Skincare Routine

 My skincare routine is basically a simpler format of the Korean 10 Step Regimen. I mostly follow the basic habits that Koreans have used to become the world-standard of skincare.

Believe it or not, with the last name Rodriguez, my grandmother is Korean. I have Korean-American aunties, with the most beautiful skin (naturally).

Here’s a picture of my auntie Young-Hee at her 65th birthday party:

….okay, that’s a joke… but really! She has GREAT skin!

I’m sure you’ve heard about the Korean Skincare Regimen (find out what you really know about it with this quiz). While my aunties’ skincare regimen isn’t as involved as the 10-Step Korean Regimen, the results would have you fooled.

That’s because my aunties’ skin care has the same roots as the Korean 10-Step routine. It’s about the fundamentals of your skin: giving it what it needs, understanding how the three layers of your skin work, and how you can give this organ what it needs to operate the best and look the best.

It starts with your diet and ends with your habits: make sure what you’re doing daily is helping and not hurting your skin!

I can sum up what I’ve learned from my aunties in 3 steps:

1. Eat Healthy
2. Don’t Cause Unnecessary Damage to Your Skin
3. Use Magic

1. Eat Healthy

Your skin is a reflection of your overall health and wellness and your diet absolutely impacts the appearance and health of your skin.

• Cut Out Sugars
  
  You’ll rarely see my aunties eating sweets. There’s many reasons sugar is bad for you, from the negative effects on your heart, to the negative effects on your gut biome. But specific to your skin health, sugar causes glycation: the breakdown of collagen, which causes premature wrinkles and sagging.
  
  Tip: If you want to keep sugar around, use it topically! Sugar boosts new skin cell production and smooths and softens your skin. Make a face scrub my mixing half a cup of sugar with olive oil until it has the consistency of a paste. Apply to your face in a circular motion and rinse off after 10 minutes.
• Cut Out Processed Foods
  
  You already know you shouldn’t be eating junk food, but here’s why! Processed foods and foods high in sodium promote fluid retention, so getting rid of these foods will help reduce puffiness.
  
  Tip: My aunties taught me what they call the “carrot trick”: You know that feeling after you’ve had a nice meal and you start to crave something sweet? Eat some carrots! The carrots will satisfy your left-over hunger, and they’re great for you!
• Fermented Foods
  
  My aunties’ love of kimchi likely plays a big role in their ageless complexions. Kimchi is a fermented cabbage, and studies show eating fermented food can play a significant role in your skin’s health. When food ferments, it produces healthy bacteria that are good for not only your skin, but your overall health--including your mental health!

2. Don’t Cause Unnecessary Damage to Your Skin!

Your habits are either helping your skin or hurting your skin. If you make sure that most of the time you’re at least not hurting your skin, you’ll be in good shape.

• Avoid the Sun (When You Can)
  
  If you ever visit Korea, or any other of a number of East Asian countries, you’ll see women carrying parasols (umbrellas for the sun). Many Asian cultures, Korean included, emphasize the importance of staying out of the sun when possible. That’s because UV radiation from sunlight damages skin by breaking down collagen and elastin.
  
  Tip: Avoid the sun when possible, and use non-comedogenic sunscreen (SPF 30+) when you’re going to be in the sun. Even 10-15 minutes per day of direct, unprotected sun exposure adds up over time.
• Cut Down on Coffee and Alcohol
  
  Coffee and alcohol both dehydrate your skin, and dehydrated skin is more likely to wrinkle. Supply your skin with the water and moisture it needs to operate at its best and stay healthy and beautiful.
  
  Remember, 8 glasses of water (3 liters) every day!
• Don’t Smoke
  
  As if you needed another reason not to smoke, smoking tobacco causes a reduction in the production of new collagen, causing wrinkles. Healthy skin always regenerates, but smoking can affect that process.

3. Use Magic

Serums, Essences, Ampoules, Oh My! There’s a whole host of skin care products coming from Korea. My aunties insist on using a few of the basics.

• Toners
  
  A toner is a watery base, created initially as a way to bring your skin’s pH back to normal after the effects of harsh soap. This is how many people in the West think of toners today, but Koreans use toner in their prep stage.
  
  After you wash your face in the morning,apply a toner to balance your pH and add hydration before applying your serum. (Many toners come with added magic--antioxidants and other skin-boosting wonders).
• Serums
  
  Serums are all the rage right now. Serums are like a moisturizer with concentrated active ingredients to target specific issues like wrinkles, dark spots and dehydration. (Serums can be more or less concentrated, and may have different names in different forms--essences are very watery serums, ampoules are very concentrated serums). 
  
  Serums should go on after your toner, before your moisturizer (and SPF!).
  
  Tip: Because serums are so concentrated, I try not to waste any on my hands and fingernails when applying. I use an under-$20 jade roller from Amazon to apply a thin layer evenly on my face, but you could also use a kitchen spatula.
• Sheet Masks
  
  Sheet masks may be the most fun part of my aunties’ skin care routine. I remember as a teen, my aunties would come back from trips to Korea with these sheets of paper coated in soapy liquid. We’d put them on our faces and laugh and laugh… :)
  
  Sheet masks can be used to target individual symptoms, or can be used as an overall treatment to keep your skin looking its best.
  
  Tip: Sheet masks can be a little fussy to apply at times, I use my jade roller to roll the mask on smoothly and evenly.

In summary, remember these three things:

1. Eat Healthy
2. Don’t Cause Unnecessary Damage to Your Skin
3. Use Magic

And you’ll be on your way to beautiful, baby-like Korean skin ;)

But also, don’t forget to relax.

Know that you’re doing what you can, and that it’s okay to have imperfect skin-- EVERYONE has imperfect skin [[ which means, everyone has PERFECT skin! :) ]]

Try to find some time in your daily beauty routine to practice gratitude for what you have, to be mindful of the moment, to breathe...

I hope this helps.