If you’re a skin care devotee, by now you probably know that using a serum is imperative to your daily and nighttime skin care routine. But what you may not know is that you might be using the wrong serum for your exact skin type.

If you have normal skin type, you can pretty much use any kind of serum you’d like, but for many of us who have oily, combination, dry, or sensitive skin, we may feel like the formula we’re using isn’t doing much to help us out. Even worse, your serum could be making your skin conditions worse. We reached out to Joshua Zeichner, the director of clinical and cosmetic dermatology at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City, and asked him to break down serums by skin types.

Oily Skin

“Look for serums that contain salicylic acid, which can help remove excess oil from the skin and minimize the appearance of pores,” says Zeichner.

Niacinamide is also a great ingredient for reducing the size of pores and controlling excess oil production. We love the Naturium Niacinamide Serum 12% Plus Zinc 2%, it reduces excess sebum while also tackling uneven skin tone. 

Dry Skin

“If you have dry skin, look for a serum with natural oils that directly moisturize and can repair a damaged skin barrier to help the skin maintain its own hydration,” says Zeichner.

One of my favorite natural Korean serums is the Sulwhasoo First Care Activating Serum, which contains herbal extracts, like dwarf lilyturf and licorice to amplify your skin’s synergy.

Combination Skin

“Look for a serum with hyaluronic acid, which is like a sponge that pulls in hydration into the skin,” says Zeichner. “You want it to be light enough for oily areas, but powerful enough for drier spots.” He recommends the Neutrogena Hydroboost Hydrating Serum.

We also like green tea for combination skin! It’s a great antioxidant that also helps with acne! To tap into those benefits, we use Instree’s Green Tea Fresh Serum, infused with 77% Jeju-sourced green tea extract.

Sensitive Skin

“Look for calming serums that contain ingredients like vitamin B5, which can soothe the skin and promote healthy barrier function,” says Zeichner. Skinceutical’s Hydrating B5 Gel is a good call! 

Fermented ingredients and probiotics are also superstars when it comes to calming and nourishing the barrier. That’s why we also love Manyo Factory’s Bifida Biome Complex Ampoule. This hydrating formula replenishes and balances with a patented Bifida Biome complex and 5 types of probiotics.

+What’s your favorite serum right now? Let us know below!

The post Skin Care FAQ: The Best Serum For Your Skin Type appeared first on The Klog.

For a longer time that I wish to admit, I didn’t think it was all that important to exfoliate my body. I would always exfoliate my face every other day (I hate blackheads!), but when it came to my body? Eh, I thought it didn’t need regular exfoliation.
Boy, was I wrong! I try to go to the gym four to five times a week and this past year I’ve noticed the skin on my body breaking out and just being generally dull. And it dawned on me that I should probably regularly exfoliate my body at least once a week (duh)!
So I went on a mission throughout the year to test out some of the most popular body exfoliators out there and found some favorites. Below, my picks for the best body scrubs, including why and when I use them.

For The Deep Clean: Frank Original Coffee Scrub

When my skin is feeling super dry and flaky, I always reach for this scrub. I consider this the OG body exfoliator because it really deeply cleans your skin and scrubs off flakes and impurities. Let me put it this way: This scrub is the closest thing I get to those amazing body scrubs at Korean spas.
The exfoliator is made of primarily ground up roasted coffee beans and this is the ingredient that does most of the intense exfoliating magic. Note: This scrub is not a soft and gentle one; it hits skin quite hard and really goes to town and scrubs away at skin:

But don’t be afraid that this scrub is going to be so harsh that it will damage your skin—the formula also contains a good amount of cold pressed almond oil that leaves skin just hydrated enough after it’s been scrubbed free of dead skin cells. Once you rinse the scrub off, your skin feels so insanely soft. It also feels tighter, thanks to caffeine’s powerful diuretic effects, which allows it to dehydrate fat cells temporarily and promote smooth skin.
The only thing I’m not a huge fan of with this scrub is the scent. As you can probably guess, it smells strongly of coffee, and I’m not so into smelling like a huge pot of coffee for the rest of the day. Thankfully, the scents fades after a few hours, but be warned that you will smell like Starbucks for a little while after leaving the shower. Depending on your coffee obsession, you may love or hate this.

