What order does skincare go on at night?

What order does skincare go on at night?

Ours runs polish, cleanse, hydrate, moisturize, seal. Each step readies your skin for the next, and each product has one job.

The routine

1. 01

   Polish. Black Magic, a few nights a week. Once a week, Shroom Therapy takes its place.

2. 02

   Cleanse. Sea Witch, every night.

3. 03

   Hydrate. Solar Plexus, three or four drops on damp skin.

4. 04

   Moisturize. Avalon, warmed between your fingertips.

5. 05

   Seal. Remember When, misted until your face is lightly damp.

Why polish before you cleanse?

Black Magic goes on first. On damp skin, work a small scoop over your face in small, gentle circles for about 30 seconds, the method the American Academy of Dermatology suggests for scrubs, then rinse with lukewarm water. Its sugar crystals polish away dull, rough-feeling skin and start to dissolve as you work them in, so keep the pressure light.

Then Sea Witch washes away what the scrub loosened, along with any honey, oil and charcoal left behind, so your serum goes onto clean skin. Massage a small amount over damp skin for 30 to 60 seconds and rinse with lukewarm water, using your fingertips and no scrubbing, as the AAD advises. Sea Witch cleans with coco-glucoside, and its peppermint oil leaves a cool finish, so keep it away from your eyes.

Use Black Magic on your face two or three nights a week, and skip it on broken, sunburned or irritated skin. The AAD notes that the more aggressive the exfoliation, the less often it should be done. On the other nights, start with Sea Witch. two or three nights a week on the face, or one or two?

When should you use a mask instead?

Once a week, use Shroom Therapy in place of Black Magic. Mix a tablespoon of the powder with a teaspoon or two of warm water into a paste, spread it over your face, and leave it on for about 15 to 20 minutes. To take it off, wet a washcloth with warm water and press it to your face: the water rehydrates the dried clay so it wipes away easily. Then cleanse with Sea Witch and carry on.

Your skin may look a little red afterwards. That’s normal: it fades within about 30 minutes, and it’s the mask doing its job. Its clays lift oil and surface buildup, and its mushrooms leave skin feeling soft. Never scrub and mask on the same night.

What does a serum do?

Serums are light and absorb quickly. Their job is to carry ingredients to the skin, such as nutrients, vitamins and botanical extracts, in a thin layer that sinks in fast. Harvard Health describes serums as light, easily absorbed liquids made to deliver a concentrated dose of ingredients, and notes that they usually go on after cleansing and before moisturizer.

Solar Plexus is ours. Pat your face so it is still slightly damp, then press three or four drops into your face and neck. Glycerin, its second ingredient, is a humectant: it draws water into the skin’s outer layer, and damp skin gives it more water to hold. Hydrolyzed silk leaves a smooth, weightless finish, and bee pollen extract conditions the skin. The AAD also recommends applying moisturizer while skin is still damp.

What do creams, lotions and butters do?

They seal. Creams, lotions and butters carry oils, butters and waxes that form an occlusive layer on the skin: a thin film that holds moisture in and slows transepidermal water loss, or TEWL, the water that moves up through the skin’s outer layer and evaporates from its surface. A review in Clinical Medicine & Research describes occlusives, oils and waxes such as beeswax, forming a layer on the skin’s surface that physically blocks that evaporation.

Avalon is our moisturizer. Warm a small amount between your fingertips and press it into your face and neck. Cupuaçu and shea butters soften, beeswax gives the cream its body and helps form that occlusive layer, and honey extract and glycerin, both humectants, keep skin feeling dewy. In the morning, skin should feel cushioned, not coated.

Why does the mist go last?

Because it’s the seal. Once Avalon is on, hold Remember When 6 to 8 inches from your face, close your eyes, and mist until your face is lightly damp. It sets the layers underneath and locks in moisture, and its glycerin and sugar-based humectants add a final veil of hydration. How much you use is up to you.

What does a week look like?

That’s two polishes and one mask. If your skin feels dry or tight, drop a polish. If it feels oily by evening, keep the mask night and use Sea Witch morning and night.

Does the order have to be exact?

No. The usual order is exfoliator, cleanser, serum, moisturizer, then a sealer, and that’s the routine above. But skin is personal, and we encourage you to find the order that works best for you. At its core it matches the American Academy of Dermatology’s basic order: wash, apply any treatment, then moisturize.

What small habits help?

• Keep water out of the Black Magic and Shroom Therapy jars: use dry fingers or a dry spoon.
• Mix only one mask’s worth of Shroom Therapy at a time. Mixed paste has nothing to keep it fresh.
• Give each layer a few seconds to settle. It doesn’t need to dry.
• Add one new product at a time, and test it first if your skin is sensitive: the AAD suggests a small spot, such as the bend of the elbow, twice a day for 7 to 10 days.
• Keep to the same order most nights. Routines work because they’re repeated.

our draft amounts and times for Black Magic, Sea Witch, Solar Plexus and Avalon; the live store has no How to Use yet