Your Step by Step Guide to Skin Cycling

Throwing out trends quick than you can try them, you’d be forgiven for dismissing TikTok’s latest effort as just another Gen-Z fad. Yet with 3.5 billions views on the hashtag and endorsements from experts and dermatologists world wide, Skin Cyling is one trend worth its salt. But what’s it all about?

A skincare method used during your nighttime routine, Skin Cycling, dictates which days and in what order certain activities should be used to get the most out of your skincare. The idea is, that by sticking to a strategic routine, where your skin receives the treatment (or actives) on “active” days and recovers from it on “rest” days, you can receive all the results with out any irritation or damage to your skin barrier.

A four-day cycle is the most usual, involving active ingredients on the first two nights, followed by two nights off from the actives, instead focusing on products to hydrate and repair your skin. After the two “rest” days, you then repeat the process.

YOUR STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO SKIN CYCLING

Night one: Exfoliation

Exfolitiaion is a great way of achieving radiant glowing skin thanks to it’s ability to remove dead skin cells, increasing cell turn over and revealing new skin below, however it also serves another purpose. The removal of dead skin cells through exfoliation actually allows your retinoids and other actives to penetrate the skin more deeply.

For an effective and safe exfoliation, you’ll want to start with a double cleanse and gently pat the skin dry. Next apply a chemical exfoliated featuring either your AHAs (such as glycolic acid), BHA’S ( Salic Acid, ideal for for acne prone skin), Lactic Acid (great for dryer skin) or for those with more sensitive skin, PHAs ( lactobionic acid). Try and avoid a physical scrub as this can be too rough, causing damage to your skin barrier. Once the tingling sensation has subsided, apply a hydrating moisturiser such as Lumene Nordic Hydra [Lähde] Moisture Balm £21.90.

Night two: retinoid

Now that your skin is effectively exfoliated its time to treat it and day two is all about the retiniod.

Stimulating collagen and increasing cell turnover, retinol is the only active that has been clinically proven to improve the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and skin firmness. It has also been shown to help with contains such as psoriasis and acne.

If you are new to retinol you might want to apply a moisturiser first to act as a buffeffer and prevent dryness. Wait 15 minters for it to fully be absorbed into the skin and then apply a pea-sized amount of retinoid to the whole face, and another for your neck and décolletage.

Nights three and four: repair and recovery

The final stage focuses on nourishing the skin barrier to ensure its as healthy as possibly while your treatment gets to work below.

As with any nighttime regime, you’ll want to start with a double cleanse to remove makeup, dirt and pollutants, however instead of patting your skin dry, leave damp and apply your humectants. These are your moisturising serums containing niacinamide, cermamides, hyalrunoic acid and gylcerin. Next up is the application of an emollient to lock in all the moisture. Again you want to be looking for your hyaluronic acid, ceramides, squalene and fatty acids.

The final part of your Skin Cycling Routine is applying an SPF50 every morning, topping up throughout the day as needed to protect your skin. SPF application is particularly important when using actives as your skin can become more sensitive to UV rays. Two of our favourites include Lancaster Sun Beauty Face Cream SPF50 £25 and Ultra Violette Supreme Screen SPF 50+ Hydrating Skinscreen £34 .