For Helping to Keep Body Acne At Bay: Pacifica Acne Warrior Body Scrub

When I start noticing little bump on my chest and back from working out, I grab this Pacifica scrub to gently exfoliate them away. The reason why this scrub is so great at preventing and helping tame any body acne is because it contains salicylic acid. This form of BHA is an oil soluble acid that penetrates deeply into pores to rid them of oil-based impurities. Even better, the scrub also contains aloe and cucumber to moisturize and smoothe!

For When You Need to Exfoliate But Your Skin Is Acting Up: The Tatcha Indigo Smoothing Black Sugar Body Grommage

Don’t get tripped up by the name: Grommage is just a fancy French word that means “to erase,” and the definition of erase in this context means to slough off dead skin cells. This Tatcha scrub does just that in the most gentle way possible. It uses ultra-fine black sugar granules to delicately reveal fresh skin without causing any irritation.

It’s also ultra soothing, thanks to the indigofera tinctoria leaf extract, AKA Japanese Indigo, that’s in the formula. This is an ingredient that is known for its anti-inflammatory properties and barrier strengthening abilities. It’s also what gives this scrub its pretty deep blue color:

I’ve used this scrub when my skin has been on its last days of recovering from a nasty sunburn and was relieved to discover that it effectively scrubbed off any remaining peeling skin without making my skin any redder. It also smells so good—like citrus-y sherbert. After using it, your skin feels soft but also hydrated, thanks a collection of oils (including camellia and coconut) that’s infused in the scrub.

For That Big Night Out: Frank Shimmer Scrub

I was super excited to try this one. A body scrub that both exfoliates my skin and leaves it with a shimmer so it will look like I applied highlighter all over my body? Sounds fun! And this body scrub is major fun. It’s perfect for those moments when you need your skin to literally shine because you’re going to be in photos or you just want to look really, really luminous for a night.

The scrub is mainly composed of sugar, salt, grapeseed oil, coffee, and “glow dust,” which is just little naturally derived silver and gold particles. While gold may not do anything beneficial for your skin, this scrub does make you shiny, like if you dipped your body in an actual highlighter:

When I rinsed it off, my skin looked intensely bright and had actual sparkles on it, but it wasn’t too sparkly. The sparkles lasted an entire day and into the first half of the next day before fading away.

I liked the scent of this scrub better than the original Frank scrub; it smells more like a dessert and less like a cup of coffee. My only gripe is that it doesn’t exfoliate as well as the original (probably because it seems to use more sugar than coffee), and I felt like my skin wasn’t as soft as it could be. But for a fun scrub that makes me feel like I’m wearing subtle highlighter all over, this scrub is the way to go.

+ What do you think is the best body scrub? Share your picks in the comments!

The post The Best Body Scrubs For the Smoothest, Softest Skin appeared first on The Klog.

So you woke up and a miracle happened. That horrendous pimple you had for five whole days finally went away! But what’s that you see, now? A huge red mark? That will go away soon, right? Well, we hate to break it to you, but it might not. What you see there is an acne scar, a red mark that lingers on your skin oftentimes after suffering a pimple.

While it may be impossible to prevent acne scars from forming, there are definitely some things you can do to help get rid of them faster. The first thing to do is overload it with sunscreen. “Physical blockers, like zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, help prevent pigmented acne scars from getting darker,” says Rebecca Tung, a dermatologist in La Grange, Illinois. After applying your sunscreen formula, try dabbing the scar with Missha’s Signature Essence Cushion. The foundation formula works to cover up the scar as well as protect it with SPF 50.

You might also want to invest in some products that have epidermal growth factors. “These help build collagen back in acne scars,” says Tung. “Try DNA Regeneration Serum, or one with peptides, like the Missha Cell Renew Snail Cream.” You’ll also want to try out a lightening serum that helps fade brown spots, like Goodal’s Double Bright Intense Serum or Skinfood’s Yuja Water C Whitening Ampoule. Another great Korean option is to pamper yourself with the Manefit Bling Bling Hydrogel Mask Whitening Platinum. It’s an award-winning sheet mask that helps fade pigmentation and brighten your overall complexion.

