Once you have taken the basic steps to caring for your skin by cleansing, exfoliating, toning/freshening, moisturizing and protecting, you may decide to use some additional products for focused benefits. These additional products are supplements to the basics. Examples of skin care supplements include additionally hydrating products, increased control of oiliness, acne treatment, eye treatments, etc.
By the time you have added other products to your skin care routine, you may wonder if the order of application matters. To obtain the most benefit from the product, it is important to apply them in the order they will be most effective.
Here are some basic guidelines to determine the order of application for your supplements, by the category they are in. If you are using a single, complete line of products, it is best to consult their instructions. Again, these are guidelines.
- Topical medications, prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, should be applied to clean, dry skin. Apply these first, as they usually work deeper, and you’ll want them closest to the skin for best results. (Consult your physician if you are using topical medications, before adding other cosmetic products.)
- Next, apply treatment products. They are used for repairing existing damage.
- Sunscreens should be applied following treatment products. Be sure to use UVA/UVB protection.
- Moisturizer is applied as the last step. You can think of it as helping to seal in the products previously applied.
If you are using more than one product in a supplement category, you’ll want to apply them in the order of their product form, from thinnest to thickest, considering the thicker the product, the more of a barrier it presents to following products. Thinnest to thickest would be in the following order:
- Serums
- Gels
- Lotions
- Creams
Don’t over apply your products. Use enough to lightly cover the skin, and then let dry and well absorbed into the skin before adding the next product layer. If you use too much product, you may find it will not fully absorb, and will just lay on top of the skin, to where you can actually ball up and roll it off your skin if you wipe you fingers gently across the surface. By having that much extra, unabsorbed product on your skin, if you are going to follow with color cosmetics, they will not go on as smoothly.
Today is both Memorial Day here in the US and the last day of our 
