12 Steps to Improve Your Skincare Journey

We see articles all over the internet with “quick ways” to solve your skin troubles or the best foods to eat to stop your acne.

However, a lot of these articles are written by people just trying to market their product, or without any experience with acne.

It’s important to remember that, when it comes to skincare, everyone is different.

Some people have occasional breakouts, some people are managing acne scarring, and others have to take medication to combat their skin condition.

But whatever your journey, these are 12 steps you can take to improve your skincare journey and look out for yourself, your skin and your health.

In this blog post, I’ve put together 12 steps to improve your skincare journey – including ideas for all skin types

Create a lasting skincare routine

This is such an important step to improve your skincare journey!

Creating a lasting skincare routine means that you know how to cleanse your face in the mornings and evenings, and you’re using creams, serums and acids that work well with your skin.

Woman wears a self-care homemade face mask and holds an avocado.

It can take a little bit to get it right, but finding a skincare routine that works for your skin is so important. You might need to create a specific Winter skincare routine or change up your products for Summer.

A great skincare routine can also be amazing for your hygiene and “self-care”.

Seek medical advice

If there’s something about your skin that is really affecting your mental health, it’s always worth seeking medical advice.

This could mean speaking to your GP, or even booking an appointment with a dermatologist.

Seeking medical advice means that you can find a way to combat your skin with medical backing, meaning you have a much better idea of how to help your skincare journey along on its way.

Don’t forget the moisturiser!

It is a common misconception that those with oily skin don’t need moisturiser – but if you wear make-up, placing a barrier between the make-up and your skin is super important.

So if you want to try and improve your skincare journey, invest in a moisturiser that works for you.

Explore the skin positivity movement

I only found skin-positive accounts recently, and they have been incredible as I navigate my skincare journey.

As well as finding steps to improve my skincare journey, I also want to find ways to improve how I see myself – with or without acne.

Over on Instagram, there are loads of accounts where people show their skin troubles, and for someone with acne, it has been amazing to see hundreds of other people understand the same struggles as me and show that you can be confident with acne.

Work out your priorities

A practical step to improve your skincare journey is to work out what it is you’re trying to “improve”.

Are you trying to come up with an anti-ageing routine? Are you trying to reduce inflammation? Do you have bad breakouts that you’d like to prevent?

A notebook is open on a page reading "Today..." and a list of numbers.

Coming up with your priorities means you can start to find products that work for you and come up with an effective skincare routine.

Ignore negative comments

Eurgh, we could all do without negative comments in our lives! And sometimes negative comments aren’t even directed towards us.

If you’re particularly sensitive about your skin, any comment can hit you hard, even if it’s something harmless or flippant.

Try hard to ignore negative comments, and just focus on yourself and your journey!

Find product recommendations you can trust

This is one for all those people who read an article and automatically think they need to buy every product recommended. And yes, I have been one of those people!

But before you invest in a product, consider its benefits and whether it will suit you – and read reviews you can trust.

A big hint a product will help your skincare journey is if it is recommended by a dermatologist or someone with actual medical/professional backing.

Don’t listen to unsolicited advice

For some reason, people love to give unsolicited advice about everything – and your skin is no exception.

If you experience skin issues, you’ll be used to being told to drink more water or clean your face. Like you don’t already do these things already!

But a great step to improve your skincare journey is to just focus on what you’re doing – and only take on advice when you think it will genuinely help you.

Use SPF

SPF is the number 1 recommended product for acne and anti-ageing, and so I’ve recently introduced it into my skincare routine.

I’m focused on sorting out my acne at the moment, but if SPF can help with anti-ageing too then that’s a lovely bonus!

Look out for your mental health

Mental health and skin issues are so inextricably linked. In order to improve your skincare journey, first look at how you can improve your mental health and self-esteem.

Surround yourself with people who support your journey – and who aren’t going to make you feel worse while you make this journey.

Look out for positive posts and accounts, and try hard to dispel the notion that everyone but you has perfect skin (because that’s just not true!).

A woman holds her arms up in a field of flowers, at peace and beautiful.

Don’t forget that it’s all well and good “solving” your skin problems – but the bigger problem comes from how you view yourself.

Look after your self-esteem as well as your skincare, and remember that with or without the skin troubles you experience.

Trial and error

There’s a lot of trial and error involved in skincare, and if you’re looking to improve your skincare journey you need to try a few things out before you settle on the perfect routine and understand what your skin needs.

But remember, a lot of your appearance comes down to genes and luck. There are just some things you can’t change about yourself, such as your skin or hair type – and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Look after yourself

Looking after yourself is so important, and I think healthy habits lead to better routines in everything in life, including skincare.

Eating the right foods can encourage you to feel good about yourself – and foods like broccoli or sunflower seeds can promote skin and hair health.

Part of looking after yourself is allowing yourself to do what you want. Don’t force yourself to eat/not eat specific things just because of your skin.

Research is very mixed when it comes to which foods can affect your skin – so never beat yourself up about your diet. It’s all about doing what’s right for you.

Do you have any steps to improve your skincare journey? Do you have any tips for managing your skin? What’s your favourite way to improve your skincare journey?

