When investing in quality skin care products, it goes without saying that you want them to be as effective, and to last for as long, as possible. However, this does take a little extra effort on your part…

Here are nine ways to ensure that you are really getting the most out of your skin care products.

Always Begin With Clean Skin

When you apply a product to your skin, it is absorbed by your pores, where it can then make its way into the deeper layers of your skin. If you haven’t cleansed your skin, then this means that everything from dirt and sweat to oil and bacteria will be sitting on the surface of your skin, blocking your pore openings.

As you can imagine, applying a skin care product over the top of all of that means that your skin will not be able to absorb much of the product at all, preventing it from having much, if any, of an effect.

By cleansing your skin, you will be ensuring that any other skin care products you apply will have a clear path to your pores, where they can then work their magic.

Of course, in addition to cleansing, regular exfoliation is a must too. Even though you may cleanse daily, sweat and oil will still end up working their way into your pores. If you do not exfoliate these away, then those clogs will prevent your skin from properly absorbing your products. Plus, those products will only end up mixing into the clog, leaving you more susceptible to experiencing breakouts.

Get the Order Right

You already know that cleansing should be the very first step of your skin care routine, but what about your other products? Do you know which comes first and which goes last?

The order in which you apply your skin care products can have a huge impact on how effective they are.

The general rule of thumb is to begin with the lightest and thinnest product, before working your way up. This usually looks something like this:

• Toner
• Serums (if you use multiple serums, begin with the lightest)
• Eye cream
• Moisturizer
• Sunscreen

Why is the order so important?

Because if you were to apply a thick and heavy product at the start of your skin care routine, then the lighter products you apply next will not be able to penetrate through this and enter into your skin. Heavier products, such as moisturizers, are designed to form a protective layer over the surface of your skin, which would then prevent anything else from entering in.

Apply Your Serums Directly to Your Face

Do you use a serum?

Hopefully, your answer is yes. After all, these antioxidant-rich elixirs are so important when it comes to treating various skin concerns and maintaining overall skin health.

Now, as you probably already know, serums are extremely potent, but are also very lightweight. Their lightweight consistency is to ensure that the skin can fully absorb them, making this a key feature of a serum.

However, when you apply a serum onto your fingertips, before spreading this over your face, chances are that your fingers will absorb some of the product before it even reaches your face. This is especially true in the winter, when your skin will naturally be drier and thirsty for that moisture.

So, how do you prevent this from happening?

Well, this is exactly why most serums come with a dropper. If yours doesn’t, you can easily purchase a dropper to use with your serums.

All you need to do is place the serum-filled dropper directly over your face, without letting it touch your face, before squeezing the serum out onto your skin. You can then lightly pat it into your skin with your fingertips, as this will maximize absorption.

Apply Your Moisturizer Onto Damp Skin

A moisturizer is such an important skin are product, playing an influential role in your skin’s hydration levels. A quality moisturizer will contain the following three ingredient groups:

• Emollients – these smooth out the skin’s texture by filling in any gaps or cracks, giving the skin a more seamless finish
• Humectants – these are water-binding ingredients that draw water from the environment to the skin’s surface, before feeding this to skin cells
• Occlusives – these form a thin protective barrier over the surface of the skin, preventing moisture from evaporating away while protecting the skin from environmental impurities

If your skin is damp when you apply a moisturizer, then this means that those extra water molecules that are already sitting on the surface of your skin will end up trapped below your moisturizer’s occlusives. Rather than evaporating away, like they otherwise would have done, they are instead fed to your skin cells, giving you an extra dose of hydration.

If you have been looking for a new moisturizer, the OROGOLD 24K Collagen Renewal Cream gets the job done perfectly. It contains one of the best humectants in the industry (sodium hyaluronate), along with several plant oils that work as both emollients and occlusives.

Store Your Products Correctly

You likely want your skin care products to last for as long as possible, especially if you have invested heavily in them. The shelf life for skin care products varies quite significantly – some last for just six months, or even less, while others are good for a couple of years.

However, unless you store your products correctly, they won’t last for very long, and will likely end up going off well before they are meant to.

Why is this?

Because everything from light to warm temperatures to humidity can interfere with the ingredients in skin care products. In some cases, they simply deactivate the ingredients, meaning that your products won’t have much of an effect. However, they can also sometimes oxidize the ingredients, which is common when it comes to vitamin C. This means that when you apply the product to your skin, it can actually end up damaging your skin cells and leading to the formation of free radicals.

So, how should you be storing your skin care products?

Make sure that you keep them in a cool, dark and dry place. Bathrooms are usually a big no, since humidity fluctuates quite drastically here. Try to find a more stable and controlled environment to store your skin care products.

