KBeauty 101: The 10 Step Korean Skincare Routine for Beginners
If you’re a fan of skincare, I’m sure you’ve heard of Korean beauty and this infamous 10 step routine that has exploded in popularity these past few years. What exactly is this 10 step Korean beauty routine? And how can you integrate some of these steps into your own routine I’m gonna break down both these topics so keep reading to find out.
Now first, I want to say that even though the Korean skincare routine is pretty extensive at either 10, 12, or 15 steps depending on who you ask, you do not need to follow all of these steps in your own skincare routine. You do not need to add a bunch of new steps into your skincare routine if you do not want to.
The good and bad thing about skincare is that everyone’s skin is different. So while a 10 or 12 or 15 step routine may work perfectly for someone else that may not be the best thing for your skin. So a 10 step routine may not be the best fit for your skin just depending on your lifestyle and also your skin’s needs. What is important is just sticking with a basic foundational skincare routine, and also doing what works for your skin. I think it’s also important to understand the concepts and thinking on why there are so many steps and kind of adjusting that to fit into your own skincare routine.
Someone with very dry and mature skin is going to require a much different skincare routine than someone who is younger, has oily skin and is dealing with breakouts.
The essential skincare steps that cannot be skipped would be cleansing, exfoliating, moisturizing and sunscreen. As long as you have these foundational basics in your skincare routine, you do not have to add anything more. Of course if you do want to add some more products and or steps feel free. These are the minimum steps and if you want to stop there, that’s totally fine.
But if you’re looking for more be sure to build up your skincare routine off of this basic foundation. The main reason why there are so many steps in the Korean skincare routine is to really make sure that your skin is hydrated no matter what your skin type or skin concern is a healthy, hydrated and happy skin barrier is going to make your current products work even harder for you and get you to your desired results even faster.
Now let’s get into these 10 steps. So the first two steps are both cleansing steps in what is usually known as a double cleanse.
STEP ONE: CLEANSING BALM/OIL
The first cleanser is typically a cleansing balm or a cleansing oil and the purpose of this step is to really remove any makeup or sweat any residue that’s on your skin. At the end of the day. First cleanser is typically a cleansing balm or oil, something that will break up your makeup, sunscreen, sebum, and other residue left on your skin and by wearing makeup. I definitely make sure to go in with either a cleansing balm or cleansing oil at the end of the end of the day to get rid of my makeup because for me, typically with one cleanser that’s not enough to get everything off. And you do not want to have makeup residue in your skin at night while you sleep because that can cause further breakouts in the future. Personally I prefer cleansing balms because I like the texture better. I love that feeling of feeling the ball kind of just melt into an oil, it’s just really satisfying. I love also giving my face a little massage with the cleansing balm as I’m removing my makeup. The Banila & Co Clean it Zero Cleansing Balm is the first cleansing balm I’ve tried and I actually still use it even today. I love how this feels on the skin and how the balm really just melts into an oil as you’re massaging it in and I find that it removes my makeup really well.
STEP TWO: CLEANSING GEL/FOAM/CREAM
The second step is to use a gentle gel called or cream cleanser to get rid of whatever the first cleanse did. One of my favorite gentle cleansers would definitely have to be the Low pH Good Morning Cleanser by CosRX. This cleanser has a pH really close to the page of your skin. So I find that this gives my skin a really gentle nice cleanse without irritating my skin barrier too much.
STEP THREE: EXFOLIATION
The third step is exfoliation. One of the most necessary and crucial steps of any skincare routine the typical life cycle of a skin cell is anywhere between five to six weeks on average. With teenagers, it can be as fast as two weeks. But this number really starts to increase as we age. So what that means is your body is constantly creating new skin cells. So we want to be sure that we’re getting rid of that dead layer of old skin cells on top. So then that way our new skin cells are able to shine through exfoliating regularly will also allow the products in your skincare routine to penetrate into your skin even better and be more effective. exfoliators can come in the form of either being a chemical exfoliant or a physical exfoliant. A chemical exfoliant is an acid based product that typically comes in the form of a liquid, while a physical exfoliator uses more granular particles such as sugar to physically exfoliate off any dead skin cells you may have at the surface layer of your skin.
STEP FOUR: TONER
Toners help rebalance your skin’s pH to really prepare your skin to soak in the rest of your routine. The thought behind this is that damp skin soaks in product better than dry skin, kind of like a sponge.
STEP FIVE: ESSENCE
For me personally, I find that toners and essences do very similar things for my skin. So I don’t do both steps I didn’t one or the other. Of course everyone’s skin is different. So if you have a toner and in essence that you’re both currently using and you like then just stick with it.
STEP SIX: AMPOULES & SERUMS
Depending on your skin concern, this step can be a crucial component of your skincare routine, and ampoules and serums are typically very potent to address very specific skincare concerns such as a vitamin C serum to help brighten dark spots. If your main concern is dryness, you could just repurpose this step and add in another hydrating layer.
STEP SEVEN: SHEET MASKS
Probably my favorite step, sheet masks are a great way to really seal in all that yummy goodness you’ve just applied onto your skin. They’re also a really great way to relax. But of course, I know that not everyone has the time to shoot mass every single night. So of course, fit it in where you can and if you don’t like to shee mask, then feel free to skip this step.
STEP EIGHT: EYE CREAM
If you are a teenager or in your early 20s, you could probably skip this step. The skin around our eye area is probably one of the thinnest in our whole body and very susceptible to fine lines and wrinkles. I would suggest using your moisturizer to hydrate around your eye area if you don’t want to buy an eye cream. For me personally, I always want to be sure that the area around my eyes are hydrated especially as I’m getting older.
STEP NINE: MOISTURIZER
This is a really, really crucial step. If you aren’t using any other products on the rest of your face after exfoliating then your skin is not going to have enough moisture. Moisturizers are very important because you want to make sure this skin on your face is hydrated. Definitely do not skip moisturizer because you do not want your skin to be without moisture or be excessively dry. Because this can definitely cause fine lines and wrinkles prematurely.
STEP TEN: SUNSCREEN
Not only can sunscreen help protect you against skin cancer, but it also helps protect against both UVA and UVB rays, which can cause dark spots and age spots. And with sunscreen, I would say this is a really important step because you’re really taking measures to prevent your skin from developing these skin concerns. With skincare, I think it’s always better to be preventative than reactive. It’s better to use sunscreen to prevent dark spots, rather than to let the dark spots develop and then try and treat the dark spots later with a different product. It’d be a lot easier if we didn’t have those dark spots to begin with.
So that was the Korean skincare routine in a nutshell. It’s actually not so overwhelming once you kind of go through the steps and you understand what each step is for and the purpose behind it.
For me, I’m probably using anywhere between seven to eight steps. Although of course we all have those lazy days where I just cleanse, moisturize and put on sunscreen. How many steps are you using in your current routine? Let me know in the comments below!
