Transforming Your Skin Through Skin Cycling
I try to stay on trend. I love getting my hands on the latest Jordans or the newest Louis Vuitton satchel. I am always on the cutting edge of fashion. Okay, none of that is true. Just ask the New Balance sneakers from last season that I just purchased on sale, or the gift-with-purchase Lancome tote I have been carrying around for 15 years. Trends are not my thing. Unless it has to do with skincare. When it comes to skincare, I am totally hip.
Recently, I was reading an article in the New York Post about skin cycling and I realized I had not heard of this trend! In my defense, it has been a particularly dreadful year for me, but still, I was surprised to see this had not been on my radar. In my research of skin cycling, I realized the randomized (but systemic) nighttime routines I had been practicing for years had a name – skin cycling! So, although I was not familiar with the trendy name, I was definitely familiar with the method.
Skin cycling involves using different active ingredients on certain days and then having days where you allow your skin to rest. For instance, Monday night, you use a chemical exfoliant to prep the skin for the retinol you use on Tuesday night. Then, on Wednesday and Thursday, you use a reparative serum and heavy barrier repair moisturizer. Repeat the process and voila! You have skin that’s clarified and baby soft.
Of course, we have everything you need to jump on the skin cycling bandwagon!
When it comes to chemical exfoliants, nothing beats Dr. Dennis Gross peel pads. These pads come in three strengths – ultra-gentle, universal, and extra strength. I recommend either the ultra-gentle or universal for beginners.
Like Dr. Gross’s peel pads, Skinceuticals Retinol comes in three strengths as well – 0.3, 0.5, and 1.0. Again, I recommend beginning with the 0.3 if you’ve never used retinol, and building your way up to the 1.0.
Serums are the concentrated powerhouses of skincare. They pack a punch through their actives or calming ingredients. Since we take a break from actives on the third day, these two serums, Augustinus Bader The Serum and Skinceuticals Phyto Corrective Gel are known to repair and soothe.
These moisturizers, Skinceuticals Triple Lipid Restore 2:4:2 and Alchimie Forever Kantic Calming Cream, can be used on the nights when actives are used and when they are not used. They protect and restore while calming skin that has been exposed to exfoliants.
And now an ode to an older trend, Slugging. Slugging is the concept of sealing in skincare with a heavy, occlusive balm that is also moisturizing. Skincando’s Combat Ready Balm is my absolute favorite product to slug with. It is thick, moisturizing, and smells like a spa. Top your skincare cocktail with this military grade skin salve to compliment your skin cycling routine.
