Beauty and Skin Care Resources

Many people think that having a daily skin care routine will take up too much of their time and will involve jars and jars of potions and complex steps.

Contrary to popular notions, an effective skin care regime need not be at all time-consuming. In fact, it can be done within a matter of minutes even for beginners. However, the rewards for spending these few minutes each day are immense.

Below is an outline of a basic skin care routine which everyone can benefit from:

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 achieve smooth, clear skin, exfoliating your skin regularly is a must. While exfoliation is important, we do not recommend abrasive facial scrubs as the abrasive action of scrubbing your skin can lead to skin damage in the long term. A gentler, more effective approach would be to use an exfoliator composed of fruit and flower acids as these have been shown to be effective in gently dissolving away dead skin cells while providing your skin with natural moisturizers and antioxidants. We have listed exfoliation as Step 3 here because Vitasence’s exfoliating product, Cell Renewal Serum, is actually a leave-on serum that has been specially formulated to support your skin’s renewal process throughout the night as you are asleep.

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

This is a flexible step which you can adjust to suit your skin’s special needs. E.g. if you have pigmentation, you can start applying your skin whitening serums at this stage. Sometimes, this step may call for more than one products. E.g. if you have pigmentation and fine lines at the same time, you can applying anti-aging serum followed by the whitening treatment. Applying each product should not take up more than a minute of your time.

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

Sun exposure is the main cause of a myriad of skin problems such as pigmentation and wrinkles. Therefore, during the day, it is important to apply a good sunblock that can double as a light moisturizer. From the basic daily regime above, we can see that taking care of your skin need not be at all time-consuming. In fact, in less than 10 minutes twice daily, you are on your way to 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

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