Building Your Home Care Routine: The Basics

Looking to change up your routine? Need to build a routine from scratch?

The 4 main components I recommend are a cleanser, a working serum (often vitamin c but it depends on your goals), a moisturizer, and an SPF. I don't think it can get more basic than that.

There are some products that may have dual benefits, like a hydrating SPF or a Vitamin C moisturizer, but these are the four main steps.

My general rule of thumb is to prioritize your PM cleanse to take off "the day"...make up, SPF, oils, pollutants. Most people need some sort of active ingredients to clean their pores and this is usually in the form of salicylic acid but can be further customized to your goals.

My go to recommendation is Cleansing Complex which is 0.5% Salicylic. If you are oily or prefer a deeper clean, the Cleansing Complex Polish is a great option with double the Salicylic at 1%. The Polish has cellulose beads that adds to the deep clean feeling without stripping.

If you are wearing a lot of makeup or still seeing tint or makeup on your washcloth after your initial cleanse, you should be double cleansing to ensure the skin is being properly cleaned.

For a double cleanse: I recommend an oil based cleanser first, followed by your active ingredient cleanser. Most environmental pollutants and makeup is oil-based so an oil cleanser will break this up for easy removal.

The Cream Cleanser is great at breaking up makeup and nourishing the skins barrier as a first cleanse.

Even if you are not wearing a lot of makeup, you may still prefer to double cleanse. My personal favorite combination (for my acne prone, combo/oily skin) is Cleansing Complex Polish followed by Warming Honey Cleanser which I leave on as a mask once or twice per week.

For Travel: Cleansing Complex 2 oz, or Cream Cleanser which doesn't require water for removal.

For daily/twice daily use: any combination of Cream Cleanser, Cleansing Complex, Cleansing Complex Polish, or Warming Honey. All depends on your skin type  

For Full Makeup or Dry: Cream Cleanser and another gentle cleanser of choice, like Cleansing Complex or Warming Honey.

Vitamin C

Antioxidant protection to fight the free radical damage we are exposed to every single day via blue light, UV radiation, smoke, smog and other environmental pollutants.

Vitamin C is anti-inflammatory and is known for lightening and brightening scars, pigmentation, and skin tone. This is typically a daytime product. 

I generally start everyone with Pro-Heal Advance+. This is always one of my top sellers and a long-time client favorite. This is one of my most healing, anti-inflammatory products.

This is so healing, in fact, that I use this as my after care for Skin Classic treatments. Safe for eczema, rosacea, and psoriasis, this product is truly incredible for inflammation and redness in the skin.

I generally address inflammation first, as that is exacerbating most other concerns, and when we have a good routine and inflammation under control, I tend to shift my clients to a more focused product, like anti-aging, brightening, texture, etc.

 

Brightening Serum is one of my personal favorites, because I tend to be a picker so I am forever fighting inflammation and pigmentation. This serum feels slick and velvety to me, and I love how it layers. I love to pair with this with Brightening Complex, which is more of a creamy consistency in a pump….the Complex is pretty strong and can be spicy if you are dry or your skin is not properly prepped.

 I wouldn’t count the Complex as an “intro” product. Sometimes I’ll do one at night and one in the day, or sometimes together in the same routine just depending what’s going on.

For more anti-aging concerns or texture concerns, I really love Super Serum. This product is more collagen stimulating, but also great for healing tissue because it helps to align collagen bands in a more uniform fashion which can help prevent or minimize thick, textured scarring.

This is also a great product for clients with acne scarring that has left texture. 

GenexC: A newer to-me-product….specifically communicates with DNA to turn on or off gene expression. Great anti-aging product if other concerns like inflammation or pigmentation have been addressed. 

Poly-Vitamin Serum: Not a vitamin c or antioxidant but incredible bonus product to have on hand. One of their cancer safe products, Poly-Vitamin is nutrient filled and healing, and I generally recommend this to my clients who are pickers and have a lot of little scabs because it works so quickly to heal.

 Also great for a nice boost to lackluster, dull skin.

 

Moisturizer

RME: forever a top seller. I wish I could drink this, I wish I could bathe in this…:and many of you have asked if you can buy my huge backbar size of this. This is a nice thick, anti-aging moisturizer with a very light clean smell. Unscented, but you know how product smells give us nice feelings when we use them? iS Clinical is a pretty glowy line in general, so if you are really not into the glowy glazed donut look, you may not like this.

However I find that look to be so youthful, and I think this is a great moisturizer for most. May be a bit thick for summer if you are sensitive to the sensation of products on your face. I find if this feels spicy, that tends to be a good indicator that your barrier is compromised.

 

sHeald Recovery Balm: a post-procedure, healing balm for all skin types. Generally a winter time favorite, but some of my clients do use it year round. Definitely thick, some use it for nighttime only.

A little goes a very long way. Very soothing for redness and great for rebuilding the barrier if compromised. I love that this comes in two sizes, because the little one is so cute, travels well, lasts forever, and is just a great product to have on hand for any skin flares or issues.

HydraCool Serum: Another client favorite product because of how versatile it is. A drop or two goes a very long way.

 It can be layered directly onto the skin, under your moisturizers or other thicker serums or moisturizers. I’ve even added a drop to some thicker tinted SPF or makeup if I want to thin it out a bit while adding some moisture. Mostly hyaluronic acid, with a little arbutin for brightening. Very slick.

 

SPF

Protect your investment of your time, money, and energy that you put towards your skin. All the SPF I sell is mineral SPF, so start with less and work up to more or you will see those minerals!

You should love your SPF and feel good in it, so that you feel motivated to wear it and protect your skin! A good SPF should also help to seal in your products you’ve just applied for the day.

My top seller and personal favorite is Eclipse SPF 50 in beige, coming from a non-makeup girly who has skin things she needs to blend out. A lot of my clients tell me their goal is to leave the house without makeup, and a tinted SPF if my go-to. The Eclipse beige is more pink undertones. 

For more olive tones and a bit darker, check out Extreme Protect 40 Beige and Bronze.

The Extreme Protect line has anti-aging technology, similar to RME. Both of these come in translucent as well. Tinted has definitely always been popular with my clients, but the untinted ones look great too, and many of you really love those!

I have to add in and mention LiProtect SPF, because that’s a personal favorite of mine. I have taken these all over the world with me in the sun and they always keep my lips safe.

I love a good reliable, compact product and this is it. Not super shiny or glowy, definitely more like a matte balm. To me it smells vanilla-y, though that’s not the intention and others don’t always notice that. 

The Powder Tints are awesome tools for reapplication when out in the sun or with makeup on. With an applicator like a makeup brush, this is a great summer tool to throw in your purse, car, or pool bag. Plus, it comes with 2 powder capsules so you have a backup to pop into your brush when you finish the first one. Another cute compact and functional product!