THE KOREAN SKINCARE ROUTINE EXPLAINED

Ok, I finally got around to investigate in to the "million-step" (actually 10) Korean skincare routine and am really excited about it. Warning, you might want to put on some coffee and get comfortable. This is a loooong one.

This regimen might be a bit extensive for some, but most Korean women use this routine each and every day to help keep their skin looking healthy and beautiful. It is a bit of work, compared to the average skincare regimen, but the efforts don't go unnoticed. After all, Korean women have some of the best skin in the world!

Like any other skincare routine there is both a morning and a night time routine (8 and 10 steps).

THE KOREAN MORNING ROUTINE:

Step 1: Wash with water

First thing in the morning, cleanse your skin with only water, not cleanser. Water removes the few impurities that settle on the face during the night, and keeps skin hydrated, too.

Step 2: Toner

To balance the skin's pH levels, it's important to apply toner; otherwise the skin can become dry and dehydrated. Toner further helps to absorb the next products you apply.

Step 3: Essence

Essence is a hybrid between a toner and a serum. It works perfectly to hydrate the complexion, aiding cellular turnover for a youthful appearance.

Step 4: Ampoule

Similar to serums, ampoules actually comprise an even higher number of active ingredients to target specific skin care concerns. They're used for a finite amount of time as a booster when your skin badly needs the extra help.

Step 5: Serum

Concentrated formulas with an unprecedented amount of active ingredients, serums target specific skin concerns like wrinkles, dark spots, and dehydration.

Step 6: Eye cream

Smooth a light eye cream across both the brow and socket bone moving from the inner to outer corner of the eye. Here, the skin is at its thinnest as there are no sebaceous glands to produce natural oils, so it's important to keep this area hydrated and protected all day long.

Step 7: Moisturiser

Next apply a soothing moisturiser in a light layer across the skin for long lasting all-day hydration.

Step 8: Sunscreen

Applying sunscreen shouldn't be reserved for the summer holidays. Protecting the skin on a daily basis from UV rays will avoid the development of dark spots, wrinkles and fine lines.

Exessive? Well a beautiful complexion doesn't come easy. The night time routine is a tad longer as it has two more steps. Instead of washing your face with only water, you make sure you double-cleanse during the night. Another thing you skip is the sunscreen, however you add a sheet mask. And you guys know how much I love sheet masks!

THE KOREAN NIGHTTIME ROUTINE:

Step 1: Oil-based cleanser

For the evening, select an oil based cleanser to start with as this will work to remove oil- based makeup and impurities from the skin.

Step 2: Double-cleansing

Following the oil cleanser, use a water-based cleanser to gently remove the oil residue and water-based impurities from the day.

Step 3: Exfoliate

Twice a week use a gentle enzyme or bead-based exfoliator to remove the dead skin cells that can make the complexion appear lack-lustre whilst blocking pores and preventing key product ingredient absorption

Step 4: Toner

In the same morning manner, next apply a toner to balance the skin's pH levels.

Step 5: Essence

Apply your essence to hydrate the complexion…

Step 6: Ampoule

By applying this super charged serum at night, your skin will be able to absorb all the hydration it needs following a long day's work.…

Step 7: Serum

Following which the serum should then be worked into the specific areas of concern.

Step 8: Sheet mask

The sheet mask is a Korean beauty favourite – a cloth saturated with skin loving ingredients! Perfect for all skin types, everyone can benefit from these masks which deliver a deeply hydrating and anti-ageing treatment.

Step 9: Eye cream

Once the skin has absorbed the ingredients from the sheet mask, apply an eye cream to protect and hydrate the delicate eye area.

Step 10: Moisturiser

Lastly, select a night time moisturiser to keep those skin loving ingredients locked in, allowing you to wake to a beautifully rejuvenated complexion.

I mean it sounds like a lot, but I feel like I do most of those steps anyways. The ampoule and essence are new to me and I think it could be quite fun to try these. Also I only occasionally use sheet masks, but maybe adding them as a daily part of my skincare routine could really help boost my complexion. But whether you employ the full 18-steps a day or not, it is important to remember the basic skin rules: to hydrate, exfoliate, never skip sunscreen and think holistic.

I won't go in to depth about the actual physics behind it, because as for any other topic I write about, I like to be able to fully stand by it. And before I try this method myself I won't be able to support all the claims around it. That being said, I am really excited about this and have really high hopes about it. I mean honestly, with everything we put our skin through on a daily basis, I think a bit of Korean TLC might be our next saviour.

Let me know if you guys want me to do a follow up on this post. Maybe also a haul/review on the products I will be using? And also let me know if any of you have tried this method yet. Would love to know what you think about it!

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