Introduction
In this blog post, I will address what a skincare cycling routine is and how to do skin cycling appropriately. Also expect what the benefits of skin cycling are and what kind of products to use for your skin routine. I decided to include this post on my blog because skincare cycling is a huge TikTok and social media phenomenon that has taken the world by storm.
I love the idea of it along with the practice since it helps me to incorporate new or old products into my routine without risking irritation. I also find that it helps my night time skin care routines to be more effective and efficient since I can swap out any product that works for me during non-recovery nights. I know this post will help you learn more about skincare cycling as I’ve done a lot of research on it to bring you the most up-to-date information on this phenomenal trend.
What is skincare cycling?
Skincare cycling is when you have a cycle of complete skincare routines that span for four nights. I would think of it as a weekly skincare routine instead of a daily one. It is usually four stages of night-time skin care routines. The morning skin care routine remains the same (cleanse + serum + moisturizer + SPF) and doesn’t change at all. This makes it easier for the night time routines to change and be edited.
On the first night, you have the exfoliation stage where you use an exfoliation product before toner. Next is the second night, where you use a retinoid or retinol in replacement of your serum. Then after that is the third and fourth nights where you use skin barrier building serums or moisturizers along with non-irritating products to rebuild your skin’s microbiome.
Who should do skincare cycling?
I would say that cycling your skincare routine is good for everyone if they want to try a new way of doing their skincare routines. They can simply switch out a product that is new to them (like a serum) and test it out one night as the rest of their stages remain the same. Skin cycling is great for dry, combination, sensitive, aging, AND acne prone skin so it overlaps in care for many different types of skin.
Of course, on WhyTheBareFace.com, I always advocate doing your own research and experimenting at your own risk. Therefore, skin cycling is great for everyone who wants to try a new product that they haven’t before with minimal risk to them. How is it minimal risk? Well, it is minimal because there are two recovery nights on the third and fourth cycle that help to prevent any irritation or inflammation that can happen with a new skin care product. This is a great option since it ideally makes your skincare routine more efficient and effective.
What are the benefits of skincare cycling?
There are some benefits when it comes to skincare cycling. The first benefit that I can think about is that it helps skin care users get more strategic with their routines. This means that a skin care lover can use a specific serum one night to target dark spots and then maybe a more moisturizing and recovering serum another night to bring hydration back into the skin. The skin care possibilities are endless with having strategic routines!
Another benefit of skin cycling routines is that it can reduce redness and peeling caused by inflammation. So let’s say that you have sensitive skin and you suffer from peeling. One night you try a new serum with ceramides and hyaluronic acid which goes very well. That new serum gives you the hydration and calming that you need with the skin. Then you have two recovery nights (stage 3 and 4) which also have sensitive skin approved products. These stages altogether help you to strategically achieve a reduction of peeling and redness in the skin. It was a great week of skincare!
What ingredients should be switched out during skincare cycling?
The ingredients like retinoids, retinols, and gentle exfoliants or new products should be switched out during skincare cycling. I personally believe in using gentle, chemical exfoliants in every routine like lactic acid or glycolic acid. I also believe in using over-the-counter retinol or something like bakuchiol since they are more gentle on the skin than retinoids.
If you use retinoids, your skin can build up a tolerance of it over time but it is definitely not for sensitive and redness prone skin. Of course, everyone’s skin is so different so be careful what you put on it. Make sure that you check with your dermatologist if irritation occurs and stop any product that causes continuous irritation and peeling.
What are the Top 10 holy grail products for a skincare cycling routine?
The top 10 products are as follows:
- REN Clean Skincare Evercalm Barrier Support Elixir 30ml (DermStore)
- Krave Beauty Great Barrier Relief (Amazon)
- All purpose Egyptian magic cream (Amazon)
- SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore 242 (DermStore)
- Replenix Retinol+Bakuchiol Concentrated Serum (DermStore)
- CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum (DermStore)
- ELEMIS Papaya Enzyme Peel (DermStore)
- First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads (DermStore)
- Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm (DermStore
- Obagi Medical Hydrate Facial Moisturizer (DermStore)
The first product is REN Clean Skincare Evercalm Barrier Support Elixir which is an amazing elixir that is used like a serum. It is great because it repairs the skin’s barrier with a myriad of different oils like Camellia Japonica Seed Oil. I am not familiar with the oils in this elixir but they are as follows: Organic Inca Inchi Oil and Meadowfoam Seed Oil which are both rich in omegas and lipid factors.
All of these oils are great for the skin’s microbiome and bring hydrating and collagen enriching factors back into the skin. Sometimes the skin can get irritated by the environment or other new products that you try so this elixir is great because it helps to calm down the skin and prevent TEWL. I love this product because it prevents redness across my skin and brings out the true color of my skin. It makes it look and feel plump and hydrated.
The second product is Krave Beauty Great Barrier Relief which is a holy grail product of mine. It has a combination of niacinamide and ceramides which bind together to repair the skin’s barrier and microbiome. I’ve been using this serum for over two years now and I can tell you that I cannot live without it. Even when I was poor, I still tried to afford this product and made sure that the product stretched out so I could not go without it. It’s an amazing product that also moisturizes the skin with Tamanu Oil that soothes the skin and calms down the redness. I wake up with a fresh face and without any redness in my skin, it is *that* amazing.
The third product is All purpose Egyptian magic cream which is another amazing moisturizer. It has ingredients like honey, propolis, and bee pollen which are all natural ingredients. In fact, all the ingredients in the product are natural so you aren’t harming your skin with synthetic or unnatural chemicals. I love that about this product and I could honestly write PARAGRAPHS about how much I love it.
