Starting a skincare routine can feel intimidating, but with these few tips and product suggestions, you can easily uncover a ritual that’ll benefit your skin today.
How do you start a skincare routine? According to Tatcha’s founder Vicky Tsai, taking into consideration your psyche, skin type, and needs. But don’t let the concept of a daily routine make you feel intimidated—a successful skincare ritual can be only a few steps and take less than a minute to accomplish. Keep reading to uncover tips on how to start a skincare routine (even for beginners), how to introduce new skincare products, and the best formulas for you.
How to Start a Skincare Routine
Determine Your Skin Type
Knowledge is empowering, so caring for your skin begins with understanding its unique characteristics and needs, says Tsai. Discovering your skin type can take mere minutes and will help you make smarter skincare choices that’ll benefit your specific skin. To determine your skin type, we suggest using either The Bare-Faced Method or The Blotting Sheet Method to best identify your type of skin.
Pinpoint Your Skincare Goals
Further build out your skin’s characteristics and needs by zeroing in on your concerns and goals. Hoping to brighten dark spots? Looking to unclog pores and clarify acne-prone skin? Pinpointing your specific concerns will allow you to supplement your skincare routine with products and ingredients that can address these issues.
Be Realistic
“Beauty routines are personal and in my opinion, an extension of your psyche," adds Tsai. Meaning that you’re not likely to veer far from internalized preferences. Enjoy indulging and luxuriating in self-care? A skincare routine with multiple steps might be a great option for you. But perhaps you’re the opposite—and adhering to a multi-step ritual might feel exhausting and time-consuming. (That’s perfectly okay, there’s still a skincare routine—one that can even be completed in less than a minute—that’s right for you.) Being realistic when considering a skincare routine will help you tailor it based on your needs—and help you not be over- or under-whelmed.
Be Consistent (and Patient)
As with many things in life, consistency is key. It can take months to know if a skincare product is working and see changes or results in the skin, so be patient. Sticking with a skincare routine, morning and night, can result in significant benefits, but only if you continue to follow it regularly.
Start Slow
Wondering how to introduce new skincare products into your daily ritual? The golden rule of thumb when incorporating new skincare products is to try one product at a time so you can analyze how your skin reacts. If you get overzealous and try multiple products at once, resulting in a negative reaction, it will be difficult to understand the source of the irritation. Paring down your routine to a few key products and slowly introducing more (as wanted) will likely be more effective.
Try a Japanese Skincare Routine
As Tsai has said, the “beauty of a classical Japanese skincare ritual lies in its simplicity.” Whether you’re a beginner or an enthusiast, a Japanese regimen is designed to achieve your happiest and healthiest-looking skin. In this page, titled “The Art of the Skincare Ritual”, we demonstrate and explain the basics of purifying, polishing, plumping, and nourishing. Not only does the page specify tips and products based on your skin type, but it also includes Tsai herself utilizing routine best practices. As an added bonus, a Japanese skincare routine doesn’t just reveal radiant skin through gentle, consistent care, but it also allows for daily moments of mindfulness with the art of self-care.
For a customized guide to uncovering your ideal regimen, take Tatcha’s Ritual Finder quiz, which can help discover a skincare routine based on your skin type, goals, and existing skincare collection.