All About Korean Skin Care Routine: Every Step Explained

Overview

Women’s thirst for beauty has shown no signs of declining over time. As the prior leader in the East Asian’s beauty industry, Korea possesses a plenty of beauty secrets that are longed for by women all over the world, including the Korean skin care routine. Different steps in taking care of our skin on the daily basis are the deciding factors for the glow healthy skin outlook. Various versions of the skin care routine can be found easily in magazines or on the Internet, but the credibility of them still remains uncertain. Meanwhile, Korea has a long history of cosmetic use together with a developed beauty industry. One common feature that can be easily witnessed on most of the Korean is their supple glow skin. This feature makes people, especially women, around the world get jealous and in the meantime, curious about the powerful skin care routine applied in the country of kimchi. In this article, Beauty Talk will show you what is special about the Korean skin care routine that makes it desirable by every woman.

All About Korean Skin Care Routine: Every Step Explained

I. Korean Skin Care Routine – Basic Rules

korean skin care routine - basic rules

For anyone who has no idea about skin care, there are some basic rules that should be kept in mind. No matter what skin care routine you apply, the following rules should be included as they are the foundation steps for the healthy complexion.

1. Korean Skin Care Routine – Hydration

It can be said that hydration is the secret of dewy, flawless skin. If you don’t know how to hydrate your skin or simply use the wrong moisturizer that does not work well for your skin type, you should start from it right now. This step will seal in moisture, plump up the skin and fade away any fine lines. By including hydration into your skin care routine, you will get the natural glow, supple, and younger-looking skin than normal. There are many forms of moisturizers available for you, from gel, an emulsion, lotion, or cream. You can only wash your face with water to keep the natural oil produced by the skin as it is the moisturizing property that can keep your skin hydrated, dewy and glowing. You can also keep a water-based mist spray along with you to easily moisturize your skin throughout the day. In Korean, using a cushion foundation is also highly recommended as these products can not only provide the natural-looking coverage but also be very watery, which make it able to hydrate the skin better than the traditional foundations.

2. Korean Skin Care Routine – Exfoliate

Scrubbing the bodies and faces is the traditional routine of Korean women. People living in this country tend to take a long bath or visit saunas gradually before exfoliation so that the skin’s pores can be open and the result can be optimized. It is a popular technique to slough off the dead skin cells and impurities while helping the skin care product absorb more easily and promote the new skin regeneration. Even if your skin is the sensitive type, let exfoliate your body at least two times per week for polished, supple skin. Using both warm and cold towels to rub and massage your skin will help open and close the pores before exfoliation better.

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See more: 14 unexpected ways to exfoliate skin on face naturally at home

3. Korean Skin Care Routine – Sun Protection

One basic rule in skin care that Korean women never ignore is protecting the skin against sun rays. Wearing sunscreen with at least SPF 50 whenever you go out is necessary for the great skin health. Women in Korean also never forget to reapply every three hours for the best result, even on a rainy day or at home. This step is believed to prevent skin cancer and slow down aging process if applied regularly. A study published on Jan 20th, 2011 has shown that the use of high SPF sunscreen can be beneficial for melanoma (one type of skin cancer) protection in adults [1]. It is also advised that the reapplying should be carried out after heavy sweating, long sun exposure or bathing.

4. Korean Skin Care Routine – Eat And Sleep Well

For Korean women, there is a comprehensive approach that contributes to skin health as much as these skin care products can do. More specifically, a healthy diet and proper sleeping routine are required for the healthy skin. They believe that not only skin care products but also food can be used to treat most of the skin problems. For example, Korean women often look for date tea or green tea when they have a spot on their forehead. This based on the long Korean culture that the spot on forehead means the heart is overworked; therefore, using tea can improve the heart health. Meanwhile, good sleep is also considered as important as skin care routine. It can fewer wrinkles, brighten the puffy eyes, and improve the complexion[2]. You should be in bed from 10 pm to 2 am as it is the golden time for the skin to regenerate and produce new collagen.

Learn more: 23 secret skin tips from celebrity aestheticians

II. Korean Skin Care Routine – Morning Routine

korean skin care routine - morning routine

In comparison to the average skincare scheme, the skin care routine of Korean women is quite more complicated. They patiently carry out an 8 or 10-step skin care process every day to maintain the healthy, beautiful skin. Even though this routine is a bit of work and requires time investing, the result is totally worth that effort. Korean women take pride in their skin and they truly deserve it.

Step 1: Wash with water

Unlike other skin care routines, Korean women use only water to cleanse their skin in the morning instead of cleanser.  Water is able to remove the impurities settling on the skin during the night while keeping it hydrated.