However, I will spare you the details and let you know that I love this product because it heals all the chin acne that I get. It makes my skin look absolutely flawless and heals deep rooted acne that sometimes occurs for me during my period or during PMS. Therefore, I *know* this product will help you with the same issues and it’s a product that is universal for all. I would recommend it for combination, acne prone, hyperpigmentation, and dry skin. It heals all of those skin type’s concerns and is a great multi-purpose product.
The fourth product is SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore 242 which is one of my holy grail moisturizers. It helps with limiting puffiness in the skin and dark circles. It reminds me a lot of the La Mer skin cream but for almost half the price but it is truly within a league of its own. It has ceramides, cholesterol, and fatty acids/lipids that all penetrate the skin and build it back up again. It acts a lot like collagen by repairing the skin’s barrier and preparing it for hydration. It is an amazing product that is worth its price. Not only is it great for anti-aging but it’s great for sensitive, dry, and combination skin. I give this moisturizer a 10 out of 10 because it is life-changing and makes it hard to go back on another moisturizer.
The fifth product is Replenix Retinol+Bakuchiol Concentrated Serum which is a blend of Retinol and Bakuchiol mix. I love that because it means that the retinol in the serum will be less concentrated and will not cause as much irritation as plain retinol can. This is a two-pack punch concentrated serum that will help improve the look of discoloration, fine lines, pore size, uneven skin tone, and acne. It also helps to bring more antioxidants to the skin which repair free radical damage and clear. I love it because it helps with my fine lines around my eyes and makes me look less tired. It is a great retinol serum and one of the best on the market!
The sixth product is CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum which I love because it is a very affordable product. It is fully retinol and it helps with the little fine lines around my eyes as I get older. I love that this product also brings hydration to my face without breaking the bank and works just as good as other high-end performance products out there. It is formulated with 3 ceramides that are essential for rebuilding the skin’s microbiome barrier. It also has retinol and licorice root extract which reduce the visibility of hyperpigmentation and pores.
I like that it has the extra ceramides and licorice root which offsets the powerful retinol that can sometimes lead to irritation on its own. This product doesn’t do that because the licorice root extract and ceramides bring added hydration and non-irritating factors to the skin. If you are just starting out with retinol, this is the product that I would recommend because it’s budget friendly but also packed with those nutrient dense ingredients that help to firm and lift the skin.
The seventh product is ELEMIS Papaya Enzyme Peel which is perfect for sensitive skin types that need a great peel that helps to limit dull skin cells. It is gentle and non-abrasive for an exfoliator which I love because skin can get sensitive after exfoliation, whether your skin is the sensitive type or not. This exfoliator shows a smoother and more radiant finish to the skin while also brightening and clarifying it. There are ingredients like milk protein, marine algae, papaya, and Vitamin E which all bring nourishment and repair to the skin. I would say that this papaya peel is suitable for sensitive, dry, mature, and aging skin types. Since it is a peel, it won’t be abrasive like a manual exfoliator, and it will bring lush hydration to the skin.
The eighth product is First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads which are great because they have little abrasive pads that are gentle on the skin. They wipe away makeup, dirt, and debris. They are refillable so they are eco-friendly and I just find them to be wonderful because they’re so gentle. There are glycolic and lactic acids which are both AHAs that work together to exfoliate the surface of the skin. I would say that these radiance pads are for sensitive, dry, combination, and normal skin. Literally any kind of skin type can use these which is great because it means that it is a versatile product. I put it as a holy grail because of its versatility and sustainability.
The ninth product is Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm which is another Elemis brand product. They knock it out of the park with their products and do such a fantastic job. I chose this as a holy grail product because it breaks down my makeup so easily and gets rid of pesky impurities on my skin. It has a 3 step formula that it does where it is a lovely balm, then melts away makeup and debris like an oil, and then it hydrates the skin like a milk. I find this product to be pretty miraculous in doing that and very multi-purpose.
It has ingredients like brown algae that are rich in fatty acids and help to repair the skin’s barrier and microbiome. It helps to seal in moisture as well as soothe the skin with starflower oil. There are also a mix of essential oils in the product that have lavender and chamomile which soothe the skin and give your skin a sense of feeling clean. I would say it’s for sensitive, dry, combination, and normal skin types so it’s another gentle yet versatile product that works!
The tenth and last product is Obagi Medical Hydrate Facial Moisturizer which I put as a holy grail product because it is a medical grade moisturizer. This means that it has been tested by dermatologists and is powered by Hydromanil which is this fancy ingredient that helps your skin gain moisture. From my understanding, it also releases active compounds overtime that support the conditioning of the skin and moisturize to hydration.
I love this product as well because it has shea butter, avocado butter, and mango butter which all work together to hydrate and moisturize the skin. I would say this product is for sensitive, dry, acne-prone, and normal skin along with being a lightweight moisturizer. It’s non-irritating and non-sensitizing as well which is great for anyone who suffers from redness of the skin or from blemishes. I love this product so much and I did not know this but their Hydromanil ingredient is supposed to be long-lasting so you get hydration on your skin for a long time.
Conclusion
Well there you have it! These are my Top 10 holy grail products for a skincare cycling routine and some questions answered about skincare cycling. I hope that this full guide and breakdown about skincare cycling has helped you to understand it better. My goal with this post was to teach you about skincare cycling and how to incorporate it into a routine. So I hope that I have achieved that and that you feel more confident at trying new products and incorporating them into your skin care routines. What kind of new products have you included in your current skin care routine? And have you tried skin cycling with those new products yet? Let me know what kind of skin care routine that you have in the comments below.
Happy Bare Face,
Amanda