There are 4 basic steps for a skin care routine that you should use daily. These are Cleanse, Tone, Moisturize, and Protect.

Cleanse

The first part of a skin care routine is to cleanse. It is important to have clean skin before using a toner, moisturizer, and sun protection. Make sure to use a gentle cleanser that doesn’t include any detergents. Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel target is a soap-free, foaming gel designed to thoroughly remove impurities without disturbing the skin’s natural moisture balance.

Tone

Next in a skin care rountine is to tone. Toning prepares your skin for the next step to moisturize. It also removes any left over residue from the cleansing step. An alcohol-free toner is usually a good choice. Obagi Toner hydrates and tones the skin while restoring its normal pH balance.

Moisturize

Third in a skin care routine is to moisturize. Make sure to use a moisturizer that is appropriate for your skin type. And even if you have oily skin it is important to moisturize. SkinCeuticals Daily Moisture hydrates, nourishes, and helps reduce the appearance of pore size.

Protect

The final step in a skin care routine is to protect with a product that has an SPF of at least 15. An additional product may not be needed if you use a moisturizer or foundation that offers sun protection. Jane Iredale Amazing Base Loose Powder has an SPF of 20. Other mineral makeups offer this protection as well.

If you follow this 4 step skin care routine you will be on your way to better skin. However, sometimes you may need to supplement this daily skin care routine with specialized products based on your needs. Such products may include peptides or vitamin C.

I’ll post more about supplemental skin care products in future posts.

I was really interested in finding out if Obagi worked as well as I had heard. I have heard amazing stories about this product, but I didn’t know anyone who had used it.

So I went out looking for obagi before and after photos. And there are some amazing pictures out there.

The Obagi site has pictures. But of course, they are going to show really impressive pictures.

But I really wanted to see obagi before and after on someone who didn’t have an agenda. And there are several sites that have documented this for all to see.

This woman has an online journal with photos of herself throughout 48 days of using Obagi NuDerm. The before and after pictures are incrediable.

Another woman on the same site has obagi before and after pictures that are impressive too.

And this one has pictures of a whole year of using Obagi.

You can buy Obagi here.

Do you have obagi before and after stories or pictures? Leave a comment.