TWO-STEP ROUTINE
I believe in you. You’re doing great.
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The two-step routine is:
Wash your face: Apply your cleanser to a mostly-dry face. Take off with a warm (not hot!) wrung-out facecloth
Apply moisturizer
The key to this two-step routine is the facecloth. It can be a packet of muslin cloths you buy off Amazon, an old cotton T-shirt cut up into squares, or even an extra packet of lap sponges you ‘rescued’ from the OR (#resourcestewardship). The facecloth serves two different purposes; one, it serves as a gentle physical exfoliant, and two, it will leave your face slightly damp. Serums/oils/moisturizers ALWAYS absorb better when your face is slightly damp, so avoid drying your face completely with a towel. I usually limit one cloth to twice-a-day use (morning and night) before I toss it in the hamper to be washed. If you feel like your face is getting overly-exfoliated (red, sensitive, tender), then switch to just washing off your cleanser and very lightly patting your face with a towel, just enough that you’re not dripping.
A word about your moisturizer… if you’re doing a two-step routine, you should focus most of your money on your moisturizer, because this is really where most of your “skincare” is going to be. I would splurge a little on something fancy, whatever that means for your budget. More details on what you should look for in the next post!
And don’t forget SPF. Always put on SPF.