Step 2: Toner

Using toner will balance the pH levels and prevent the skin from getting dehydrated and dry. If you forget this step, your skin, like a sponge may get difficult to rehydrate when it gets dried up and hardened. Toner can dampen your skin and help to absorb other skin care products that you apply.

Step 3: Essence

It can be said that essence is the key to all these Korean skin care routine. It is a type of hybrid between a serum and a toner, which is used for moisturizing and supporting skin repair together with cell turnover. By applying essence to the toned skin in the daily skin care routine, your skin will get a more youthful appearance than normal.

Step 4: Ampoule

Ampoules, like serums, contain an even larger quantity of active ingredients targeting specific skin care concerns. They work as a booster for a finite time period when you need extra help for your skin condition.

Step 5: Serum

Serums are the concentrated formulas, which include an extraordinary amount of active ingredients. They are often used in Korean skin care routine in order to treat specific skin concerns such as dark spots, wrinkles, and dehydration.

Step 6: Eye cream

As the skin in the eye areas is the thinnest and most vulnerable part, it deserves more attention and specified care. Korean women often apply a light eye cream on the area between the brow and socket bone, from inner to outer direction. These areas have no sebaceous glands to generate the natural oils, making eye cream necessary for keeping the skin hydrated all day long.

Step 7: Moisturizer

The next step in Korean skin care routine is applying moisturizing. Just spray a light layer of moisturizer over your skin to maintain its hydration.

Step 8: Sunscreen

As mentioned before, sunscreen is strongly required for a complete Korean skin care routine. After moisturizing, let apply sunscreen to your skin to protect it from the UV rays. This step will help prevent the development of wrinkles, dark spots, and fine lines.

III. Korean Skin Care Routine – Nighttime Routine

korean skin care routine - nighttime routine

Step 1: Oil-based cleanser

As wearing sunscreen is compulsory for the skin care routine, even when you don’t makeup, using makeup remover is necessary on a daily basis. This step will help you to clean out the entire sunscreen layer, your mascara, and lipstick. However, in order to truly remove the makeup, Korean women also use an oil cleanser. It helps to break up the makeup layer and replace the dirty oil produced during the day with beneficial ones.

Read more: Simple ways to make a homemade cleanser for dry skin

Step 2: Double-cleansing

After the first step in Korean skin care routine for night time, Korean women often choose a water-based cleanser to get rid of the residual oil and impurities from a long day.

Step 3: Exfoliate

There is no need to recall the benefits of exfoliating for the skin. Use a bead-based exfoliator of a gentle enzyme to rub your skin at least two times a week. This routine will support the pores to open and absorb key product ingredient easier.

Step 4: Toner

In the Korean skin care routine, the toner will be applied twice a day, one in the morning and the other time in the night time. With the same manner in the morning routine, apply a toner to your skin to balance the pH levels.

Learn more: Simple ways to make a homemade toner for oily skin

Step 5: Essence

Next, continue with the essence in a similar way as the morning routine.

Step 6: Ampoule

Applying supercharged serum overnight will help your skin absorb all the hydration required for a next long day's work.

Step 7: Serum

After ampoule, apply serum to specific areas if you are concern about the wrinkles, spots or other skin problems.

Step 8: Sheet mask

This cloth full of skin-loving ingredients is always a favorite of Korean women. No matter your skin type is, you can always use sheet masks as one step of skin care routine. These masks deliver a deep hydration, nourish the skin and provide anti-aging treatment. For this step, you only need to put the mask on and wait for it to chill for 15 to 20 minutes. Reapply at least two times a week or even every single day if you can afford and have time for it.

See more: Simple ways to make a homemade face mask for clear skin

Step 9: Eye cream

Once again, the skin around our eyes is very delicate and sensitive, which makes it deserve to be taken care of in both morning and night. Using eye cream at night time will provide extra hydration and protection over the night. Just use your finger to gently tap eye cream on the skin around these eyes. Never rub or you can hurt your eyes and also the skin.

Step 10: Moisturizer

The last step to finish the Korean skin care routine is moisturizing. Select the most favorite moisturizer with all the skin-loving ingredients and you will wake up with a beautifully rejuvenated complexion in the next morning.

See more: Natural home remedies for skin rejuvenation

It cannot be denied that Korean women possess the one of the best skin in East Asia. Besides the favorable climate condition in this country, the Korean skin care routine is another deciding factor for this glow, dewy, and gorgeous skin. With around 8 to 10-step routine applied twice per day, Korean women have proven that the beautiful skin is the award for those who are willing to invest time and effort. Skin care is never an easy journey for people lacking patience. If you want your skin to get better, let try the Korean skin care routine and experience the secret power it offers to your complexion.  If you have any more ideas on the Korean skin care routine, please share with us. For more information, please visit the main page Skin Care.

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