Also, don’t forget to exfoliate. According to Tung, a lot of what sits on your scar is dead skin cells that need to be buffed away. “The Clarisonic Mia is gentle enough to be tolerated by sensitive skin but strong enough to help smooth out irregular texture,” she says. If you’re not a face brush kind of girl, we suggest the Neogen Bio-Peel Gauze Peeling Lemon. It is a heavenly exfoliating pad enriched with vitamin C to provides gentle yet effective exfoliation while leaving skin smoother, clearer, and brighter—and that can be used even on sensitive skin.

And one final word of advice from Joshua Zeichner, the director of clinical and cosmetic dermatology at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City: “Think about your pimple like a fire that has been put out and the scar is the hot embers are left behind. Continue treating it with your acne medicine to fully put out the inflammation. Benzoyl peroxide kills acne causing bacteria lurking inside the skin which contributes to continued inflammation and redness.”

+ Share your favorite methods to treat and heal acne scars with us, too!

The post Skin Care FAQ: How To Heal Acne Scars appeared first on The Klog.

So a new year is coming up, which means you’re going to be another year older. And for some of us, that means saying goodbye to our 20s and hello to the big 3-0. It also might mean welcoming your first forehead wrinkle and the realization that you can’t go out every single night anymore and not expect to see bags under your eyes.

Newsflash: Once you turn 30, it’s time to get serious about your skin care. And that doesn’t mean going to Sephora and grabbing every product you can find in hopes that you offset aging. There are a group of certain products that dermatologists agree are the best bets for women in their thirties.

The first one is the most basic of all anti-aging ingredients: sunscreen. “Protect yourself as early as you can and your skin will thank you for decades to come,” says Annie Chiu, a dermatologist in Hermosa Beach. You’re going to want to wear a broad spectrum sunscreen every single day (even when it’s cloudy or rainy). “Mineral versions with zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are especially good to reduce unwanted patchy pigmentation and new sun freckles,” says Rebecca Tung, a dermatologist in La Grange, Illinois. For a great Korean option, we like Neogen’s Day-Light Protection Sun Screen because it’s lightweight yet still packs a serious protective punch with SPF 50. Also, remember to pay attention to other names that may be included in the packaging (like PPD or PA+++)—by the way, you can click here to understand what these acronyms mean.

Retinol is the second product both derms agree that thirty-somethings should all use. “Topical retinoids are the single most proven anti-aging ingredient, as it promotes collagen synthesis and softening of fine lines and wrinkles,” says Chiu. “A retinol can turn back the clock while you sleep,” adds Tung. “Before bed, apply a pea-sized amount, plus a fragrance-free moisturizer, to rejuvenate your face, neck, and chest.”

Finally, you’re going to want to load your skin up with antioxidants since they battle oxidative damage that results from UV radiation and pollution. “Getting on a high potency antioxidant serum is key to preventing damage that leads to collagen and healthy skin breakdown,” says Chiu. especially if you have sensitive skin. “If your skin tends to be more sensitive yet you would like to lighten up hyperpigmented areas and smooth out fine lines.” Add a nourishing and brightening formula like Erborian’s Yuza Double Lotion to your daily skin care regimen. To win the fight against fine lines, the COSRX Hyaluronic Acid Intensive Cream repairs cells and slow down signs of aging. For sheet masks, try one enriched with green tea, a natural and powerful antioxidant (that also brings amazing benefits for acne-prone skin), like Manefit’s Natural Gift Green Tea Pore Care Sheet Mask.

The post Skin Care FAQ: The Best Skin Care Products For Your 30s appeared first on The Klog.

