Forming some good healthy habits when it comes to your skincare routine will get you well on your way to your best skin yet.

Regardless of your skin type, below are 5 skincare tips to follow that will help your skin looks it best!

Double Cleanse

If double cleansing isn’t already a part of your skincare routine, your skin is missing out! Double cleansing involves first cleansing with a cleansing oil, followed by a second cleanse with your regular cleanser.

Cleansing oils work to quickly dissolve impurities and the build-up of daily pollutants, whilst removing make-up with ease. Better yet, they do all this without stripping the skin of moisture. Cleansing oils need to be applied to dry skin, particularly if you’re using one to remove makeup. Once applied, add a little water to emulsify and work the cleansing oil into the skin, and watch as it breaks down any makeup and debris. Remove the cleansing oil with a damp microfibre cloth (the Face Halo and Makeup Eraser are our favourites).

We talk about some of the best cleansing oils in the post Why You Need a Cleansing Oil in Your Skincare Routine.

Use SPF

Did you know that 90% of fine lines are caused by sun exposure? Using a SPF30 or higher is one of the best things you can do for your skin! Sunscreen is the most important step in your skincare routine (yes, even if you’re not heading to the beach!). The sun is the number one cause of skin damage and it can cause premature skin ageing, sun spots, and skin cancer if you’re not protecting your skin by using a sunscreen.

If you’re working in an office all day, using a SPF is still a must! You can get sun exposure from the windows at work (and at home), the commute, running errands on your lunch break, and any time you’re stepping outside. The sun exposure you’re getting will add up everyday. Even if it’s a cloudy winter day, apply sunscreen every day and your skin will thank you for it later. Just like how you would apply a moisturiser, don’t forget your neck and décolletage.

Don’t let yourself be put off by any oily or greasy sunscreens you’ve used in the past – there are so many sunscreens on the market now that feel so lightweight on the skin that you won’t even notice they’re there. We talk about some of the Best Non-Greasy Face Suncreens here.

You can use your face sunscreen either in place of your normal day moisturiser if it’s a more hydrating formula, or use a lightweight moisturiser, let it sink into the skin for a few minutes, and use a face sunscreen over the top.

Apply a Facial Oil Last

Knowing how to layer your skincare products and in what order to apply them is important if you want your products to work effectively. If you’re using a facial oil in your skincare routine, make sure you’re applying it as the last step in your routine.

The molecular structure of a skincare product will be different for every product. The order in which you apply your skincare products, such as toners, serums, lotions and creams, depends on the thickness of each product, along with other properties.

As a general rule of thumb, skincare products work best applied from thinnest to thickest consistency, finishing with a product that provides increased barrier function to your skin.

Facial oils are the last step of your skincare routine, and are best applied at night (although if you have very dry skin you could apply an oil during the day). If you apply a water-based product like your a moisturiser after your facial oil, the water-based product won’t be able to penetrate your skin as effectively as water is repelled by oil. Using your moisturiser then patting on your oil over the top will let the water melt into your skin and stop it from evaporating. The face oil will eventually sink into your skin, reinforcing your skin’s moisture barrier.

When layering, let each product you apply absorb for two or three minutes so nothing is counteracted or diluted by the next product you put on.

Two of our favourite face oils are this one from Sisley and this one from Biossance.

Mask Weekly

Apply a face mask weekly, and multi-mask. Multi-masking is great because different areas of your face can have different skin concerns. For example, if you have an oily and congested T-Zone you would want to apply a clay mask here, and if the rest of your face is feeling dry or dull, it will benefit from a hydrating mask.

Check out our favourite Face Masks for Oily Skin here and the Best Hydrating Face Masks for Dry Skin here.

Stay hydrated

Lastly, stay hydrated! You’ve probably heard this one before but drinking enough water each day is good not only for your general health, but also for your skin. You should aim to drink at least 2 litres of water a day.

Drinking enough water can help keep your skin plump and hydrated. Your skin is made up of cells which, like any other cell in the body, are made up of water. Without an adequate amount of water, your organs won’t function at their best. If your skin is not getting the amount of water that it needs it will become dehydrated, resulting in dry and tight skin, which has less resilience and is more prone to wrinkles and fine lines.

The unfortunate truth, however, is that water will reach all the other organs in your body before it reaches the skin. It’s important to apply water to the skin and keep it there. This is where hyaluronic acid is one of your skin’s best friends as it holds 1,000 times its own weight in water and works to attract water to the skin and hold it there. Apply a product containing hyaluronic acid before you apply your moisturiser. Our hyaluronic acid favourites include this SkinCeuticals one or, for a more affordable option, this one from The Ordinary.