Why A Morning Skincare Routine Is A Must

Mornings are a hectic time for most people. There’s a lot to get done between the time you wake up and start your day, whether that’s squeezing in a workout, getting your kids ready for school, or squeezing in some extra work (and breakfast!) before your morning meeting.

With so much to get done, the last thing you want to do is add something else to your morning to-do list. But there’s one thing you absolutely need to carve out time for every AM—and that’s a morning skincare routine.

A morning skincare routine is a must if you want to keep your skin looking and feeling it’s best—and to keep premature aging at bay.

But why, exactly, is a morning skincare routine so important? Do you need a morning routine if you’re already on top of your skincare at night? And what products do you need to incorporate into your morning skincare routine to keep your complexion healthy, youthful, and radiant (and prevent any damage to your skin in the process)?

Evening skincare is for correcting, morning skincare is for protecting

As mentioned, morning skincare is a must. But when it comes to carving out time for a morning skincare routine (especially if your mornings are already jam-packed), your first thought might be “I go through an entire skincare routine before I go to bed; why do I also need one in the morning?”

But the truth is, your evening skincare routine and your morning skincare routine serve two completely different purposes. Your evening skincare routine gets products into your skin so it can repair itself during your regenerative sleep cycle. 

Or, in other words, your evening skincare routine is about correcting the skin.

Your morning skincare routine, however, is about protecting your skin. It’s about giving your skin what it needs to protect itself from environmental stressors and prevent any further damage.

If you want your skin to look its best, you need to both correct and protect your complexion—and that means making both morning and evening skincare a staple in your routine.

So, what skincare steps do you need to take in the AM to protect your skin all day long?

The right serum protects your skin from external stressors

There are a lot of stressors out there that can do damage to your skin, from pollution to pesticides to cigarette smoke. And exposure to those stressors can cause free radical damage, which damages the cells and prematurely ages the skin, leading to fine lines and wrinkles, dark spots, and loss of elasticity.

Antioxidants are your best defense against free radical damage. Antioxidants (like Vitamin C, Vitamin E, or CoQ10) help neutralize free radicals by binding to the molecules, which prevents them from binding to your healthy cells—and causing the cellular damage that leads to premature aging.

Make sure to add an antioxidant-rich serum (like the Skin Cycle Power C Serum) to your morning skincare routine to keep your skin protected from free radicals and environmental stressors throughout the day.

Moisturizer keeps your skin hydrated when the air is dry

Dry air dries out the skin. And chances are, you’re being exposed to dry air year round. 

In the winter, the air has lower humidity, which can dry out the skin, leaving it chapped, itchy, and dehydrated. And in the summer, when the temperature goes up, more people head indoors to cool off courtesy of the A/C. But air conditioning also dries out the air—which, in turn, dries out the skin.

Layering a moisturizer over your serum in the morning will keep your skin hydrated throughout the day. For added benefit, look for an antioxidant-rich moisturizer (like the Skin Cycle Youth Restore Cream) to offer another layer of protection from free radical damage.

SPF offers protection from the sun—which is important even if you don’t have plans to go outdoors

You can’t talk about a morning skincare routine without talking about SPF.

If you want to protect your skin, you need to make SPF a non-negotiable part of your morning skincare routine. Using a sunscreen and/or moisturizer with SPF will help protect your skin from harmful UVA and UVB rays—which will not only fight photoaging (which can cause premature aging, including dark spots, fine lines and wrinkles, and loss of elasticity), but can also reduce your risk of developing skin cancer, including squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma.

As the last step in your morning skincare routine, make sure to layer on an SPF 30 to give your skin the protection it needs from the sun. You can either use physical sunscreens, including zinc oxide and titanium oxide, which block UV rays from penetrating the skin, or chemical sunscreens, like octinoxate and octisalate, which absorb UV rays before they can cause any damage to skin cells. (Or you can go with a sun protection product that has both physical and chemical sunscreens, like the Skin Cycle Bright Glow Day Moisturizer with SPF 30).

And don’t make the mistake of thinking that SPF is only necessary when you’re going to be outside in the sun! UV rays can penetrate the skin even when there’s no visible sun outside (for example, when it’s cloudy and overcast). You can also face UV exposure when you’re not outdoors (for example, when you’re driving or sitting next to a window)—so even if you plan on being outside all day, make sure to layer on the SPF.

A morning skincare routine is a must for healthy, youthful skin—so make time every morning for skincare

A morning skincare is a must if you want to keep your skin looking and feeling healthy, vibrant, and youthful, so make sure to make skincare a non-negotiable part of your morning routine. Time taking care of your skin is time well spent (no matter how busy or hectic your mornings may be!)—and your complexion will thank you.