Get an A+ in Skincare Basics

If you're unsure about how to put together a skincare routine, or you're looking to brush up on the basics, we’ve got your expert-backed beginner's guide to skincare, just in time for back-to-school learning.

Breakdown Your Routine

Skincare routines can seem overwhelming, especially when you’re developing one from scratch. Rather than get caught up in all the steps, break it down into three main categories:

• Cleansing — Washing your face
• Toning — Balancing the skin
• Moisturizing — Hydrating and softening the skin

What to look for in a cleanser

Whether you wear makeup or not, your skin comes in contact with environmental debris and dirt on the daily, not to mention you should be washing off sunscreen at the end of each day. That’s why morning and evening cleanses are basic additions to your skincare routine. 

The right formula for a cleanser will clean your face without stripping essential, healthy oils. Try our NENA Cleansing Cream, which is enriched with natural botanical extracts and minerals from Glacial Oceanic Clay to help with the removal of environmental pollutants, makeup and dead skin cells to reveal a fresh, glowing appearance.

And if you are wearing makeup, we recommend a double cleanse. One to remove the majority of your makeup, and the second to get anything you may have missed. 

How to use face toner?

Long gone are the toners of the ’80s and ’90s, which were strong astringents that were designed to dry out your pores and clear out any extra dirt your cleanser didn’t get. Nowadays, toners can be thought of as supplements to your skincare routine. They work to balance your complexion and help other nutrients absorb into your skin better. 

Applying toner should be done after cleansing and before applying anything else (like a serum or moisturizer). While you can apply toner across your face with a cotton ball, you can also lose a lot of product that way. As long as your fingers are clean, dabbing it onto your face with your fingertips will help you get the most out of the product and bottle. 

We love our Mineral Toner, packed with nutrient and antioxidant rich botanical extracts to help restore skin elasticity and firmness, hydrate and diminish lines and wrinkles.

Always moisturize

Skin naturally loses the ability to retain moisture as we age, and daily activities can strip your skin’s surface of its natural hydrators. That’s why moisturizing is a key addition to a simple skincare routine. 

And don’t think if you have oily or acne-prone skin that this is a step you can skip. Drying out the skin with cleansers and actives will actually irritate your skin further if you’re not rehydrating it. Just choose a moisturizer that’s non-comedogenic (meaning it won’t clog pores) and you’ll be good to go. 

And eye creams? They’re not 100% necessary, and if the moisturizer you’re using is gentle enough (doesn’t include active ingredients like retinoid), the moisturizer you use on your face can be dabbed gently around the eye area too. Just remember the skin around your eye is sensitive, so don’t rub moisturizer in, but rather use your ring fingers to gently dab it in and around the eye. 

Because our NENA Moisturizing Cream helps diminish lines and wrinkles, it makes the perfect moisturizer for your face and under-eye area. 

And that’s it! Skincare School is easier to master than you may have thought. Just remember in the end that less is more and you’ll be on your way to happy, glowing skin. 

Ready to get your skincare routine started? Check out our NENA Natural Skincare Kit to get your skincare basics + our award-winning NENA Clay Mask for those all nighter zits!