What is Skin Cycling?
Skin cycling is alternating the days you use active ingredients in your skincare routine. Examples of active ingredients are retinols, exfoliators, masks, and vitamin c. These are all great products for your skin but, too much of a good thing can be a bad thing!
Why is Skin Cycling Important?
The reason why alternating products is important is because using too many active ingredients can damage your skin barrier. For instance, a chemical exfoliator is great for sloughing off dead skin cells. If used too often, it can irritate your skin and harm your skin’s barrier. (Read more about exfoliating!) The same goes with retinol. Retinol helps promote cell turnover, unclogs your pores, and exfoliates the skin. But used too often, it can damage the skin. (Read more about retinol!)
What Skincare Products Should you Alternate?
You always want to be cleansing, toning, and moisturizing daily for a simple skincare routine. But if you have additional concerns in your skin that you want to help heal to get a healthy glow (like hyperpigmentation, texture, acne, fine lines and wrinkles, and more) then you want to incorporate active ingredients that will help your skin look its best!
The main skincare products that you want to alternate into your skincare routine and not use daily are retinol, exfoliators, mask, and vitamin c.
How to Start Skin Cycling
The main idea of cycling skincare products is to allow your skin to rest. Using strong products too often can be harmful to your skin. You want to alternate days of using retinol, exfoliators, and masks. So you could do a simple routine of retinol, exfoliator, mask, rest, retinol, exfoliator, rest.
What’s a Good Skin Cycling Schedule?
You can play around with what works best for your skin type and skin concerns, but here is an example of how you can cycle your skincare products:
- SUNDAY- retinol
- MONDAY- physical, enzyme, or chemical exfoliator
- TUESDAY- mask
- WEDNESDAY- rest
- THURSDAY- retinol
- FRIDAY- physical, enzyme, or chemical exfoliator
- SATURDAY- rest
As a general rule, you want to use active ingredients at night. Your nightly skincare routine should be more in depth than your morning skincare routine. You can apply vitamin c during your morning routine and the other products can be cycled through at night.
The most important thing is to allow your skin to rest from active ingredients and not to mix active ingredients. Remember, too much of a good thing can be a bad thing!
How to Incorporate Your Oliveda Products into Your Skincare Routine
If you use Oliveda skincare products, how can you incorporate skin cycling into your nightly skincare routine?
As an aesthetician, here’s what I would do!
- Cleanse
- Tone
- Retinol, chemical exfoliator, or mask
- Eye product
- Moisturize
Here are the best active ingredients to use to really see transformations in your skin:
Retinols
- F87 CORRECTIVE KAHAI ELIXIR is great for all skin types and is known for giving the skin luminosity, finer pores, hydration, elasticity, firmness, and anti-pigmentation. Contains 3.8% Kahai Oil and contains the highest amount of retinol out of these products. (This is my personal favorite retinol!)
- F82 GREEN RETINOL FACE ELIXIR combines Hydroxytyrosol with Green Retinol (Bakuchiol = alternative retinol) and Vitamin A rich Kahai Oil. The Bakuchiol remedies fine lines and reduces the appearance of pores, while the Hydroytyrosol, together with the Kahai Oil, minimizes redness, counteracts pigmentation and protects against oxidative damage. Bakuchiol also stimulates collagen formation, actively counteracting skin aging. It contains 2.5% Bakuchiol + 1% Kahai Oil and is the gentlest form of retinol out of these options. (This option is best for sensitive skin.)
- F65 CORRECTIVE MIDNIGHT ELIXIR is combines retinol (fish sourced), arbequina and kahai oil with the patented “hyaluron in oil complex” and the regenerating super olive tree antioxidant hydroxytyrosol. This regenerates and tightens the skin overnight, reduces wrinkles and enhances the luminosity of the skin while you sleep. Apply this retinol at night only because it is photosensitive. This contains 2% retinol from fish liver + hyaluron + 2.5% Kahai Oil.