Want to know a secret? Although much have been talked about it, many of the best beauty editors still don’t know the answer to this question. Often times, we open up our medicine cabinet before going to bed and stare at all the toners, serums, treatments, and moisturizers and feel an overwhelming sense of anxiety. Which one do we put on first and last? What’s the best order for putting on your products to yield the best results? We’re ending the confusion right here, right now.

Rule of thumb
“When layering products, your general rule is to apply them lightest to heaviest to avoid one product preventing the next from being absorbed,” says Joshua Zeichner, the director of clinical and cosmetic surgery at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. Zeichner says that this means you should start with a toner, essence, then put on a serum, and then finish it off with a moisturizer. Why should you put your toner on before your serum?  “Toner will remove any excess of makeup and dirt and, thus, allow the serum to absorb more quickly,” says Kavita Mariwalla, a dermatologist in West Islip, NY.

But what about specific rules for specific treatments? Is there such a thing?
Yes! In the case of retinol, for example, Mariwalla suggests putting that on as your last step after your moisturizer. “Research has shown a retinoid absorbs better over moisturized skin,” she says. But be careful if you also use any products with certain acids in them. “Make sure you don’t stack an anti-aging with an alpha-hydroxy or glycolic under a retinoid because that can cause some irritation unknowingly,” says Mariwalla.

+ Need some recommendations for a great essence? The Missha Time Revolution First Treatment Essence won Soko Glam’s Best of K-Beauty award in 2014. Plus, to moisturize your skin during the winter, give RE:P Nutrinature Ultra Nourishing Cream a try. It’s a cruelty-free herbal cream that uses shea butter, and olive, jojoba, and argan seeds to infuse your skin with fatty acids to calm skin.

+ Make sure you read our first Skin Care FAQ where we tell you what are the best anti-aging creams for oily skin.

The post Skin Care FAQ: How To Layer Your Skin Care Products appeared first on The Klog.

Living with oily skin can be an eternal struggle. When you’re a teen, you have to deal with acne, so you made it a habit to never put any kind of cream on your face that could trigger a breakout. But then, suddenly, you’re in your mid-twenties and start to see some fine lines drawing their way on your forehead. Yet, you’re still scared to put anything on your skin lest it flares up another breakout. 

As you can see, there is no surprise in finding out that people with oily skin are searching like crazy for that “miracle formula” that helps you to prevent and revert signs of aging without bringing acne back to their faces. Don’t worry, we’re here to clear your confusion.

Skincare Ingredients to Add to Your Routine if You Have Oily Skin

According to Joshua Zeichner, the director of clinical and cosmetic surgery at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, those with oily skin want to look for products that will help minimize the appearance of pores. “Products with alpha and beta hydroxyacids are the best because they exfoliate dead cells and remove excess oil from the skin,” he says. Adding a toner that combines both these acids, like Some By Mi’s AHA-BHA-PHA 30Days Miracle Toner, is a smart choice. 

He also suggests adding a clay-based mask to your routine to “help with radiance and to remove oil and impurities from the skin.” If you’re looking for a great clay mask, you can’t go wrong with RE:P Bio Fresh Mask with Real Calming Herb—it also soothes irritation and redness plus, moisturizes your skin while pulling out impurities.

Rebecca Tung, a dermatologist in La Grange Park, Illinois, adds that finding products with vitamin C will help those with oily skin ward off aging. “Vitamin C-containing products can help lift unwanted pigmentation. Plus, they are non-acnegenic and can help minimize pores,” says Tung. “They can minimize oil and acne, do a nice job with exfoliation, and reduce fine lines and lighten up hyperpigmentation.” For a vitamin C-packed product, we love the Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin C Serum. It has a 5% concentration of vitamin C to moisturize and brighten skin.

Tung also recommends her patients to use retinols, since they work to prevent aging and keep things less oily. “On top of reducing oil production, retinols can reverse the signs of aging and sun damage, like brown spots and fine wrinkling,” she says. Saturday Skin’s Yuzu Vitamin C Sleep Mask is a wrinkle-busting and smoothing overnight mask enriched with retinol and vitamin C.

