How To Get The Most Out Of Your Face Serum
Face serums - these power-packed potions are game-changing skincare products that need to be a part of your daily routine. Regardless of your skin type, these lightweight liquids are designed to quickly penetrate your skin and give your complexion a boost. Apart from being intensely hydrating and nourishing, face serums also target specific skin concerns to improve the overall quality of your skin. For example, face serums for oily skin help mattify your face by controlling excess sebum production, face serums for dry skin improve the moisture levels in your skin, face serums for dark spots help brighten your skin by fading away dark spots, anti-ageing face serums help fight the signs of ageing, and so much more. Even though face serums are potent and have a high concentration of active ingredients, they will be ineffective if you do not use them the right way. Here are 3 tips to get the most out of this magical and powerful skin care product.
1. Apply your face serum on damp skin
Moist skin is more permeable than dry skin, so it makes sense to apply face serums on damp, freshly cleansed skin. This not only ensures quick and deep absorption of the product but also traps the moisture in your skin. This is especially useful when using a face serum for dry skin. After cleansing your face with a face wash, gently pat dry your face using a soft towel or microfiber cloth. Do not rub your face excessively to avoid tugging at your skin. While your face is still slightly damp, take a few drops of your face serum in your palm, spread it evenly, and gently pat it all over your face and neck. Wait for a couple of minutes for the face serum to get completely absorbed into your skin before moving to the rest of your skincare or makeup regime.
2. Do not apply face serums after moisturizers or face oils
Moisturizers and face oils are rich and thick skincare products that create a barrier on your skin, locking in the other skincare products that you apply before them. They are meant to be used as the top layers of your skincare regime (face oil and then moisturizer) to seal in all the goodness and moisture. Since face serums are extremely lightweight, they cannot penetrate the barrier of the thicker and heavier face oils and moisturizers. If you apply your face serum after a thicker skincare product, it will just sit on top of the product without actually reaching your skin, rendering the product ineffective. So to avoid wasting your face serum and making sure that your skin actually reaps its benefits, apply it before your moisturizer or face oil, wait for two to three minutes, and then follow up with an oil and moisturizer. And yes, even if you are using a face serum for oily skin, you still need to moisturize your face after the serum!
3. Remember, less is more when it comes to face serums
As mentioned before, face serums have a high concentration of skin-loving active ingredients and you do not need a whole lot of the product for your skin. You should cover your face and neck in a thin, light layer that does not feel heavy or sticky on your skin. If you can feel the leftover residue of the face serum or if your skin feels greasy even after 5 minutes of applying the serum, you have probably applied too much. As a general rule of the thumb, 3 – 4 drops or a pea-sized amount of the face serum is sufficient to cover your face and neck.
4. Avoid touching your face serum straight out of the bottle
We know that since you’re applying the face serum on a freshly cleansed face, your hands are clean too. But even the tiniest amount of germs and bacteria from your fingers is enough to contaminate the serum. And doing this twice daily, for days on end is an unsanitary practice that is going to reduce the effectiveness of the face serum. And that’s not all, you are applying the same contaminated serum back to your face! To avoid this cross-contamination and to keep your face serum clean and germ-free, use a dropper to dispense the product from the bottle into your palm. If your face serum does not have a dropper, transfer it to a bottle that does. Or else, simply look for a face serum that is packaged with a dropper. The dropper on the new Vitamin C Serum makes your serum application an easy and mess-free process while also keeping the face serum bacteria-free. The dropper also helps you control how much product you use and prevents wastage.
Even if you have your skincare basics down pat, it is always helpful to know a few extra tips and tricks that help you maximize the potential of all the different skincare products in your routine. These 3 face serum tips will help you use your serum to the fullest and get the most out of it. Also, know why you should be adding a face serum to your skincare regime on our blog!