Skincare layering or applying cosmetic products in layers
Whether you're baking a cake, styling an outfit, or putting together a skincare routine, proper layering is key (Ask anyone who's tried wearing a chunky sweater under a denim jacket).
When it comes to skin care, the correct order of applying beauty products is the best routine. You don't have to have all the products like a professional, but as many products as you use, you should distribute them properly.
You don't have to be a chemist or a mathematician to do the right thing, but you have to know what you're doing.
Product layering can be simple, with just a few products, or robust, which includes a wide range of products depending on the condition and needs of the skin.
Regardless, the schedule is always the same, some products come before others, no matter how minimal or robust the routine is.
Can different cosmetic products be combined?
Skincare layering means you can target as many different areas with as many products as you like, keeping in mind how much time you can devote to skincare in the morning and at night.
Many people ask "can I use more than one serum on my face?", and the answer is yes.
Once you know how to layer products, you'll understand how to get the maximum out of each ingredient.
Many skin care routines in layers are very effective, because the products then work in harmony, not canceling each other's effect, but act synergistically.
Why is it important to layer products correctly?
- Active ingredients work more efficiently. Skin care products combine active and inactive ingredients to address a variety of skin concerns, from pimple breakouts to dark circles. When you apply products correctly, you allow the active ingredients to actively treat your skin.
- They increase absorption. Layering the products in the correct order ensures complete absorption of each product.
- It helps you combine ingredients safely. When using multiple skin care products, it is important to know that there are ingredients that can be used together, as well as ingredients that should not be mixed. This avoids disrupting the pH value of the skin.
IMPORTANT: Be careful not to combine vitamin C serum and products with retinol, which can cause skin irritation, or with niacinimide, which will inactivate the ingredients in both products.
- Preventing sun damage. When applying products with vitamin C or alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) in your morning routine, dermatologists recommend applying an SPF, as these products increase sun damage.
- Certain active substances do not tolerate high temperatures, so it is necessary to produce such products using a cold process, while other substances require the application of temperature in order to be activated and properly distributed in the product.
For this reason, it is best to have certain active substances in separate products. An example is vitamin C and vitamin E. Vitamin C is inactivated at high temperatures, and when you combine it with vitamin E, the effect increases over 4 times.
Vitamin E is not soluble in water and it is possible to have it in oil products in which vitamin C does not dissolve, or in emulsions, the preparation of which requires the application of elevated temperature.
How to start skincare layering?
If you are just starting to apply skincare layering, be simpler and start with a smaller amount of product, while over time you will reach the ideal amount that suits you.
When you decide to take this step, each product you apply to your skin helps the other product work much more effectively, while helping to keep your skin hydrated and glowing.
When applying products in layers, the simplest rule is to start from the thinnest to the densest products.
When it comes to applying the product according to density, you allow efficient absorption of each product.
Allow a minute for each product to work, before moving on to the next, to give each product enough time to fulfill its active effect.
Be careful not to apply too much product, as the product may peel off the skin..
Skincare layering in stepsa
1. Cleansing
The basis of any good routine is that the first step is cleansing the skin. Some people are fine with cleaning their skin with special cleansers, while others are fine with cleaning with plain water.
It's best to try it out to see what works best for you. If you decide to clean with water, make sure that the water is not hot, because hot water dries out the skin and can cause a feeling of tightness and burning.
Cleanser is a light product based on water or oil and is used to remove dirt, dust and make-up. It also helps to clear your pores.
It also removes dead cells from the surface, thus preventing blockages and reduced absorption of other products.
Cleaners have different formulations. You can opt for a simple facial cleanser or a two-step cleanser.
Whether you're applying your morning or evening skin care routine, start by cleansing your face. Your skin must be free of makeup and dirt, in order for the products to pass through the skin barrier.
Opt for Double Cleansing at Night, using oils in combination with an aqueous cleanser or our two-phase system with dogwood.
Because only the oil phase effectively removes the remains of make-up and sun protection products.
2. Peeling
Peeling is one of the main products responsible for removing dead cells, cleaning pores and improving skin tone.
There are mechanical, chemical and enzyme peels.
Mechanical peelings involve peeling particles, gloves, brushes or other tools to physically remove dead cells.
Chemical peelings use acids to exfoliate the surface layer of the skin and include alpha and beta hydroxy acids (AHA, BHA).
Enzyme peeling are similar to chemical peelings, only much safer to use at home. Instead of acids, in enzyme peeling, the skin is "peeled" by enzymes that mainly come from pineapples, papayas and kiwis.
How often you need to do the peeling of your face depends on your skin type.
Oily skin and acne-prone skin can be peeled two to three times a week, while with dry skin it is recommended once or twice to avoid irritation.
Also, on the day you do the peeling, avoid products with retinol.
Why does mechanical peeling improve skin tone?
It contains fine round particles that massage and clean the skin.
In addition to facial massage, which is very useful for increasing circulation, tightening the skin and raising its tone, peeling does an additional facial massage, bloods the skin and will be very useful for you, especially if you do not practice facial massage.
If you choose mechanical scrubs, avoid scrubs with large crystals such as salt and sugar, but use fine exfoliating particles such as exfoliating particles of plum, hazelnut, white clay...
We recommend Facial Scrub sa Piling Česticama Šljive (Facial Scrub with Peeling Plum Particles) for mature, normal and dry skin and Scrub Mask for oily and combination skin with hazelnut powder and white clay.
If you decide to use chemical peels, it is recommended not to do it yourself.
3. Toner
Toner is a key part of any skincare routine. It can hydrate, clean, exfoliate the skin, smooth wrinkles, tighten...
