Skincare Routine Help

[Ashley8663]

Hello,

I am going to be 19 years old this February. I would honestly classify my skin type as normal. It rarely gets oily or dry. I do have breakouts occasionally along my jawline and forehead.

My night time skin care routine begins with me removing my makeup using a neutregena makeup remover. Then, I wash my face using philosophy's purity cleanser (1 to 2 times a week I'll substitute this step for an exfoliator.) After cleansing, I sometimes apply a mask (I do this about 2 to 3 times a week). Then after that, I tone my face using a glycolic acid toner. I then apply my serum (I use a vitamin c serum currently but I'm going to get a retinol serum soon and then I will just use either serum every other day and switch them out.) I then moisturize using an origins moisturizer. Then I apply tea tree oil as a spot treatment to my acne (I heard that oils need to be applied after moisturizer??) Lastly, I spray my face with a little rosewater. 

So, my daily skincare routine is basically wash, tone, serum, moisturizer, spot treatment, and then rosewater.

My questions are:

1.) Is this an effective skin care routine for my age? Am I using too much products? I know it's a lot, but I want to ensure I have healthy skin when I'm older.

2.) Should I substitute anything out or add anything? Is there any products that anybody recommends? 

3.) Lastly, does spraying rosewater at the end of my routine actually do anything? I honestly can't tell if it's making a difference. 

[myumew]

@Ashley8663, I personally don't think the last spritz of rose water after all of your thicker moisturizer(s) will do anything since moisturizers are usually the last step to seal all the moisture in.. Perhaps you could add it near the beginning of your routine? I've always heard to start from the most watery formulas and end with oils. 

I think retinol is a bit too much for 19 y/o unless you see signs of early aging right now. Vitamin C however, is a great step in your routine! Perhaps look into niacinamide instead of retinol as your second serum choice? 

Your routine sounds solid imo! The best age prevention for you would be to never, ever forget broad spectrum sunscreen ^__^

[prti]

Hi @Ashley8663,

I think your skin care routine looks great! It's not necessary to start using retinol at a young age, although you can. I'm 20 years old and I have yet to start using retinol. 

For spot treatment, I find it more effective when you spot treat after cleansing or toning. However, I'm not sure how potent your tea tree oil is so you might want to be careful if you apply tea tree oil right on top of glycolic acid. It's not wrong if you spot treat after moisturizing, though! I often spot treat after moisturizing or after I apply my face oil when I want to prevent my skin from getting irritated the next day.

In my opinion, the 2 most important skin care steps are cleansing properly and using sunscreen. I'm sure you're already wearing sunscreen during the day but I'm just putting this out there, just in case 🙂