Gaia Love Skincare Routine

You’ve spent hours and hundreds of dollars buying the best beauty products for your skin type, but if you’re applying them in the wrong order, you could be doing more harm than good. For example, serum or moisturizer first? When is the best time to apply retinol? The order in which you apply your skincare products is vital and can make the difference between seeing results and wasting your time and money. But not to worry. We’ve put together a skincare routine order so that you never have to second guess which products to put on and when. 

Layering Skincare Products 

One easy way to remember the order of your skincare products is to consider their texture. You want to apply them from lightest to heaviest. The only time this rule goes out the window is with a face oil. In fact, when to apply an oil is a somewhat debatable topic, but it all comes down to your skin type. Many oils replace moisturizers, so then it would be the last product applied before your sunscreen. With that said, using face oils can be tricky, so we are going to provide you with the secret to applying face oils. Apply oils to damp skin that is either freshly washed or misted. Lightly misting your face with our Vitamin Mist Spray not only provides your skin with much needed nutrients, it allows the oil to spread smoothly and evenly, sealing hydration into the skin. There is also the option to mix oils in your hands with our face mist or damp hands to create an emulsion, and as the ingredients complement each other, they subsequently absorb faster into the skin. Facial oils also need a bit more time to absorb, so allow for that before morning applications of sunscreen and makeup.

Timing is Everything

As a general rule of thumb, you should wait about 30-60 seconds in between each skincare step before applying the next product, so it has a chance to absorb into the skin thoroughly. Some products, such as an acne treatment, for example, take a few hours to work, so it’s best applied at night without anything else on top of them to block them from reaching your skin.

Skincare Steps 

Cleanse

Morning Skincare Routine: It’s not always necessary to do a thorough cleanse in the morning unless you didn’t wash up the night before. Simply sweep a cotton pad saturated with micellar water, toner, or floral water over your face. In other words, only cleanse in the morning when necessary, so you don’t strip the skin of its natural oils. 

Night Skincare Routine: Nighttime is a whole different story. You must cleanse your face to remove any traces of makeup or sunscreen, as well as oil, sweat, and dirt, to adequately prep your skin for additional treatments and products. Also, make sure you’re cleansing effectively. Studies revealed that up to 80 percent of Americans wash their faces incorrectly, many of whom are using bath wash, hand soap, or only water.

Exfoliate

Any Time of the Day: It doesn’t matter if you exfoliate in the morning or evening as long as you’re doing it one to three times a week. It’s essential to remove dead skin cells so that your products can effectively penetrate the skin. Overly dry or sensitive skin types will want to exfoliate less than someone with normal to oily skin because it can prompt inflammation and irritation, expediting aging. 

Suppose you’re already using products with active ingredients such as one of the acids (salicylic, glycolic, lactic acid, malic, etc.), retinol, or retinoids. In that case, you’re already covered so there’s no need for additional exfoliation as you don’t want to strip the skin.  

Mask

Any Time of the Day: Many people skip out on using a mask because they feel “it takes too much time,” but the reality is, everyone has a spare ten to twenty minutes within seven days. Choose to mask on a day of the week when you have a little more time to yourself. For example, when you’re binging on the latest Netflix series, reading, taking a bath, meditating — whatever works.  

Tone

Day and Night Skincare Routine: Many people skip a toner because they think of them as being harsh and stinging (remember Seabreeze?) Today’s toners are formulated to address specific skin concerns, such as excess oil or dryness. Toners help restore the skin’s pH balance while prepping it for the rest of your products before your nighttime routine. In the morning, a toner (or essence) can replace your cleanser if your skin was washed the night before. 

Treat

Night Skincare Routine: The treatment step is crucial because it targets specific skin concerns on a deeper level. One of the leading products that fall into this category is a serum, which is the heavy lifter in your skincare routine because it’s more concentrated due to its molecular composition. There are copious formulas to choose from no matter what your skin type or concern. Should you decide to use multiple serums, apply the thinnest formula first. 

Plant-based Retinol Babchi Serum, $15 Our Full Spectrum Babchi Retinol stimulates collagen synthesis and effectively treat fine lines, wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, and various forms of acne. However, it may increase the skin’s sensitivity to the sun, so we suggest only to be applied at night — and sunscreen should always be a part of your morning skincare routine no matter what. 

Kumkumadi Tailam Brightening Elixir, $17.99 Our authentic Kumkumadi Tailam Elixir, is a unique blend of 25 luxurious oils and ayurvedic herbs formulated to help skin look young and healthy. Kumkuma means Saffron in Sanskrit, which is the key ingredient of our magical oil. Described as a "Miraculous Elixir", our Kumkumadi Boosting Oil is an ancient Ayurvedic formulation, made from pure Kashmir saffron and other unique potent ayurvedic ingredients essential for a more glowing and radiant complexion. This pure boosting elixir is also formulated to even skin tone and texture, repair early signs of aging, diminishes the appearance of acne scars, and prevent pimples.

Hydrate & Moisturize

Morning and Night Skincare Routine: A moisturizer is one of the core components of a skincare routine, regardless of skin type. Throughout the day, our skin is in a defense mode, safeguarding itself from harmful UV rays, the weather, bacterial growth, and pollution. And when you’re sleeping, the skin is in a reparative mode, working hard to regenerate and rebuild the damage precipitated by daily activities and habits. With that said, a good moisturizer is absolutely essential to healthy skin and we have you covered for every skin type. 

Organic Balancing Oil, $18 - Our Balancing Base Oil is the perfect blend of certified organic ingredients to treat and soothe every skin type or any skin condition. This beautiful, fast absorbing oil works wonders for combination and oily, acne prone skin. Formulated with Kalahari Melon Seed Oil and our one of a kind Organic Bamboo Silica Oil, your skin will be transformed by only the best our Mother Earth can provide. (if your skin does not react well to Vitamin C, we recommend using our Hydrating Base Oil instead)

Organic Hydrating Oil, $18 - Our Hydrating Base Oil is the perfect blend of certified organic ingredients to hydrate and soothe every skin type or any skin condition. This beautiful oil works wonders for combination and dry-aging skin that also may be prone to breakouts. Formulated with Plantain Oil and our one of a kind Organic Bamboo Silica Oil, your skin will be transformed by only the best our Mother Earth can provide. 

Protect

Sunscreen is the most important skincare product you can ever use! But most people aren't using it correctly. Everyone should be applying a Broad Spectrum Sunscreen with a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of 30 or higher everyday to protect their skin. When adding sunscreen to your daily routine, it will be the final step in your skincare ritual. Remember to apply a generous amount (about 2-3 entire fingers long) at least 15 minutes before going outside!  

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