Love the skin you're in! You cannot say you are taking care of you and not caring for the part of you people see most, your face. You would be surprised how a simple skincare routine can heighten your mood and boost self confidence. The key word in that sentence is "routine". 

‘Facial skin care’ is more a matter of discipline than anything else. A facial skincare routine is what you need (and you need to follow the facial skincare routine with complete seriousness). Now, there are times where we skip a night cleansing here and there due to nothing more than exhaustion but get back on the wagon quickly, because one missed step can throw your skin care goals off course. 

Some people may ask what steps consist of a good skincare regimen. Let’s check out what comprises an effective facial skin care routine. Well, very simply, a facial skincare routine can start with the following 4 steps:

• Cleansing

• Toning

• Exfoliating

• Moisturizing

1. Cleansing is the first thing in a facial skin care routine. Besides the obvious removal of makeup, cleansing helps in removing dust, pollutants, grease and extra oil from your skin, thereby preventing damage to your skin and clogged pores. First use a gentle makeup remover for eye area then gently massage your face and neck with a good cleansing lotion or cream using upward strokes. Use a soft face tissue or cotton wool to wipe your face in a gentle patting fashion (do not rub).  Cleansing should be done at least twice a day i.e. morning (as part of complete facial skincare routine) and evening (on a standalone basis). Water-soluble cleansers are the best for inclusion in your facial skincare routine. 
2. Toning is the next in a facial skincare routine. However, this is the optional part of the facial skincare routine. Mostly, proper cleansing can compensate for toning. Toning helps remove all traces of dirt, grease and excess cleanser. Instead of making it part of your daily facial skincare routine, you can use toning occasionally i.e. when you have been exposed to a particularly harsh environment/pollution. 
3. Exfoliation is again, kind of, an optional step in everyday routine for facial skincare. However, exfoliation is necessary at least once a week (or twice, depending on the skin type and the environmental conditions). Exfoliation finds its place in facial skin care routine because of the natural tendency of skin to replenish the skin cells every 3 or 4 weeks. As a facial skin care technique, exfoliation helps in removing the dead skin cells that block the pores, thus assisting the skin in the natural process. However, excessive or harsh exfoliation can cause damage to your skin; so you need to balance it out. 
4. Moisturizing is the last step. In fact, moisturizing is the most important part of facial skincare routine. Moisturizers prevent your skin from getting dry. Dry skin is really undesirable since it causes the upper layer skin to break, leading to dead skin cells. Again, use light upward strokes to make the moisturizer more effective. Moisturizers work the best when applied on warm and damp skin. So do not try to remove all the moisture in the previous steps of facial skincare routine. You can top off your moisturizer with a facial serum if you like. We recommend a nice, non-greasy oil serum at night, to replenish and seal in moisture while you sleep. Then a lighter cream or gel serum in the daytime. 

No matter which steps you take or which products you use stick to your skincare plan. Care for your skin now and your skin will take care of you later. Make good skincare habits now so you don't regret it five, ten or twenty years from now. 

Do you have special skincare routines or is there a habit you use to keep you from falling off your skincare goals wagon? We'd love to hear it, comment below!