Despite your inclination to rush out the door or crawl into bed after maybe running a makeup wipe across your face, it’s imperative that you give your skin a little more effort than that. Here are the steps that should be a part of your skincare routine, daily!

Wash Your Face Morning and Night

Most often, people tend to skip out on cleansing in the morning. It’s easy to understand the thought process — if you washed your face the night before, why bother... Your skin is clean, right?

Not so much... The term beauty rest was coined for a reason. Nighttime is when your skin cells turn over. New cells pushing to the surface means old cells are dying, and need to be swept away in the morning. The best way to avoid cluttered, dull skin is by cleansing every morning. Plus, no matter how much we wash our pillowcases, they’re inadvertently covered in debris. A morning cleanse sweeps away all these accumulated pore-blockers and allows products to penetrate better — and that includes your makeup primers and foundation — and improves the overall cleanliness and health of your skin.

A great daily cleanser is SLMD’s Salicylic Acid Cleanser. Salicylic Acid is a powerful BHA (beta hydroxy acid) that is able to penetrate through oil to unclog pores and prevent blackheads and whiteheads. While it is super effective for those experiencing acne, it’s also a great gentle ingredient for those just looking to keep their skin looking and feeling healthy. 

If you are more acne-prone: after washing your face, you may want to incorporate a treatment lotion specifically formulated to kill acne causing bacteria. SLMD Skincare’s BP Lotion is an effective daytime treatment option. If you are sensitive to BP, SLMD's Sulfur Lotion is a more gentle alternative!

Washing our face at night is important to skin health for a number of reasons. For starters, if you’re wearing makeup or sunscreen — you need to remove those products from your skin. But even if you aren’t, our skin picks up residue and debris throughout the day, whether it be from touching our faces, talking on the phone, or being exposed to poor air quality and pollution. Environmental aggressors are often the primary cause of collagen and elastin breakdown, and can also contribute to uneven skin tone!

Leaving skin covered in makeup, sweat, and pollution overnight can clog your pores, increase chances of breakouts, and over time, lead to visible signs of aging. In addition to washing your face, one of the best nighttime ingredients is retinol — an all-star skincare option that increases skin cell turnover, improves dark spots, and fights acne and signs of aging, while you sleep. SLMD’s Retinol Serum is a great nighttime treatment option. 

Moisturize

If you don’t have extremely dry skin, or have very acne prone skin, it can be easy to overlook or avoid incorporating moisturizer into your skincare routine. However, EVERYONE should be using a moisturizer. The amount of benefits moisturizing has for your skin greatly outweighs the non-existent ones for not moisturizing it. 

Moisturizing keeps skin balanced and keeps it from getting too oily or dry. It helps combat the daily loss of skin cells and allows sensitive skin to repair itself. Last but not least, it prevents visible signs of aging like fine lines and wrinkles. SLMD’s Facial Moisturizer, formulated with Vitamin C, is a great non-comedogenic (meaning it won’t clog pores) moisturizer for all skin types if you’re looking to hydrate, brighten, and protect your skin from pollution.

Wear SPF

You probably know to apply sunscreen when you’re heading out for a beach day or know you are going to be out in the sun, but wearing SPF every day regardless of the weather is a must. Sunlight has been linked to skin cancer, but beyond that major health risk, UV rays can also cause damage to skin that can reduce elasticity, create hyperpigmentation, and contribute to fine lines and wrinkles. Opt for a two-in one moisturizer like SLMD Dual Defender SPF 30 to kill 2 birds with one stone, and keep your skin moisturized and protected.

Get Salicylic Acid Cleanser, along with treatment steps, BP Lotion and Retinol Serum in SLMD’s Acne System. 

Get Salicylic Acid Cleanser, along with treatment step, Sulfur Lotion, in SLMD’s Sensitive Skin Acne System. 

In short: stick to a skincare routine — this consistency keeps your skin healthy and acne at bay!