Before the K-Beauty wave hit the Western world my skincare routine consisted of washing my face with a washcloth when I woke up and before bed. That’s it. Now as a devout follower of the K-Beauty philosophy, that former habit is cringeworthy.
You might be surprised to learn that products aren’t the core of K-Beauty it’s about the methods and techniques you use in order to preserve and protect your skin. While I don’t yet have a 12-step skincare routine, I’ve learned the importance of following what I’ve seen and read others are doing.
So without further ado here are five K-Beauty hacks everyone should know.
1. Slap your products in
If you’ve ever seen a K-Drama actress or K-Pop idol amid their skincare routine, you know they are quite literally slapping in their product. So instead of running in your products, lightly slap the facial skin to improve blood flow, reduce smearing and allow the product to penetrate faster.
2. Practice facial exercises
Lymphatic drainage massages can be done in a variety of ways. If you are lazy like me, the easiest way to do this is with a roller device. This can be a basic roller you can find at Amazon or Target (like a jade roller) or one of the many trending rollers I’ve seen in K-Dramas including a neck, full face, or nose roller. Another option is to massage your face starting at the base of the neck on the sides. Knead your skin in gentle circles upwards, towards the jaw, up the sides of the face, and around the eyes. Lastly, you can try out the famous technique many singers use, the “A, E, I, O, U” method. Using n exaggerated expression say your vowels out loud, stretching your lips as wide as possible with each letter.
3. Use an overnight sleep mask
When we sleep our cells are fast at work recovering from the day before so we wake up looking fresh. Use your sleeping hours to your advantage by hyper-moisturizing your face to correct any dullness or tired complexion aspects.
4. Double cleanse
Sounds pretty straight forward right? After cleansing your face go for a second round to ensure your face is truly clean. To double cleanse correctly, make sure your first cleanser is oil-based to remove makeup followed by a water-based cleanser to remove any remaining gunk on your face.
5. Air dry + 10 second rule
After you are done washing your face skip the urge to pick up the towel and rub or pat it dry. Towels are full of bacteria even if you just washed them and the friction from rubbing is bad for the skin. Instead, let your face air dry and apply your skincare products within 10 seconds of washing your face while it’s still damp and your pores are most receptive to absorb products.
Which K-beauty hack do you swear by? Let me know in the comments below!
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