Put simply, toner looks like water, but take my word for it, it's much more than that. It is full of active ingredients of antioxidants, plant extracts, peptides, acids, anti-inflammatory molecules...
On the scientific side, the tonic is a fast-absorbing liquid that hydrates, adjusts the pH value, nourishes the skin...
As for makeup, the toner is a primer for the rest of the routine, while in some cases it can be used for fixing in the last step.
After cleaning and peeling the face, the pH value of the skin is disturbed due to washing. Water has a pH of 7, while the skin's pH value is around 5, so before further steps in the care, the pH value of the skin needs to be adjusted with a facial tonic.
In addition to adjusting the pH value, our Isceljujući Tonil (Healing Tonic) also contains three healing herbs, which nourish the skin, heal wounds and contribute to additional hydration.
The tonic also contains an extract of sticklewort, which has sticky molecules in it, which can protect the skin from drying out and fix make-up very well, all without alcohol, because alcohol dries the skin.
It's also not good to use products with alcohol even with oily skin.
4. Serums based on water and gels
Serums are light viscous products with a highly concentrated formula.
The concept of the serum is that a larger amount of active substances penetrates the skin faster. Also, due to the concentrated composition, it gives faster visible results.
Many people ask why not just use a serum? The answer is as follows, in order to maximize all the benefits of the serum, and to prevent it from evaporating from the skin, you must seal the serum with a cream.
They have a targeted effect on various skin problems, such as dark circles, uneven complexion, fine lines, rough skin, pores...
Serums based on gels are thicker than toners, but quickly absorbed, so they come after the toner and before the face cream.
Serums are more concentrated than moisturizers, but they are necessary because of the comprehensive effect of the serum.
Our recommendation is to use Antioksidativnog Dren Serum (Antioxidant Cornelian Cherry Serum) with extract of dogwood, oats and grape seeds.
This serum has a strong antioxidant effect, protects the skin from damage, evens out the complexion, narrows pores and reduces the visibility of fine lines. It is best to use it in the morning and evening routine.
5. Hydration
All moisturizers help moisturize and retain water in your skin, while oils work on the skin's surface, strengthening your skin barrier, further locking in moisture, and improving skin texture.
Any good skin care routine should include a moisturizer specific to your skin type and the goals you want to achieve.
The most important thing when choosing a moisturizing cream is to correctly determine your skin type.
Moisturizing creams for the care of dry and normal skin are richer in oils, while creams for oily and normal skin contain a smaller percentage of oils in combination with components that reduce sebum secretion and mattify the skin.
The most important thing for both types of creams is that they do not contain comedogenic molecules that will clog the pores, reduce skin breathing, and the penetration of the following care components.
We recommend Active+ cream with an increased content of active substances for the care of dry and normal skin.
It has an extremely hydrating and anti-aging effect, which dry skin especially needs.
While for oily skin, we recommend Balance + cream, which reduces the level of sebum secretion, mattifies the skin without drying it, narrows the pores and participates in the fight against acne and pimples.
It also has an anti-aging effect, but people with poor skin have a lower tendency for wrinkles to form, so the regulation of sebum secretion is much more necessary in such cases.
6. Facial oils and oil serums
The purpose of oils and oil serums for the face is primarily to nourish the skin, retain moisture, protect it and prevent the evaporation of all the previous care products you have applied.
Uljani serumi (Oil serums),in addition to oil, also contain concentrated small molecules (antioxidants and anti-inflammatory molecules) that have a targeted effect on certain skin problems. These molecules pass through the skin faster than pure oils, and have a positive effect in certain places.
Oils and uljani serumi (oil serums) are recommended in the evening routine because they are absorbed more slowly than other products, but they have a distinct effect on the skin.
You should also finish your morning routine with a sunscreen with mineral filters, and after the SPF cream, any subsequent product you apply will not penetrate the skin further.
If you want to end your routine with facial oils, we recommend ulje šljive (plum oil), for dry and normal skin, ulje lešnika (hazelnut) or malina (raspberry oil).for oily skin.
If you want a more intense effect, definitely opt for uljane serume (oil serums) that contain a combination of cold-pressed and essential oils, which are also formulated to suit dry and normal, as well as oily and combined skin types.
7. Eye cream
No matter how simple or full of different products your routine is, don't forget target areas like the eye area.
The region around the eyes is very thin and sensitive and needs a lot of care. These creams usually remove fine lines around the eyes, dark circles, dark circles and signs of fatigue.
Depending on the consistency, the position in your routine when you will use it differs.
If the eye cream is an emulsion, it is best to use it after the face serum, and if it has a thicker consistency, balm or ointment, you can apply it instead of the cream to the area around the eyes, or after it.
We recommend Hladnu Kremu sa Drenjinom (Cold Cream with Cornelian cherry) which cools and thus stimulates circulation.
It contains drops of plant extracts trapped in a net of balm that are released in contact with the skin and cool. In addition, it is full of antioxidants and essential fatty acids, necessary for the care of the sensitive thin area around the eyes.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use the products I use in the evening routine for morning care?
Yes, you can apply the same products in the same order, but finish your evening routine with an oil or oil-based skin care serum, and your morning routine with an SPF cream.
Can I apply oil serum before moisturizer or antioxidant serum?
No, oils are more occlusive than moisturizers and gel or water serums. If you were to apply an oil or oil serum before an antioxidant serum or cream, it would lock the ingredients of the serum out of your skin and thus oxidation would occur.
Deviation from the rules
If there are any products that you received from your dermatologist to target a problem, you can apply them to your skin immediately after cleansing and toning your face, regardless of its consistency.
This is because you want to give it a chance at its maximum activity and it has the best chance of getting deep under the skin.
