by Nicole F.
I heard about the ten step Korean skincare routine while I was browsing the internet for a face wash that would actually work for me. I’m a person who has a combination of oily and dry skin so it has always been a struggle for me to find a cleanser that didn’t cause me to break out or to make my skin feel drier than my sense of humor. It wasn’t until I decided to try a cleaner from Korea that I finally was able to find something that worked.
The first product I tried was cleanser from Etude House. They had 12 different cleansers for each month that varied between being an oil based cleanser (for dryer skin) and a foam cleanser (for oily skin). The one I picked was a green tea cleanser that was advertised for people with a combination skin type, like mine, and I was blown away by this product! For the first time ever, my face actually felt clean when I got out of the shower. This began my obsession with Korean skincare.
From there I began to do research on other products and that’s how I discovered the ten-step routine and all of it’s benefits. I explored a lot of different products to find some good ones to start with and started to slowly accumulate them. In June of this year, I finally had all of the products I needed and I was ready to see if this routine would be for me or not.
STEP ONE - OIL BASED CLEANSER:
The oil based cleanser is meant to help you remove impurities and is great for taking off your makeup. You’re meant to use the cleanser on your skin without getting it wet and just rub the oil across your face before gently rinsing it off
The first oil based cleanser I tried was from The Face Shop called Rice Water Bright Light Cleansing Oil and was sold in tandem with a foam cleanser. This was not a favorite from the very start, it’s very watery and if you’re wearing makeup it doesn’t do a great job at taking it all off. I also learned very quickly that the scent burned my eyes even if I didn’t put the cleanser anywhere near them.
The second oil cleanser I used was from Banila Co called Clean it Zero. I had heard a ton of people raving about it and after not liking the cleanser from The Face Shop, I decided to try this one. The Banila cleanser was AMAZING for removing makeup and it didn’t burn my eyes the way the first one did. It is a little more pricey but, in my opinion, it was totally worth the price.
STEP TWO - WATER BASED CLEANSER:
So this cleanser is what you typically expect from a cleanser. Typically it’s a foam or a cream that you use after rinsing the oil off of your face while your skin is still wet. Because they were sold in tandem the first cleanser I tried was The Face Shop Rice Water Bright Cleansing Foam. While I liked this more than the oil, this still tended to leave my skin feeling too dry and eventually, after using it frequently, it had actually caused my skin to become irritated. While I definitely think this is a good affordable cleanser to start with, it just wasn’t for me.
The next cleanser I tried was the Neogen Dermalogy Real Foam Fresh Green Tea cleanser. After my first experience with a green tea cleanser and how much I loved it, I wanted to try again. I stumbled upon this cleanser while doing research about the 10 step routine and it just continued to pop up. This cleanser has thus far been the best for my particular skin type. The only issue I’ve had with this cleanser is that my face doesn’t feel as clean as I expected, but this could also be just something specific to me. Again this cleanser is a little more on the pricey side so you may want to try one in a little more comfortable price range.
STEP THREE - EXFOLIATOR:
Exfoliating is to help rid your skin of any dead cells and makes it easier for the rest of your skincare products to work their magic on your face. Exfoliating is not something I would do daily, just due to the fact that after a while it starts to become physically painful because you’re scratching at your skin.
The first product I’ve used is The Face Shop Jeju Volcanic Lava exfoliator. This is a great product if you don’t have sensitive skin, since it can be a little harsh, and works just like a cleanser. Just a little of this product goes a long way and it’s definitely more in the affordable range. I haven’t really had any issues with this product and would definitely buy it again.
For more sensitive skin, I have also tried Skinfood’s Strawberry Black Sugar Mask. For this one you need to get your face a little wet and then smear it on your face like a mask and let it sit for about ten to fifteen minutes. For me personally, this doesn’t exfoliate as well as the first product, but if you have more sensitive skin it’s perfect to start. It smells heavenly (don’t be tempted to eat it. I tried to. It’s gross.) and your skin feels nice and soft once you remove it. Like the first product this one is also a bit more affordable.
STEP FOUR - TONER:
After all of that cleansing your skin needs to be re-hydrated and the pH levels need to be re-balanced, that’s what toner is for! I was lucky enough to find the perfect toner for me the first time I got one and I found that in Skinfood’s Peach Sake Toner. My skin just drinks this stuff up and it has the most pleasant peach scent. To use it, you just pour some in your hand or on a cotton pad and then just lightly dab it onto your face. This has quickly become one of my favorite steps because it just feels so refreshing.
