A Simple Skincare Routine for Beginners: 3 Steps

The three steps

Step	What it does	When
1. Clean	Takes off dirt, sweat and oil.	Morning and night
2. Moisturize	Keeps water in your skin, so it stays soft.	Morning and night
3. Protect	Sunscreen keeps the sun from harming your skin.	Morning

That is the whole routine. Everything else is extra.

In the morning

Wash your face. Use a gentle cleanser and water that is warm, not hot.
Moisturize. Use a small amount, about the size of a pea.
Put on sunscreen. Use SPF 30 or higher. Cover your face, ears and neck.

At night

Wash your face. This takes off the sunscreen, sweat and dirt of the day.
Moisturize.

It takes two minutes. Do it every night, even when you are tired.

How to pick each product

Cleanser. Gentle, with no strong smell. Your face should not feel tight after you wash.
Moisturizer. A light lotion or gel if your skin is oily. A thicker cream if your skin is dry.
Sunscreen. SPF 30 or higher, marked "broad spectrum". Pick one you like, so you use it every day.

Not sure about your skin? Read what is my skin type.

Rules that keep your skin safe

Add one new product at a time. Wait two weeks before you add the next one.
Test it first. Put a little on the inside of your arm for a few days.
Stop if it burns or itches.
Be gentle. Do not scrub hard. Pat your face dry.
Do not pick at spots.

What you do not need at the start

Ten steps.
Costly products.
A new product every week.

A simple routine that you do every day works better than a long one you do sometimes.

When will I see a change?

Your skin often feels softer in a few days. Other changes take longer. Give a routine at least four to six weeks before you judge it. Read how long skincare takes to work.

Get care steps for your own skin

Ukti is our app. Once a week you take a selfie, and Ukti reads your skin. It scores seven things, like dryness, oiliness and dark circles.

Then it tells you what to do this week, and what to skip. So you do not have to guess.

Be careful

This guide is general care advice. It is not medical advice. If your skin hurts, bleeds, or a problem does not go away, please see a doctor.

Common questions

What is the simplest skincare routine?

Three steps. Wash your face with a gentle cleanser, put on a moisturizer, and use sunscreen in the morning. At night, wash and moisturize.

In what order do I put on skincare products?

Go from thin to thick. First the cleanser, then any thin liquid product, then the moisturizer. Sunscreen is the last step in the morning.

Do I need sunscreen every day?

Yes, in the morning, even on cloudy days. The sun is a main cause of early lines and dark spots. Use a sunscreen marked SPF 30 or higher.

How do I know which products my skin needs?

Start with your skin type: dry, oily, a mix of both, or sensitive. Ukti can also read your skin from a selfie each week and give you care steps for that week.