your skin's pH. Mists absorb quickly into the skin and help enhance the absorption and spreadability of elixirs, oils and creams.
Pink Coconut Hydrating Face Mist is a moisture-enhancing mist that infuses the skin with nutrients to restore suppleness for a glowing complexion. Coconut water instantly rehydrates, providing a renewed glow, while rose water and aloe reduce redness and inflammation.
Spirulina Tonic Clarifying Face Mist is a lightly hydrating mist formulated for problematic, sensitive and combination skin. Spirulina is rich in vitamins and eliminates toxins from the skin while increasing skin metabolism to enable faster skin cell turnover and skin healing.
Step 4: Treat
Now is the time to treat with concentrates. At this stage the skin has been cleansed from impurities and dead skin cells and is ready for any treatments necessary. Your most active skin care products should be applied now.
Clarity Purifying Concentrate is our favourite blemish-busting spot treatment that heals and treats breakouts thanks to a potent combination of blue tansy oil, black cumin seed oil and brightening Rosehip oil. Pro tip: add a drop or two to your favourite elixir, mask or moisturizer to help prevent future breakouts!
Prickly Pear + Schisandra Youth Concentrate is an absolute powerhouse product when it comes to infusing mature skin with intense antioxidant action and ultra-high concentrations of the best ingredients on our shelves—including vitamin K to reduce dark spots and improve the appearance of scars and spider veins. Designed for those who are determined to take a proactive approach, this dense hit of rich nutrients will leave you feeling unbelievably soft, replenished and radiant.
Step 5: Hydrate
Our powerhouse elixirs (AKA water-based serums) provide skin with a concentrated blend of ingredients that promote various benefits for your skin care needs. These water-based serums can be mixed with your favourite face oils but should be applied before your moisturizer as the small molecular size means they penetrate deeply into the skin. This helps skin retain water and maintain hydration while boosting the effects of your moisturizer.
Pure + Calm Infusion Refining Face Elixir is a high-performance serum that delivers an instant dose of active herbal extracts to minimize redness and inflammation. This oil-free formula is instantly absorbed with hyaluronic acid which works to keep the skin plump and hydrated.
Youth Infusion Hydrating Face Elixir contains hard-working Tripeptide-29 to dramatically increase the production of collagen. Hyaluronic acid penetrates deeply into the skin to plump and hydrate while tamarind seed and powerful green algae improve skin elasticity and smoothness.
Step 6: Nourish
Our face oils are loaded with skin-loving omegas, antioxidants and botanical extracts that deeply nourish, lock in moisture and encourage a smooth, hydrated complexion. Apply 1-5 drops directly to clean, slightly damp skin or mix with your elixir of choice.
Marula + Cactus Nourishing Face Oil encourages a youthful glow while infusing the skin with antioxidants and nourishing hydration. Marula, prickly pear, and evening primrose oils provide beneficial fatty acids, defend against free radical damage and increase firmness and elasticity.
Rosehip + Black Cumin Clarifying Face Oil provides lightweight and fast-absorbing nourishment while reducing redness, texture, pigmentation and clarifying your complexion. Rosehip, cranberry and black cumin oils are blended to instantly hydrate and improve skin tone.
Step 7: Revitalize
Before applying moisturizer, reach for your favourite Om eye product! Apply a very small amount to the under-eye area and follow around the orbital bone.
Cucumber Tea Brightening Eye Serum helps eliminate dark circles and puffiness. Cucumber and caffeine work together to eliminate excess fluid build-up and ease inflammation, while bilberry delivers oxygen-rich blood to all layers of the skin.
Bilberry + Tucuma Antioxidant Eye Cream is a soft, waterless balm that is rich, gentle and concentrated to reduce the appearance of fine lines, puffiness and dark circles.
Step 8: Moisturize
We're often asked what step should come last in your skincare routine and the answer is, face cream! Why? All creams contain waxes that bind the oil and water. Wax creates a barrier on the skin which locks in your other products. Applying your elixirs and oils before this step allows everything to properly absorb into your skin.
Our best-selling Coconut Dew Hyaluronic Moisture Cream is ultra-hydrating, yet lightweight leaving your skin visibly balanced and supple. Coconut water instantly rehydrates while marula oil deeply hydrates, nourishes and improves skin. Moisture is retained for maximum hydration throughout the day with the help of hyaluronic acid, leaving you with a dewy, radiant glow.
Need a little more moisture? Our Gotu Kola + Squalane Hyaluronic Nourishing Cream is a deeply nourishing formula that leaves skin thoroughly moisturized, soft and supple.
We hope this clears up any questions you have about the order of use and encourages you to enjoy a mindful skincare ritual with our beautifully made products. Questions? Get in touch at hello@omskin.com