Written By: Sasha Wordlaw, Clean Beauty Expert, Credo Los Angeles
We get it. The. Struggle. Is. Real. You have to battle a lot, but your skincare shouldn’t be one of them. Finesse your #nofilter face in five easy steps with a little help from our favorite products.
Step 1: Cleanse
First things first, wash your face! Cleansing your skin removes dirt, excess oil, and makeup—especially in those areas with extra buildup like the nose, chin, and forehead. Using a cleanser as directed (sometimes on a wet or dry face), take a couple of minutes to massage it into the skin, avoiding direct contact with the eye area. Then rinse away with warm water or spread a washcloth soaked in warm water, or these Jenny Patinkin Organic Bamboo Reusable Rounds, over your face to remove. Wondering where to start? Take a look at these bad boys below…
Kinship Naked Papaya Gentle Enzyme Cleanser – dubbed the skin-smoothie for your face, this papaya and vitamin E rich cleanser is great for skin prone to breakouts and gentle enough for dry.
InnBeauty Project Foam Clarifying Daily Cleanser – this foaming, sulfate-free cleanser has skin-friendly enzymes and acids that deep clean without over-stripping the skin of its natural moisture.
Step 2: Tone
Why toner? Toning the skin helps wipe away extra skin impurities and cleanser residue, refreshes skin, and restores your pH balance. We’ll let the next set speak for themselves:
Kinship Instaswipe Lemon Honey AHA Pads – smoothing and resurfacing AHA facial pads.
Moon Juice Acid Potion Resurfacing Exfoliator – a nourishing liquid facial exfoliator that actively resurfaces skin.
InnBeauty Project Down to Tone Life Changing Toner – an acid-based, skin resurfacing facial toner.
Indie Lee Co Q10 Toner – a morning or night facial toner.
Step 3: Treat
Clapback at breakouts:
Kinship Pimple Potion Retinal + Salicylic Acne Treatment – an acne treatment containing retinal and 2% salicylic acid.
Indie Lee Banish Stick – a blemish clearing formula with wand applicator.
Indie Lee Blemish Lotion – a blemish targeting facial lotion.
Acure Brightening Super Greens Serum – a lightweight daily facial serum.
Wabi-Sabi Botanicals Blemish Correct Soothing Serum & Spot Treatment – a 2-in-1 facial serum and blemish spot treatment.
Step 4: Moisturize
Without sufficient moisture, skin can look dry and dull. Moisturizing gives your skin balance while protecting the tone and texture. Day or night, make a happy face with hydration here:
Kinship Supermello Hydrating Gel Cream Moisturizer – a lightweight gel-cream hybrid facial moisturizer.
Acure Incredibly Clear Mattifying Moisturizer – a facial moisturizer for skin clarity.
InnBeauty Project Next Level No BS Moisturizer – an ultra hydrating, silicone-free facial moisturizer.
Step 5: Protect
EVERYBODY has to wear sunscreen. Trust us, one day you’ll thank us later. Sunscreen protects all skin types from harmful UV rays, provides a barrier to acne-prone skin and hyper-pigmented skin, not to mention it is the easiest way to prevent burns. Plus, it’s the final step! Whew, you made it! You only need to apply sunscreen during the day, so get ready to flex with one of these:
Kinship Self Reflect Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 32 – a lightweight, sheer moisturizing sunscreen with SPF 32 protection.
Unsun Mineral Tinted Broad Spectrum Face Sunscreen SPF 30 – a reef-safe, tinted facial sunscreen in two shades.
Acure Radically Rejuvenating SPF Day Cream – a reef-safe, facial moisturizer with broad spectrum sun protection.
And when you're feeling a little extra...
Give your face a little love with a mask from time to time—you can squeeze this in after skincare steps 1 or 2 depending on what you use. One of our faves is Indie Lee’s I-Waken Resurfacing Mask.
Need help with your skin type? Wondering what to choose? Credo’s Clean Beauty Experts are here for you in store and through chat.