Let me know all your thoughts in the comments 🙂

Happy reading x

Unknown's avatar

Author: Not-So-Modern Girl

I’m Eleanor, welcome to my little corner of the internet! I’m a freelance content writer and book lover from Yorkshire. On my blog, I write about life as a 20-something, including posts about freelance life, blogging, book reviews and more. I also write resources for bloggers and writers on my Gumroad account, including my ebook 'The Art of Blog Writing'.

90 thoughts

  2. I’ve really been spending lesser time looking after my skin ever since the first Lockdown because I just didn’t have the mood for it. I’ve been trying to take care of my skin better this 2021 and this post has everything I need. Thank you so much! xx

    Liked by 1 person

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  3. loved this post!!

    my bf has psoriasis and his family ALWAYS points it out like he doesn’t know about it.
    i liked the part in your post when you talk about ignoring negative comments. sometimes, the “advice” and words aren’t helpful at all.

    Liked by 1 person

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  4. These tips ars fantastic. I have been wanting to develop another skin care routine. I have become quite careless as of late. I desperately need to figure out what products to use and start doing something regularly. I used to but things have been hectic.

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  5. Some really helpful tips here, Eleanor. You’re so right, finding a routine that works for you can take time (it did for me) but once you find a brand you love, it’s like everything clicks into place. Love this, thank you for sharing x

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  6. Hey, love this post.

    I am big skincare junkie and love trying lots of new products! 😍 I have my own skincare journey which I have written about – I had really bad acne in my 20s which flared up whilst I was travelling around Australia.
    Coming through the other side of it I am so grateful for the skin I have now as its so completely different from what it was. It makes me quite emotional actually! 🥺
    Sarah xoxo

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    1. Aw thank you so much- and me too! Ahh yeah I’m in a similar situation actually, I’m so happy your acne ended up getting cleared up that’s lovely to hear 🙂 best of luck with your skincare in the future xx

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    1. Aw I’m glad it could help- I’ve tried to make it so that these tips could be applied to any skin type or journey! My doctor managed to discuss/prescribe over the phone and I think it’s definitely a good step if you feel comfortable 🙂 x

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  11. Thanks for sharing – great post. I loooove doing my skincare routine, feels like such a selfcare ‘ritual’! But I don’t think I’m quite there yet & this post has made me realise that’s ok! Like you said – it’s a bit of trial and error until you find what works for you! x

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    1. Yes I feel exactly the same! That’s what I was trying to put across- everyone has to deal with their own journey and I definitely don’t want to go around saying there’s a trick that will work for everyone!

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  12. Thank you for this! I’ll be honest, I’m really bad when it comes to skincare. It’s not something that I’ve prioritized in the past and as I get older, I’m realizing that I really should do something about it. That being said, with so much information out there, it’s hard to decide where to start. I needed this!

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  14. Such a great post! I’ve been having skin issues for a while like acne and eczema but I agree with having a routine that last. I used to constantly change my routine or add something but I think I found the right products now. Also I’ve learnt to accept that my skin isn’t perfect and that’s ok.

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  18. Thank you so much for sharing these tips. It is something I am terrible at doing. I always say I am going to start taking care of my skin better but it is the one thing I can’t stick to.

    I will be following this advice, using my extra time to start a new routine x

    Liked by 1 person

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  19. Dermatologists are so underrated! I haven’t seen one myself, but my best friend thought she had oily skin, turned out it was because her skin was dry…!! And so her skin was doing all sorts of things to compensate

    Katie | katieemmabeauty.com

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  33. I’ve found, after a lot of trial and error, that my skin likes a minimal routine. So I typically use a cleanser, a serum, moisturizer, and SPF during the day. But I also have an eye cream for wrinkles and dark circles that works super well for night time use!

    It really is a very personal journey to find what’s right for one’s skin.

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    1. That’s very true, I think cleanse, moisturise, spf is what I follow in the mornings- but serums sound interesting too 🙂 I agree, everyone has their own insecurities and so everyone has their own solution!

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  34. Thank you for adding the point about looking after yourself. It’s not only about skincare, but also how we taking care ourself and our mental health. I found this really helps to maintain healthy skin when we’re also taking care ourself and our mental health 😀

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  35. Love this post- I’m obsessed with skincare. I drink 2 litres of water a day and find that really helps! Strip it back too, we get so caught up in cleaners / scrubs / toners when a simple routine is just as good.

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  36. This post came in handy! I’ve actually been dealing with cystic acne since November 2020 that I haven’t dealt with til recently (I know so bad) I’ve since made changes to my diet and exercise and I’ve recently tried out some good products. I’m hoping it’ll get a lot better and if it doesn’t, I’ll visit the doctor! It’s hard right now to see any doctors because of the pandemic so I’m trying my best to handle what I can. Thanks for sharing x

    http://www.lynnmumbingmejia.com

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  37. All of these tips are so helpful in the journey to better skin! My skin has recently become more acne-prone, so I will be definitely be taking your advice on this! Thanks for sharing! 🙂

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  41. Some great tips ! I had acne so I am so glad your first tip was seeking professional help, my dermatologist was an important aspect of clearing my skin!

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