Morning vs. Evening Skincare Routine: What’s the Difference?

Is it essential to have a different skincare routine for the morning and evening? The quick answer is yes because they are made to accomplish different goals. The morning routine focuses on protecting the skin, while the evening routine focuses on repairing the damages. Here’s an example of both routines:

The Morning Routine

When you wake up and remove the sleep in your eyes, you’ll have to prepare your skin for the long day ahead of it. You won’t always have the time to re-apply your products or shield yourself from the damaging effects of the sun, which means your morning skincare routine should take care of all that.

Step 1: Cleanser

The very first skincare product you need to use in the morning is a cleanser. This will help you remove all dirt, grime, and residue that’s still on your face from the previous night. Plus, because you applied skincare products before going to sleep, you have to allow your skin to breathe to prepare it for another day.

Step 2: Toner

Once you’ve cleansed your skin, the next step would be to balance your skin’s pH levels before applying heavier products. You can put the toner directly onto your fingers and face or you can use a cotton pad to apply the toner. But remember to do so in an upward motion because your skin will sag in the long run if you keep dragging it downwards.

Step 3: Spot Treatment

This step is optional because you only have to apply spot treatment to address problem areas, such as blemishes. If your skin isn’t breaking out, you can move on to the next step. But if you have an inflamed blemish that’s threatening to burst, you might want to use an anti-inflammatory and spot-drying product to take care of it.

Step 4: Moisturizer

All the previous products you applied were made to remove pollutants on the skin, including the natural oils that your glands secrete. As such, you have to return the lost moisture and hydration by using a moisturizer. A good moisturizer can also help give you softer and smoother skin.

Step 5: Sunscreen

If you’re not planning to use makeup, your morning skincare routine will end when you apply sunscreen. Don’t even skip out on this step because the sunscreen will protect your skin from sun damage and fight against early signs of aging. So, choose a sunscreen with at least SPF 30 or higher for good measure.

Step 6: Makeup

Your typical morning skincare routine doesn’t necessarily have to include putting on makeup. But if you are to apply some, it should be the last on your list of products. This is because you can’t put on your moisturizer or sunscreen after the foundation since your skin will no longer absorb it.

The Evening Routine

After spending all day out and about, there’s a big chance that pollutants have already managed to attach to your skin. Your pores may be filled with excess sebum and dirt from the air, which means you have to cleanse your face again before crawling into bed. This is also the best time to repair the damage caused by exposure to the sun and the elements.

Step 1: Make-up Remover

You can start your evening skincare routine by removing all the makeup you applied in the morning. If you didn’t put any, you could move on to the next step. But if you did, it’s best to use an oil-based makeup remover to get rid of any trace of product on your skin, especially if you use oil-based makeup.

Step 2: Cleanser

The best way to remove all pollutants and existing products is by washing your face with a gentle cleanser. If you applied makeup earlier, cleansing could help further remove the residue on your skin, so it won’t cause blemishes or irritation. This will also prepare the skin for all the products you’re going to apply for the evening.

Step 3: Exfoliator

It’s important to exfoliate the skin at least once every three days to eliminate the dead skin cells, excess sebum, and dirt rooted deep in your pores. But don’t exfoliate too often, as this could damage your skin and leave tiny lesions. Instead, choose an excellent exfoliating product that can clean and make your skin smooth.

Step 4: Toner

The toner will not only prepare your skin for the products you’re going to apply next, but it will also remove any leftover product that you didn’t remove while cleansing. Since you’re no longer heading out for the day, choose a toner that contains glycerin or hyaluronic acid because these can help moisturize your skin.

Step 5: Serum

Serums are great for addressing problem areas because they come in highly concentrated portions, which is why you’ll only need a few drops at a time. If you’re having trouble with dark spots or acne marks, you can use a whitening facial night serum that contains vitamin C because this can stimulate collagen growth.

Step 6: Eye Cream

If you’re having trouble with dark circles, fine lines, or puffiness around your eyes, you can reverse it by using a good eye cream. This product is much thicker than a serum or moisturizer as it is cream-based, which makes it a richer formula that can reduce the early signs of aging.

Step 7: Moisturizer

Lastly, to lock in all the nutrients and minerals from your skincare products, you’ll need a moisturizer. This will be the final step in your evening skincare routine because there’s nothing left to do but seal in the moisture and allow your skin cells to repair themselves overnight.

You won’t always have to include all these products in your morning and evening routines because having too many items on the list can make it difficult. Instead, you should choose the most important ones-such as the cleanser, moisturizer, and sunscreen-if you don’t want a routine that’s too complicated.