Many people think that having a daily skin care routine will take up too much of their time and will involve jars and jars of potions and complex steps.
Contrary to popular notions, an effective skin care regime need not be at all time-consuming. In fact, it can be done within a matter of minutes even for beginners. However, the rewards for spending these few minutes each day are immense.
Below is an outline of a basic skin care routine which everyone can benefit from:
Step 1: Cleansing (Twice daily) Time required: 1 to 2 minutes
Cleansing ’sets the stage’ for the rest of your skin care regime. Regardless of your skin type, it is important to use a gentle cleanser that will not dry out your skin or leave behind greasy residues. As facial skin tend to be more delicate, it is best to avoid washing your face with soap. This is especially true if your skin is dry, sensitive or prone to breakouts. If you wish to save time, you can cleanse your face while in the shower (after rinsing off the shampoo and shower gel). This process should take only a minute or 2.
Step 2: Toning (Twice daily) Time required: 1 minute
Applying a tonic lotion to your skin is a great way to refresh your skin and prepare it for skin treatment. A good toner should not contain alcohol, fragrance or synthetic colours as these ingredients can be irritating to the skin. If you prefer, you can do away with the cotton pad and pat the toner directly onto your face with your hands. Toners can also be used to freshen up your skin during the day when you need some pick-me-up.
Step 3: Exfoliating (2 to 3 times a week, at night only) Time required: 1 minute
To achieve smooth, clear skin, exfoliating your skin regularly is a must. While exfoliation is important, we do not recommend abrasive facial scrubs as the abrasive action of scrubbing your skin can lead to skin damage in the long term. A gentler, more effective approach would be to use an exfoliator composed of fruit and flower acids as these have been shown to be effective in gently dissolving away dead skin cells while providing your skin with natural moisturizers and antioxidants. We have listed exfoliation as Step 3 here because Vitasence’s exfoliating product, Cell Renewal Serum, is actually a leave-on serum that has been specially formulated to support your skin’s renewal process throughout the night as you are asleep.
Step 4: Treatment (Twice daily) Time required: 1 to 2 minutes
This is a flexible step which you can adjust to suit your skin’s special needs. E.g. if you have pigmentation, you can start applying your skin whitening serums at this stage. Sometimes, this step may call for more than one products. E.g. if you have pigmentation and fine lines at the same time, you can applying anti-aging serum followed by the whitening treatment. Applying each product should not take up more than a minute of your time.
Step 5: Moisturize (Twice daily) Time Required: 1 minute
Applying a good, light moisturizer helps to ’seal in’ the goodness of the treatment serum which you have applied in Step 4. However, if your skin is on the oily side, you may find that the treatment products are more than sufficient to keep your skin hydrated. On the other hand, if you have dry, normal skin, an extra dose of moisturizer will keep your skin healthily hydrated all day. To avoid getting breakouts and clogged pores, it is important to choose a moisturizer that is not too heavy.
Step 6: Protection (Once daily, in the morning) Time required: 1 minute
Pigmentation, wrinkles and many other skin problems are the result of accumulated sun exposure. Hence, it is essential to use a good, broad spectrum sunblock that can double up as a light moisturizer during day time. I hope from the brief article here, you can see how in less than 10 minutes twice daily, a good skin care routine will give you healthy, beautiful skin for life.
Coreenna Ong, co-founder of Vitasence, is an expert in the use of Chinese and Western herbal actives in skin care. Her articles have been published in various national newspapers and magazines and she has appeared in numerous TV programs to share her expertise. She has also authored 2 books on beauty and well-being. To learn more about starting your own skin care routine, visit
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