Skincare Ingredients to Avoid if You Have Oily Skin

Zeichner recommends for those with oily skin to stay away from certain antioxidants. “Vitamin E is oil soluble and may weigh the skin down,” explains Zeichner. “If you have oily skin, stick to a vitamin C option without vitamin E since vitamin C is water soluble, light, and won’t cause breakouts.”  

+ Have some skin care questions about oily skin yourself? Share them in the comments below!

The post Skin Care FAQ: The Best Skincare Products for Oily Skin appeared first on The Klog.

We live in a world full of choices, sometimes too many. These days, on top of deciding what moisturizer to get, you have to decide whether it’s right for your skin, fits into your budget, and whether or not it contains “organic” or “natural” ingredients. The problem here is that no one really seems to know exactly what it means when a product is organic or natural, or whether these kinds of products are actually better for your body.

According to Hermosa Beach dermatologist Annie Chiu, organic and natural products aren’t all what they’re cracked up to be. “The problem is there is no certified agency that truly regulates cosmetic or skin care product label use of the terms ‘organic’ or ‘natural,’ so it’s inconsistent from one brand or another what that truly means,” she says.

However, Chiu does say that some organic products could be beneficial for people. “Typically brands that advertise as being ‘natural’ are sulfate- and pthalate-free, so if you have sensitive skin or a true allergy to these ingredients, it is beneficial to look for more ‘natural’ or ‘organic’ brands,” she says.

Generally, the “all-natural” term refers to products that don’t use synthetic chemicals. A few examples of Korean brands that compromised in being “natural” are RE:P, Innisfree, Primera, and Belif.

One more thing: Chiu wants you to know that just because a product is labeled “natural,” that doesn’t mean it’s a better-for-you product.

“Poison ivy is a natural plant product, but obviously you can be allergic to that too,” she warns. If you’re sketched out by using products labeled “natural” and “organic,” but you also have sensitive skin that could benefit from these kinds of products, Joshua Zeichner, the director of clinical and cosmetic dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, says natural oils may be your best bet. “Natural oil options can effectively cleanse and moisturize and may be appropriate options for people with dry or sensitive skin without causing skin irritation the way that some traditional products can,” he says.

The post Skin Care FAQ: The Truth About Organic and Natural Skin Care appeared first on The Klog.

The Banila Co Clean It Zero Original is a true classic K-beauty product. This is often the first oil cleanser K-beauty newbies pick up, and it’s often the first product that gets people hooked on Korean skin care.

Why? Because it’s super simple yet effective. The sherbert-like cleanser easily melts off all kind of stubborn makeup (even waterproof eye makeup!) and leaves skin feeling soft and hydrated after washing off. Infused with vitamin C and A-rich acerola extract, papaya extract to naturally exfoliate, rooibos leaf extract to sooth, and bamboo extract to moisturize, this oil cleanser is simple yet nourishing, and it gets the job done.

While the Banila Co Clean It Zero is beloved, the original formula had some controversial ingredients, particularly mineral oil and artificial coloring. Now, the formula has been changed to make it a more “natural” product, including changing the scent and the color. Even more, the packaging is completely revamped. It’s super shelfie-worthy:

And there’s more! The texture has been improved. The previous texture was a bit lumpy and had a super high melting point (some people were complaining that their Banila oil cleanser would melt in high summer heat). Now, it has a much higher melting point and is much smoother:

To help you understand all the great changes that have been made to the Banila Co Clean It Zero Original, we created a handy chart outlining what each ingredient was replaced with and what that new ingredient does, as well as a side-by-side look at the old texture compared to the new texture:

Here’s a quick summary of the ingredient changes: Mineral oil, which is controversial to some people, has been replaced with ester oil, a commonly used emollient that’s been deemed safe, and works especially well on dry skin. BHT has been replaced with vitamin E acetate, also known as tocopherol, which is a skin-friendly ingredient that really just means it’s a mix of acetic acid and vitamin E. It’s often used as an emollient in skin care and works to offer antioxidant properties to the skin. Butyl Parahydroxybenzoate has been replaced with phenoxyethanol, a safe natural preservative that’s a derivative of green tea. This gives the cleanser a light rose scent.