- 004 DOPE YOUR WRINKLES FACE OIL SERUM combines hemp and retinol, arbequina and kahai oil with the patented “Hyaluronic in Oil Complex”. It regenerates and firms the skin, reduces wrinkles and supports the daily glow of the skin. The unique complex of active ingredients regenerates the skin overnight, firms and smooths wrinkles and fine lines, and gives the skin a natural glow for the next day while you sleep. This contains 2% retinol from fish liver + hyaluron + 2.5% Kahai Oil but also contains hemp.
Exfoliators
- F10 Olive Core Face Peeling– This exfoliator contains olive seed powder & olive leaf powder to gently exfoliate the skin to help remove dead skin cells. This is a physical exfoliator.
- F76 Honey Enzyme Face Mask– This is a great chemical exfoliator that you can use 1-2 times a week. This is an enzymatic face mask that removes dead skin cells, refines your pores, and leaves your complexion looking and feeling radiant! I use this weekly! This is an enzyme exfoliator.
- F81 AHA + HT Serum Face– This has glycolic acid & lactic acid to help exfoliate the skin’s surface and help promote cell turnover. This is a chemical exfoliant that helps dissolve and loosen the bonds between dead skin cells and oils to help you achieve radiant and smooth skin. This is a chemical exfoliator.
Masks
- Honey Enzyme Face Mask– This enzymatic peeling mask frees the skin from dead skin cells, refines the pores and leaves the complexion radiant and even. It doubles as an exfoliator and a mask! It leaves the skin feeling very soft and smooth. This is great for all skin types.
- Black Olive Face Mask– This mask nourishes, relaxes, regenerates, and improves the skin’s elasticity and resilience. It is extremely hydrating and will give the skin a healthy glow! It is great for sensitive, irritated, or dry skin.
- Olive Matcha Face Mask– This mask reduces visible redness, inflammation and irritation, fights skin damage caused by free radicals, and absorbs excess oil. It is great for oily or sensitive skin.
- Blemish Control Face Mask– This mask is very moisturizing and helps regenerate irritated and damaged skin. It will increase the skin’s elasticity, balance redness, heals stressed and sensitive skin, and leaves the skin clear and radiant! It is great for acne prone skin.
Cycling your skincare products will help you have the maximum benefits without compromising your skin barrier! When you are careful and strategic with how and when you apply your skincare products, you will get healthy skin.
Don’t forget about taking care of your body too! Nourishing Your Skin from Within is a huge part of skin health!
FAQs
- What is skin cycling? Skin cycling is alternating the days you use active ingredients in your skincare routine. Examples of active ingredients are retinols, exfoliators, masks, and vitamin c.
- What is Skin Cycling Important? Alternating products is important because using too many active ingredients can damage your skin barrier.
- How to start skin cycling? The main idea of cycling skincare products is to allow your skin to rest. Using strong products too often can be harmful to your skin. You want to alternate days of using retinol, exfoliators, and masks. So you could do a simple routine of retinol, exfoliator, mask, rest, retinol, exfoliator, rest.
- What skincare products should you alternate? You want to alternate active ingredients like retinols, exfoliators, masks, and vitamin c.
If you want guidance in knowing what products will be best for your skin, I can help! Hit the button below and I’ll create you a custom skincare routine just for you. Your deserve to have happy, healthy, glowy skin that you love!
Here are other blog posts you might enjoy:
Unlock Radiant Skin with Oliveda’s Skincare
The Skincare Revolution: Why People Are Investing More in Skincare Than Makeup
Get Healthy Hair with Seint Hair Care
How to Get Smooth Skin: Best Exfoliator for Face
Oliveda Elixir or Serum: What’s the Secret to Healthier, Glowing Skin?
About the Author
JoEllen is a licensed aesthetician, certified makeup artist, and certified John Maxwell coach, speaker, and trainer. She works with women helping them look and feel confident. She loves teaching women simple beauty techniques so they can feel empowered to try it at home. Her motto is that when you look and feel good, you do good!
*This post contains affiliate links. If you choose to purchase an item featured in this post, I get a small portion from the sale. Thank you! It does not affect you at all.
