The Best Way to Apply Your Products

Like any routine part of our day we can get, well, routine. You more than likely go through the motions with tasks like brushing your teeth, taking a shower, or applying daily facial products. However, if you’re not seeing positive results with your skin care regime, you may want to closely examine your routine. The order in which you apply your products is essential for success. You wouldn’t put on a t-shirt over a sweater or socks over shoes, so you don't want to put a night cream on before a serum.

Here is a general outline of the order in which you should apply your skin care products:

1. Cleanser. At the start of any skin care routine – whether it is when you first wake up, before you go to bed, or after a workout – you want to begin with clean skin. Use a gentle cleanser like our Tamanu Luxury Facial Cleanser to remove dirt and bacteria from pores so that your skin can properly benefit from the products you will layer on. Click here to read more about washing your face.
2. Toner is not an everyday product for everyone, but when you do use one, you want to use it directly after washing your face. It takes the cleansing process one step further and helps remove dead skin cells and any pesky bacteria hiding in pores. This will prime your skin to efficiently absorb your follow up products. Read more about the benefits of toner here.
3. Medicated or Treatment Products. If you are using a prescribed, topical cream to treat a specific problem you want to put it in direct contact with clean skin. No matter how thick or thin it is, applying it on fresh, clean skin will allow it to do its job most effectively.
4. Moisturizers are an essential part of every skin care routine. When you're using more than one moisturizing product, the rule of thumb is to apply them from lightest to heaviest. A serum, for example, is light to the touch and should be applied first since it will absorb into skin quickly. A heavier cream-based moisturizer would then be applied on top of the serum. If you reverse the order, the slow-to-absorb cream may keep the serum from reaching the skin at all.
5. SPF products. If you're using a stand alone SPF, you will want to apply it last. By design SPF products tend to linger on skin, so it is slow to absorb into skin. Let it be the protective cover on top of your beneficial skin care products.

One of the most frequently asked questions we get is, “when should I apply my Antioxidant Boost?” Good question! It’s a first-of-its-kind product, so it doesn't fit nicely into the above "rules." We recommend applying Boost based on the carrier you have chosen. If you mixed it with a serum, for example, apply it early in your routine. But if you dissolved it in our Carrot Facial Dream Cream, you will want to apply after any serums or thinner moisturizers you might use. And what about those who dissolve Boost in water? Go ahead and apply it after cleansing. Give it a couple of minutes to absorb into skin and carry on with the rest of your routine.

If you find that your skin care products are not producing desired results, despite your efforts of applying them in the correct order, you may be using too many for your skin type. Try removing a product to see if that does the trick. Or you may need to treat yourself to a DIY spa day and exfoliate with a B Green Mud Mask to open up and refresh pores. You don't need to ask us twice - we're always up for a spa day!