Additionally, the new color of the oil cleanser is a bit lighter and is made from the dried roots of the purple gromwell plant. When it comes to texture, the cleanser has been altered to remove those weird lumps that would sometimes show up, allowing for a smoother and silkier experience.

Bottom Line:

The price is still the same, but the ingredients, feel, and look of the Banila Co Clean It Zero Original has been massively improved.

The post The Cult Favorite Banila Co Clean It Zero Oil Cleanser Has a New and Improved Formula appeared first on The Klog.

Fact: It’s easy for your skin to get red and inflamed. It could happen if you test too many skin care products at once (guilty). It could also happen if you just have really sensitive skin and a new skin care product has irritated it. Or it could be happening right now because it’s winter and this season has no chill when it comes to icy cold winds blasting your cheeks. Either way, skin redness is a drag and it can be quite confusing to know how to get rid of it.
Thankfully, we tracked down two top derms to give us the answers on what to do to calm your angry skin. The first thing you need to do is figure out exactly why your skin is red. Certain lifestyle habits, like stress, diet, and water intake, in addition to dehydrating indoor heating and cold and windy weather can all cause facial redness.
Annie Chiu, a dermatologist in Hermosa Beach, California, breaks down some other potential causes below:
Acne: If you’re red because of acne, Chiu says you should “work with your dermatologist to develop a treatment plan that’s appropriate for your type of acne.”
Contact dermatitis: This is temporary irritation that’s usually caused by a new skin care product that your skin doesn’t react to the right way. “If you have sensitive skin, do a spot test to determine if you will become irritated by something new,” says Chiu. “If you have an allergic reaction to something and it is not dramatic, try some hydrocortisone cream and apply a cold compress.”
Eczema: “It’s hard to know if you have eczema, but a dermatologist can help,” says Chiu. “Mild eczema can easily be treated by changing some of your daily habits, but more severe eczema may need a prescription.’ Either way, Chiu says it’s best to use mild soaps that won’t dry out your skin, and make sure you don’t take long hot showers. “This is true for everyone; hot water dries out your skin,” says Chiu.
Over exfoliation: Chiu says the first thing to remember is that you should never be exfoliating every day. “I prefer chemical exfoliators to physical exfoliators, and don’t use several products that exfoliate in your regime–stick to one,” she says.
Rosacea: Rosacea is chronic redness and it’s probably one of the most common reasons for tomato-colored skin. “There is no cure for rosacea, but the redness can be decreased by creams and serums,” says Chiu. Additionally, “you want to make sure to use the appropriate skin cleansers and moisturizers to hydrate and calm it,” says Joshua Zeichner, the director of clinical and cosmetic dermatology at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City. “Stick to hydrating cleansers that won’t disrupt the skin barrier.” Look for cleansers that contain ingredients like hyaluronic acid (Klavuu’s Pure Pearlsation Revitalizing Facial Cleansing Foam is a great option), to improve hydration, as well as ceramides to help repair the outer skin layer.”
The Best Ingredients For Treating Redness
Hyaluronic acid is a super hydrating ingredient found in a bunch of products, and adding moisture to your inflamed skin will help it heal faster. The Plant Base Waterfall Moist Balanced Hyaluronic Acid 100 ampoule contains 100% pure sodium hyaluronate, a form of hyaluronic acid that is able to better penetrate the skin than other forms due to its small molecular size. It can be used alone or mixed in with moisturizer for an extra hydrating and redness-fighting boost. 
Ceramides, on the other hand, are a natural oily wax that already exist in your skin that help your skin keep water in and regulate cells. They can also help retain your natural skin barrier, which is super important when you’re dealing with redness. You can find them in the COSRX Balancium Comfort Ceramide Cream, along with edelweiss extract to target inflammation. 
Both Chiu and Zeichner recommend products with licorice root extract and niacinamide (a vitamin B3 component) to further calm inflammation. Here’s a great cure to super-irritated skin: Slap on the Klairs Rich Moist Soothing Mask—a sheet mask infused with licorice root extract, along with centella asiatica and aloe vera and made with pure organic cotton to relieve all sensitive skin types. Then, give your skin an extra dosage of hydration by spritzing it with the Acwell Licorice pH Balancing Essence Mist. Its milky texture coats skin in a blanket of hydration, and the formula, that contains licorice root extract, centella asiatica and bamboo water, is brightening, soothing, and moisture-locking. 
A product that contains the best of all worlds is SMD Cosmetics Saromae Snail Secretion Cream, a luxe serum that contains snail mucin extract, licorice root, niacinamide, and hyaluronic acid.
Bottom Line
To recap, the key to quelling your red skin (as long as it’s not from acne or eczema) is to give it some soothing loving with ingredients that moisturize and help build the skin’s barrier back to tip-top shape.

