Skin Cycling

 Most of us have a routine we use on our skin, day after day. We might wash our face once a day, or twice a day, use only a moisturizer, or use a ton of serums etc. the other day, I ran into something called skin cycling.  The term skin cycling refers to using a cyclical methodology to your skin care routine. It is about how you apply products to your face, in what order, when, and it even includes rest time.

Skin cycling looks at using products that complement each other rather than just piling one after another on top of each other. It has you apply certain products with rest time for some so your skin has a chance to recover from the effects of those products. This prevents irritation and inflammation.

To start skin cycling, you need an exfoliant, a retinol product, and a moisturizer preferably scent free. The cycle takes four nights to run through.  On the first night you clean your face normally, pat your face dry, then exfoliate it. You remove the dead skin cells, preparing the skin for other products. The exfoliation, causes the skin to absorb other products better. Finally, finish with your moisturizer. In addition, use a chemical exfoliant because it is more gentle than a physical exfoliant on your skin.

On night two, focus on using your retinoids. These vitamin A derivatives help reduce any fine lines and wrinkles. As before, cleanse your face and pat it dry before applying moisturizer to the more sensitive areas such as under the eyes, and the corner of your nose. Next, apply the the retinoid product. Be aware that you might suffer a bit of irritation when you first start using retinoid products so that is why it is recommended one apply moisturizer to the more sensitive areas. If your skin still feels dry, apply a layer of moisturizer over your face.

Night three and four are rest nights where you do not apply exfoliants or retinoid products to give your skin a chance to rest and recover. On these two nights you want to focus on moisturizing and hydrating your skin. You also want to avoid any products that might irritate your skin so your skin has the chance to recover and improve. Cleanse your face as normal, apply a hydrating serum and finish with a moisturizer.

This cycle is a general rule of thumb. If you have sensitive skin, you might do a three or four day rest period. On the other hand, if your skin is tougher, you might get by with a one day rest before beginning the cycle again. Do not be afraid to play around to see which cycle works best for you. Let me know what you think, I’d love to hear.  Have a great day.