Three FREE Ways To Supercharge Your Skincare Routine

Skincare is very often a patience game. While some hydrating serums and creams can give instant results, you do need to give your skin time to respond to most products, especially with more stubborn concerns such as fine lines and dark spots. But, if waiting around to see the benefits is driving you around the loop, there are ways you can instantly supercharge your skincare routine right now. Best of all, you don’t have to spend any extra money for these free skincare tips to work…

1. Get the order right 

With skincare, it’s not just what you use, it’s how you use it. So first, you need to commit to using your products as per the usage instructions (sounds simple – but it does take an average of 66 days to form a habit!)

Then, to really maximise each product’s potential, make sure you are applying them in the right order. It might feel confusing – especially if you like to use more than one serum – but after cleansing (that all-important first step), the golden rule is really simple: go from thinnest to thickest consistency.

In practice, that means starting with your water-based toners and serums, following them with any other serums such as brightening vitamin C, and then layering on your moisturiser or face oil. SPF is a given, of course, and should always be your last step before any makeup.

This ordering system ensures all your skincare’s potent ingredients can penetrate your skin before your moisturising step locks everything in – ensuring you benefit from every drop of every product you apply. Another bonus of hydrating your skin first: it can enhance the penetration of the products that follow, which is why you should also…

2. Apply your skincare onto damp skin 

When your skin is cleansed and still a bit wet (you don’t want it to be soaking!), it absorbs moisture and other skincare ingredients more efficiently.

For example, ingredients such as hyaluronic acid thrive when your skin is damp, as they can draw the water into your skin (as well as from the air around you), supercharging their hydrating effect. At the same time, when damp, your skin’s outer layer (the stratum corneum) is softened and becomes slightly swollen with water. While by no means a ‘sponge’ that absorbs everything (its main function is as a barrier, after all), this does create tiny gaps that mean small enough active ingredients can penetrate a little deeper into your skin, helping you see better results more quickly.

The only time you may not want to enhance penetration in this way is with retinoids. If you have more sensitive skin, applying your retinol to damp skin could increase your risk of irritation. Instead, you could try sandwiching your retinoids, which involves layering a thicker moisturiser on first to actually reduce the penetration rate of your chosen product. You’ll see results more gradually but will struggle less with side effects so it is worth considering for the more sensitive among us.

3. Don’t forget your hands and neck

It isn’t just your face that can benefit from some free skincare TLC– your neck and hands can too. Both are notorious for showing signs of premature ageing such as wrinkles and dark spots first – not least because the skin on your neck is thinner and has fewer oil glands than your face, and your hands face daily sun exposure and the elements.

While you can see great results using a targeted neck and hand cream if that’s what you are after, if you want a free skincare hack (that arguably also saves time), you can simply extend your skincare routine down onto these areas. Hydrating creams and dark-spot-reducing serums are top recommendations depending on your concerns, and another non-negotiable, of course, is sunscreen. Always apply your SPF to your neck and hands when out and about. They catch more sun than you might realise!

The final word

Supercharging your skincare doesn’t have to mean spending more money or adding more steps into your routine. Instead, it is about being tactical and using what you already have to the best advantage – something that’s both free and priceless for your skin.

Want some additional help identifying your key skincare concerns? Speak to a skin expert like TTG’s very own Shenaz via our digital consultations.