Beauty Buzz: The Korean Skin Care Routine
Beauty trends come and go and one that is really popular right now is what's known as the Korean Skin Care Routine. Just what is the Korean Skin Care Routine and how does it differ from other facial skin care regimens? Let's learn more!
Interesting Facts About the Korean Skin Care Routine
There is a great emphasis on prevention versus correction.
- At a young age, women in Korea are taught to take good care of their skin, often heading to bathhouses with their mothers. It is cultural to invest time and energy into the art of a skin care routine in order to keep skin looking younger longer.
- By contrast, in the United States, women are generally a bit more relaxed about their skin care products until they begin to notice subtle signs of aging.
The Korean Skin Care Routine involves many steps.
- There are ten steps, to be exact. Ten. It is truly a ritual.
- The idea is that a lengthy (typically 30 minutes) routine helps pamper and nurture your skin.
- Says esthetician and Korean beauty expert Charlotte Cho: "It’s the lifestyle and mindset behind skin that’s really getting people interested in Korean skin care rituals."
The traditional 10 steps
- Cleansing oil to remove all traces of eye makeup
- Foaming cleanser
- Scrub/exfoliant
- Toner
- Essence -- a lightweight, less concentrated product used before a serum
- Serum (known as ampoule in Korea)
- Sheet mask (a wet, paper-like mask)
- Eye cream
- Moisturizer (usually with SPF)
- Night cream
Are ten steps really necessary?
Here's my take: I have been in the skin care industry now for more than half of my life. I believe that taking preventive measures -- beginning a solid skin care routine with potent vitamins and active ingredients -- is really important. I believe that as a culture, we are always busy and in a hurry. This aspect of our lives tends to carry over to our skin care.
We rush. We skip steps. We opt for fast over thorough. Sometimes we "forget" or our too tired to take off our makeup at the end of the day. Other times, we go a couple weeks without exfoliating, thinking "What's the big deal?"
In that regard, I really think that the aspect of taking a break to sit back, relax, and truly pamper ourselves is really important.This "me time" is quite essential to our sense of relaxation and overall self-care.
From a practical standpoint, ten steps is just not realistic, nor is it cost effective. I also worry that there are many negatives to layering 10 different products on the skin in one evening -- allergies, a too-high concentration of certain ingredients, and the greater likelihood of clogging the pores being among my key concerns.
Cleanse, toner, moisturize. Do these faithfully. Exfoliate a couple days a week minimum. Wear sunscreen. Take off your makeup before bed. These are my must-do skin care steps. Use facial skin care products with natural and healthy ingredients like Seed Advanced Botanicals facial care.
Have you tried the Korean skin care routine? Thoughts? Share with us!
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