Skin Cycling: A Guide to Your Best. Skin. Ever.

If you’re like me, one of the simple joys in life is having a great skincare routine you can count on. What makes a great skincare routine? The one you’ll complete consistently. 

After spending years in the treatment room, I know some of your biggest concerns are 

1. Which products should you be using? 

   And

2. How and which order do you use them in? 

I know with all the information available to you, these things can be confusing, and ultimately talk you out of creating a routine at all. 

Today I want to talk about a new trend going around you might have seen called “skin cycling.” 

There are some trendy things I can’t get on board with, but this one in particular I love and wanted to talk about. Not only is this process amazing for your skin, but it’s pretty simple too! 

We’ll begin with the obvious: what the heck does it mean?? 

Skin cycling is a 4 step rotation spanning 4 nights, that allows you to rotate your skincare products to ensure you don’t over-exfoliate your skin. It looks like this : 

Night 1: Exfoliate

Night 2: Retinoid (read more about retinoids here!) 

Night 3: Rest

Night 4: Rest

Now, let’s break each of these down.

Night 1: This is the night to focus on exfoliation, whether that be an AHA (like Glycolic Acid) or a BHA (like Salicylic Acid) The product you choose here will depend on which areas you struggle in with your skin. One of our licensed estheticians will be happy to recommend a product that suits you best! 

Night 2: This is the night to use your favorite retinoid, a product that has many benefits including increasing cell turnover and fading age spots. Again, speak with an esthetician if you’re unsure which product is right for you. 

Nights 3 & 4: These nights are to give your skin a break. You can still nurture your skin with serums and masks; we actually recommend it! A few products we love at Amelia Gray that are great for recovery nights are the Bioelements Recovery Serum and the Face Reality HydraCalm mask. Both products will make sure your skin is well hydrated for the next phase. 

Night 5: Start from the top! 

I know that the two rest days can feel scary, not using the products you’ve come to rely on to combat the issues you might be having with your skin. I get it! BUT, using this cycle allows your skin the time it needs to regenerate and repair itself in order for those more aggressive products to do their job. 

Here’s another pro-tip: kick start your skin cycling journey with a professional treatment first! A chemical peel and a microdermabrasion are both great places to start in this journey to prepare your skin for what’s ahead. 

If you choose to try out skin cycling, be sure to let us know how it goes and how we can support you throughout. 

XO