Store Your Eye Cream in the Fridge

If you regularly use an eye cream to tackle puffiness and inflammation, then this is a tip that you should definitely pay extra attention to…

As you probably already know, cold compresses are commonly used to bring down swelling and puffiness when the skin has been injured. This is because of how cool temperatures constrict blood vessels.

Well, the same applies to your eyes too…

Instead of using an eye cream that is at room temperature, try placing your eye cream in the fridge for a few hours first. Then, when you apply this to your eyes, the cool temperature of the cream will give you addition de-puffing benefits, giving you bright and clear eyes so much faster.

If you love the idea of chilling your eye cream, it may be worth looking into purchasing a dedicated cosmetics fridge, which will keep your skin care products at the optimum temperature.

Save Retinol Products for Night Time Use

Retinol has been proven to be one of the most effective anti-aging ingredients out there. It has a number of incredible effects, such as:

• Increasing collagen production to give the skin a smoother and firmer appearance
• Reducing the visibility of fine lines and wrinkles
• Preventing acne breakouts
• Fading dark spots and scars

Retinol has so much research and science behind it, making it no surprise that more and more people are turning to this miracle ingredient.

However, if you are using retinol during the day, then you may as well not bother using it at all…

Why?

Because sunlight is known to deactivate retinol, meaning that it will not have any effect on your skin. However, if you apply it at night, when you know your skin won’t be coming into contact with UV light for several hours, the retinol will be able to soak into your skin without any problems, where it can then do its job.

If that isn’t enough to convince you, here’s another reason why you should save your retinol use for night times…

While you’re asleep, the temperature of your skin rises by about half a degree. This may not seem like much, but it’s enough to dilate your blood vessels just that little bit extra, which then increases ingredient absorption. This applies to all of the ingredients you apply at night, not just retinol, so save your most potent blends for evening use.

If you’ve been looking for a new retinol product, give the OROGOLD 24K Multi-Vitamin Night Nourishment + Retinol a try. This action-packed moisturizer contains two forms of vitamin A to give you a double dose of the ingredient, along with several other skin-boosting vitamins and botanical extracts.

Know Which Ingredients Shouldn’t Be Combined

There are so many ingredients out there that are touted as being must-haves for the skin, so it only makes sense that combining these all together will result in the ultimate skin care routine, right?

Unfortunately, this isn’t always true…

Certain skin care ingredients should never be mixed, because not only do some have a deactivating effect on others, but specific combinations could actually harm your skin.

Here are some of the most common combinations that you should try to avoid:

• Vitamin C and Retinol – both of these ingredients require very different pH levels, meaning that when they are combined, one of them will deactivate the other
• Vitamin C and Exfoliating Acids – since vitamin C is an acid as well, combining these with an exfoliating acid, whether it may be an AHA or a BHA, will cause your skin to over-peel
• Vitamin C and Niacinamide – niacinamide may be great for your skin, but it turns vitamin C into an ingredient that leads to redness and breakouts

This doesn’t mean that you have to pick one or the other to use, especially since all of the ingredients listed above can work wonders on the skin. Instead, save one for morning use and one for night use, or use the ingredients on alternate days.

Massage Your Products Into Your Skin in the Right Direction

This is probably something that you have never given much thought to. After all, so long as you are applying the right products in the correct order, isn’t this enough?

In a way, yes. However, if you want to get even more out of your skin care products, then paying attention to the way in which you massage your products into your skin is important.

Now, you might be thinking…

Isn’t it better to pat my products into my skin rather than rubbing?

Sometimes, yes. Patting helps to increase product absorption, but a gentle facial massage has its advantages too. For example, if you have dry skin, massaging your products in an upwards motion will help to stimulate circulation, which will nourish your skin cells and give your complexion a natural glow from within. On the other hand, if you frequently deal with inflammation and breakouts, massage your products in a downwards motion to stimulate lymphatic drainage, which will help to clear away toxins from your skin.

Don’t Overuse Your Products

Some people think that the more of a product they use, the more of an effect it will have, but this is simply not true. Your skin can only absorb so much, and overloading it with excess product is pretty much pointless.

So, how much should you be using?

This depends on the product…

For a serum, you will likely only need a small pea-sized amount. You will need to use a bit more than this for a moisturizer, but always start off with a smaller amount than you think you need – you’ll be surprised at how far it goes.

This will save you from wasting excess product, meaning that your products will last for much longer.

When you spend time and money picking out the very best products for your skin, it only makes sense to try to get as much out of those products as possible. From knowing how and when to apply them to understanding which ingredients shouldn’t be combined, these tips will help to make your skin care products all the more effective.