Skin Care Tips

Some people imagine that a proper daily skin care regime will involve too much time spend applying different types of creams and lotions.

Unlike what most people think, a good skin care routine does not need to take up too much time. In fact, even for beginners, it can be done quickly within a few minutes. However, you'll see immense reward for the few minutes spent each day on taking care of your skin.

The following is a basic skin care routine for everyone:

Step 1: Cleansing (Twice daily) Time required: 1 to 2 minutes

Cleansing your skin prepares it to receive the next steps of toning, skin treatment, moisturizing, etc. Always choose a gentle, non-drying cleanser regardless of your skin type. A good cleanser should not dry out your skin or leave behind any waxy residues. Hence, it is not a good idea to use soap to wash your face. This is especially true if you have sensitive or acne-prone skin. A way to save time is to cleanse your face while you are in the shower (after you are done with shampooing your hair). Cleansing your skin should only take you 1 or 2 minutes.

Step 2: Toning (Twice daily) Time required: 1 minute

A facial toner not only refreshes your skin, it also helps to prepare your skin for further skin treatment. Choose a toner that does not contain any synthetic fragrance, colors or alcohol because these ingredients can be irritating and drying to the skin. Here's a suggestion to apply toner in place of the usual cotton pad: pour a small amount onto your palm and pat on directly to your face and neck. Keep patting lightly until the toner is completely absorbed by your skin. When your skin needs some refreshing during the day, you'll find that toners will come in useful too!

Step 3: Exfoliating (2 to 3 times a week, at night only) Time required: 1 minute

To keep your skin smooth and clear of excess dead skin cells, it is important to exfoliate your skin regularly. However, as the use of abrasive scrubs can be damaging to the skin over time, we do not encourage using facial scrubs. A better alternative would be to use an exfoliator made up of fruit or flower acids that gently dissolves away dead skin cells and unclog facial pores at the same time. As you can see, we have listed exfoliation as Step 3 after toning. This is because Vitasence exfoliating product, Cell Renewal Serum, has been specially formulated as a leave-on serum that works through the night while you are asleep to support the skin renewal process.

Step 4: Treatment (Twice daily) Time required: 1 to 2 minutes

The treatment step is a pretty flexible step which can be adjusted to suit your skin's particular needs. E.g. if you have acne, this is a good time to apply acne treatment products. This step may even involve using more than 1 products if your skin calls for it. The application of each product, however, should not take you more than a minute.

Step 5: Moisturize (Twice daily) Time Required: 1 minute

Next, you may want to apply a moisturizer to help 'seal in' the goodness of the treatment products which you have applied earlier. Depending on your skin type, applying a moisturizer can be optional. E.g. if your skin is prone to oiliness, it is likely that the treatment products which you have applied are more than sufficient to meet your skin's moisturizing needs. If your skin is on the dry side, an extra layer of moisturizer would be very useful indeed. It is important to choose a moisturizer that is not to heavy on oils to avoid getting clogged pores or pimple outbreaks.

Step 6: Protection (Once daily, in the morning) Time required: 1 minute

It is important to use a good, broad spectrum sunblock which can double as a light moisturizer during the day. Protecting your skin from sun exposure will minimize skin problems such as pigmentation and wrinkles, which are really a result of accumulated sun exposure. From the above article, I hope you can see how quick and easy it is to enjoy beautiful, healthy skin for life.

Coreenna Ong, co-founder of Vitasence, is an expert in the use of Chinese and Western herbal actives in skin care. Her articles have been published in various national newspapers and magazines and she has appeared in numerous TV programs to share her expertise. She has also authored 2 books on beauty and well-being. To learn more about starting your own skin care routine, visitBasic Skin Care Routine