+What other questions do you have about reducing facial redness? Share them in the comments below!

The post Why Your Skin Is Red and How to Calm it Down appeared first on The Klog.

First, a little about me and why this routine works for me: I’m in my late twenties and all my life I’ve suffered with pigmentation and sensitive skin. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve noticed that my skin gets drier faster and easier, and this leads to more prominent fine lines and dark circles. My goals when it comes to the ten step routine are to infuse as much moisture as possible into my skin and “plump” it up without irritating my easily-reactive skin. These are the products that work for my dry skin:
Oil cleanser: Klavuu Pure Pearlsation Divine Pearl Cleansing Oil

I’ve been addicted to this cleanser ever since I first tried it back in February. Here’s why it’s a great oil cleanser for dry skin: It’s super rich, which means it envelopes your skin in a nice thick layer of oil. It also removes makeup easily without needing to scrub too hard, and once you wash it off, it doesn’t leave you with that tight feeling. Plus, thanks to pearl extract, your skin feels soft and looks brighter after using it.
Water-based cleanser: Neogen Cereal Fresh Foam Cleanser

If you couldn’t tell, not only am I searching for products that hydrate, I’m looking for brightening ones too. That’s because when you have chronic dryness, you’re more likely to have dull-looking skin that shows more fine lines. This Neogen cleanser emits such a soft, luxurious foam that deeply cleans and leaves my skin feeling super soft. It also contains oryza saliva (rice) seed extract to help brighten up dark spots from previous acne scars.
Exfoliator: Neogen Bio-Peel Gauze Peeling Lemon

FYI: If you have really dry skin, you don’t need to exfoliate every single day (you’ll want to hold onto as many natural oils in your skin as possible). But that doesn’t mean you should never exfoliate. It’s extremely important for dry skin types to exfoliate every other day (or at least three times a week) so you get rid of dead skin cells that could actually be making your skin drier and look even flakier (and make wrinkles more visible). If you’re nervous about washing your face again with a harsh manual exfoliator, do what I do and only use chemical exfoliators.
I love using these Neogen pads before I’m about to put a full face of makeup on to create an extra smooth canvas that prevents any dry patches or flakes from ruining my foundation. The pads use lemon extract to gently chemically exfoliate by sweeping away dead skin cells. They also use lactic acid to dig deep into pores and rid them of dirt and debris that’s causing lackluster skin. My face never feels tight after using these; it feels bright and extra clean.
Toner: Klairs Supple Preparation Toner

After cleansing twice (and possible exfoliating), your skin will most likely be craving some serious moisture. I always reach for this toner after my cleansing ritual because it instantly plumps up my skin and infuses intense hydration right into my pores. It’s filled with amino acids and fruit extracts to tighten up pores, calm irritation, and adequately prepare your skin to absorb any treatments you put on after. I seriously cannot go a day without using this toner in my routine. If I don’t use it, my skin tightens back up and my other products won’t absorb nearly half as well as they would after putting this on.
Essence: Hanskin Hyaluron Skin Essence