STEP FIVE - ESSENCE:
Essence (and you’ll hear this all the time) is the heart of Korean skin care. It’s sort of like a hybrid of a toner and a serum and is great for hydrating your skin and aiding in cell turnover.
Again, this is another step where I have only tried one product, but it’s a product I love. It’s a product from Etude House called Moistfull Collagen Essence. I adore this product and I’m really reluctant to switch and try something different. To use it, you just squirt a small amount into your hand and just gently massage it into your skin. I love this product for how light and gentle it is. When my face is feeling extra oily and I’m breaking out, I’ll do the routine and stop after this step because the essence gives me just enough moisture to prevent my skin from feeling dry, but doesn’t leave my skin feeling oily. This product is also pretty affordable.
STEP SIX - TREATMENTS:
So treatments can mean a couple different things and they all depend on your skin. While doing my research most people considered treatments to be serums or ampoules for shrinking your pores or improving your dull skin, but I like to throw acne into the mix as well. For me personally, I struggle with having large pores so the first product I tried was Mizon’s Snail Repair Intensive Ampoule. It didn’t take me long to figure out that this product was not good for my skin. It was too oily and tended to linger on my skin for far longer than it should have instead of being absorbed. I also learned that this product is better for color correction than for pores. If you’re someone who needs some color correction and you have drier skin, this would probably be great, but it just wasn’t for me.
The second product I’ve tried was much better. This product is Elizavecca Hell Pore Control Hyaluronic Acid Serum, do not ever ask me to read that out loud because I absolutely can’t. This product has been great for shrinking my pores and has made a noticeable difference in my face. Unlike the previous product my skin drinks it up and I don’t have any slimy residue left on my face. This product is also pretty affordable.
STEP SEVEN - SHEET MASK:
I LOVE SHEET MASKS! You just put them on your face and relax for fifteen to twenty minutes while your skin enjoys. Sheet masks are like the maximum treatment for your skin. I recommend only using one once a week if you have combination skin because it’s the perfect amount of moisture without causing a breakout. There are so many different types of sheet masks that do so many different things, some help with brightening, soothing, moisturizing, and even firming. In my opinion, the best thing to do is just try some masks that do different things and find the ones that work the best for you!
STEP EIGHT - EYE CREAM:
Eye cream is great to help prevent wrinkles and to help tighten up the skin around your eyes. You just put a small amount on your finger and dab (don’t rub) the cream below your waterline. The eye cream that I use currently is Mizon’s Snail Repair Eye Cream and I’m not the biggest fan of it. Just like the ampoule from Mizon I tried before this one tends to leave my skin feeling a little too sticky and oily. It doesn’t really help me with the dark circles under my eyes and just does nothing noticeable for my skin. I plan on switching after finishing this jar, but if you’re someone with drier skin this product might be for you.
STEP NINE - MOISTURIZER:
This step will probably be the most difficult one for someone starting out to find a moisturizer that works for them. There are so many types on the market that it’s just like the three little bears when trying to find one, you just have to keep experimenting until you find the one that’s just right.
For me personally, after trying to many products to list I finally found Nature Republic’s Aqua Super Aqua Max Combination Watery Cream. A lot of the creams I had tried in the past were just way too much moisture for my skin and would cause me to break out, but this one has been perfect. Nature Republic has three different types of this product for oily, dry, and combination skin. The combination formula has just worked wonders for me. It is a light enough cream that it doesn’t feel heavy on my face and it isn’t so much moisture that I break out. It’s just a light cream that my skin absorbs immediately and it has a really pleasant light scent that can sometimes linger, making your skin smell fresh and clean. While I haven’t tried the other two formulas, if you are someone with combination skin like me I HIGHLY recommend this one!
STEP TEN - SUN PROTECTION ( OR NIGHT CREAM):
Your skin is very sensitive to the sun so it’s incredibly important to make sure to wear something to protect yourself. I’m someone who doesn’t really venture outside very often so I actually skip this step majority of the time so instead of talking about sun protection I’m going to recommend my favorite night cream. Etude House’s Moistfull Collagen Sleeping Pack has been one of my favorite products since I started Korean skincare. You just put a small amount on your face before bed and you wake up with your skin feeling soft and plump. I highly recommend starting with this product for a night cream.
And that is all of the steps! I know it seems daunting, but the fun part about this routine is that you can tailor it to fit you and your needs. Maybe there’s a step that you’re not that into or maybe you only want to do this routine once a week instead of daily, you can do whatever you want to change the steps to benefit you and your skin. I hope this gives everyone a great jumping off point to start their journey into the 10 step Korean Skincare Routine.
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