Have you heard the term “skin cycling” recently? It may sound like the latest trend in skin care, but the truth is: Many of us already naturally practice skin cycling by rotating through different products to meet our individual needs. If you regularly alternate more than one serum or moisturizer, guess what? You’re already skin cycling.
What is Skin Cycling?
This method is intentionally changing your skin care routine from day to day. In skin cycling, instead of bombarding your skin with multiple exfoliants, serums, and deeper-penetrating actives, intensive products are used individually (often with a break in between) to minimize irritation and retain the precious moisture we associate with younger-looking skin.
Have you ever had a breakout and been told by your dermatologist or esthetician to leave your skin alone or temporarily use a very basic routine until your skin heals a bit? Doing too much can actually exacerbate irritation and make it last longer. With skin cycling, your schedule is optimized to lessen the chance of this and keep you hydrated and healthy.
Another benefit to skin cycling is giving each product its own stage to shine, so you can evaluate whether it performs well for your unique needs.
How It Works
First things first: Everyone’s skin is different and can benefit from customization of products and routine. It may take some time to figure out the best combination for you, and help with this is just what your esthetician is for.
The next time you get a treatment, discuss with your facialist what’s best for your skin. A quality facial should include skin analysis and consultation, which is the perfect time to ask any questions about skin cycling and products.
Learn about the ingredients in your products and what they do. By understanding their functions, you can anticipate whether a product or combination of products may work better in a skin cycle. Your esthetician is a great resource to determine what concerns you’d like to address and assign products. When you know how often you’ll use a product, schedule which day(s) you’ll apply it and what you’ll do on other days. (Don’t forget to work in some moisturizer-only break days... and track your results so you know what’s working.)
Getting Started
A simple nighttime skin cycling schedule is to alternate regenerating night cream and a retinol serum plus standard moisturizer for six nights, then use a standard moisturizer alone on the seventh night. Depending on your skin, your ideal cycle might look different.
Use Good Night Dream Cream, our bestselling night cream that combines resurfacing glycolic and salicylic acids with gentle retinol. With hyaluronic acid, vitamin E, and silk amino acids, this richly hydrating virtual “sleeping mask” is designed to help minimize the appearance of fine lines, acnes scars, wrinkles, and age spots overnight.
Apply Hydrating Silk Lotion over Ret-E-Night Resurfacing Serum. The concentrated retinol-containing oil conditions the skin and supports collagen and elastin production for a soft, supple, more resilient appearance. It’s enhanced with rich oils, including argan, castor, and vitamin E, plus CoEnzyme Q10. Meanwhile, Hydrating Silk combines rich jojoba, cocoa butter, and vitamin E with beautiful botanicals to revitalize sluggish skin and form a light protective barrier.
Use a non-resurfacing moisturizer of your choice. You may like to continue with Hydrating Silk Lotion or opt for Rich Regenerative Cream if your skin tends to be particularly dry. Those with excessively oily skin may prefer Citrus Sorbet Oil-Free Moisturizer.
Pro tip: Our Glow Serum with Hyaluronic Acid adds a boost of hydration and plays well day or night with ALL of our products and ALL skin types.
Making It Easier
Order our Nighttime Skin Cycling Bundle, which provides the three products featured above at a special value.