This is the number one essence I would recommend for extremely dry skin. Why? It’s full of one of the highest percentages of sodium hyaluronate (an ingredient that holds 1,000 times more moisture than water). The sodium hyaluronate in this essence is comprised of smaller molecules than regular hyaluronic acid, making sure that the moisture from the essence is absorbed faster and deeper into your pores.
Putting this essence on feels like dipping your face into a cooling pool of water (this is not an exaggeration). It seeps into skin slowly, leaving it plump and bouncy. Charlotte has even scientifically tested the moisture level in her skin after wearing this essence and found that it kept her moisture level at a high point all day long.
Serum: Erborian Elixir Au Ginseng
In the Korean routine for dry skin, you need to find a serum that shows serious results while also keeping the moisture you’ve worked so hard to infuse into your skin at the beginning of your routine intact. The Erborian Elixir Au Ginseng is the product that will do both of these things. It’s an elixir, which means it goes on like a heavy serum (it has the consistency of a light milk) and it doesn’t feel sticky like some other serums.
It contains a rare Korean ginseng that smoothes out fine lines and licorice root extract to even out skin tone and brighten. It’s the best bet for aging dry skin (hello!) because it contains strong actives you’ll find in a potent serum but it keeps everything hydrated and plumped like a good essence.
Sheet mask: Skinfood Real Tea Gel Mask – Rose

There are people who either love the smell of rose or absolutely hate it—I’m clearly part of the former club. This sheet mask is steeped in rose essence so it submerges your face with the ultra-hydrating benefits of rose extract. Even better, it’s a hydrogel mask, which means the actual mask is made out of hydrating and skin-boosting ingredients. This mask in particular is made of a variety of fruit extracts and brightening niacinamide with rose petal extracts suspended inside the hydrogel.
Whenever I have 20 minutes to spare in my routine, I’m always happy to give this mask a go. Once I remove it, my skin is extra plump, even-toned, and lifted.
Eye cream: Goodal Moisture Barrier Eye Cream
Since the area around your eyes is the most delicate and thin, I find that dryness is always the most obvious in my eye area. I need a heavy duty, thick eye cream to help bring back to life to my sunken eyes and banish my crow’s feet. This Goodal eye cream has been my savior for the past few months. It’s nice and thick and full of peptides to brighten my dark circles and it has collagen to amp up my moisture level and fill out my fine lines.
Pro tip: On most nights when my skin is feeling extra dry, I take some of this Goodal eye cream and pat it into the fine lines on my forehead, in between my nose, and around my mouth after I put on my nighttime moisturizer. It adds an extra dose of hydration and seals in my moisturizer. I swear I wake up with no visible lines!
Moisturizer: Hanskin Bio Origin The Cream

I take my moisturizers very seriously. Since I’m in my late twenties, I need one that goes beyond just sealing my skin in hydration—it also needs to help get rid of dullness and lines. This Hanskin moisturizer is one of the more luxe products I’ve tried and it’s become my new favorite nighttime product. I only need a little to completely coat my face in a rich cream that soaks into every crevice on my face.
This Hanskin cream is like a body butter for your face so I would only suggest it for skin that’s constantly parched. It doesn’t skimp on results, either. It contains adenosine, an ingredient that’s naturally found in your body, that works to bring energy back into lifeless skin and smooth out wrinkles. I use this every single night and I wake up with refreshed, soft, and dewy skin.
Sunscreen: Missha Mild Essence Sun Milk

Other than exfoliators, the scariest product for people with dry skin is sunscreen. There’s just been too many times when I’ve tried someone’s “holy grail” sunscreen only to discover that it leaves my skin tight, patchy, and extra flaky.
But I am here for the Missha Mild Essence Sun Milk. This stuff goes on smooth—like a light liquid—and instantly blends into skin with no vigorous rubbing required. It simply sits over your other skin care products and actually helps moisturize and soothe your skin, thanks to the rose bud extract and aloe leaf extract that gives this product its “essence” feature. With SPF 50, this sunscreen provides superior protection without the white cast and heavy chemical smell of other sunscreens of this caliber. It feels like air on skin and keeps that dewiness you’ve worked so hard to create sealed in.

+ What’s your Korean routine for dry skin? Share it in the comments!

The post A Full 10-Step Routine for Dry Skin appeared first on The Klog.