Is it necessary to apply cream after toner, serum and sheet mask?

Even the most familiar stages of morning or evening skin care can raise unexpected questions. And all because the market for cosmetics and their manufacturers is growing so rapidly that even you can get confused in the variety of jars and bottles.

But you never doubted that the final cream completes your treatment. But is cream always applied after various cosmetic products? Let's figure it out together.

In this article:

How the cream worksFace tonerSkin serumsAlginate masksFabric masksEye patchesPeeling

How does the cream work?

Photo by SHVETS production: Pexels
Face cream is one of the final stages of daily cosmetic procedures. Often, it relates more to protecting the skin than caring for it. The thing is that creams usually have the densest structure.

They work on the upper layers of the skin, as if locking in it all the useful components obtained from previous products. The cream can have different functions, depending on the needs of your skin.

So is it worth applying cream, say after a mask or serum? So, let's start in order.

When is it necessary to apply cream after masks?

Cosmetic companies often give detailed instructions on what to use before and after. But sometimes the recommendation is limited only by the duration of action. To understand whether you need to apply face cream after the mask, pay attention to the type of product.

Table of mask types

Always act according to the occasion. If you plan to go outside, protect yourself with SPF. If you feel irritated, soothe the epidermis with a moisturizer.

Sun protection

Cream with SPF should be applied before going outside or after a mask with the effect of radiance and lightening. The label must contain UVA protection. For daily care, use a product with 15-30 SPF, for sensitive skin - 50 SPF.

Dry skin

Many formulations dry on their own. To restore hydrobalance, the cream after the face mask must contain one of the components:

• lactic acid;
• hyaluronic acid;
• glycerol;
• dimethicone;
• lazoline;
• panthenol;
• olive oil;
• jojoba oil;
• shea butter

If the epidermis is dry, you need to choose a product of a certain texture. For oily types - mists, fluids, for dry ones - products with a dense texture, for sensitive ones - without fragrances and marked “hypoallergenic”.

Problem skin

Each owner of problem skin decides for herself whether to apply cream to her face after the mask. It all depends on the composition of the product. Two types of masks are usually used: gel masks, which eliminate irritation, and kaolin (clay) masks, which cleanse the epidermis and relieve swelling. After the gel, it is recommended to wipe your face with tonic. Then consolidate the effect with a moisturizing cream, and after kaolin - with a nourishing cream.

Burn due to non-compliance with rules

When burned, the epidermis becomes red and irritated. If you notice this reaction, take action:

• cooling - wash with cold water;
• anti-inflammatory treatment - apply a decoction of chamomile, yarrow, curd mass;
• care - use a soothing baby cream.

Other cases

Oily skin needs additional toning. This will make it firmer and more elastic. To tone, use a lotion, for example, with cucumber, chamomile, calendula, salicylic acid. If there are injuries and wounds on the face, give preference to formulations without alcohol.

The cream should definitely be applied if you make a mask during the day and plan to go outside later.

Face tonic

In classic care, the toner is designed to restore the pH level of the skin, since any cleanser that contains alkali can seriously disturb it. Yes, and washing with hot water also affects the acid-base balance.

Various ingredients can be added to the toner that begin skin care - moisturizing, softening, anti-inflammatory. But there are two main functions - pH balance control and the final stage of cleansing.

It is always worth looking at the composition of a facial toner so that it does not contain alcohol and does not further dry out the skin. After all, after washing, the skin begins to rapidly lose moisture. Within a couple of minutes after washing, the skin dries out, and this makes all subsequent care less effective, since the active ingredients penetrate dry skin less well.

In order to stop this process, you need to apply a tonic. This prepares your skin for further care. After toner, a moisturizer or a cream that solves your skin problems, for example, a nourishing one, is a good choice.

Homemade recipes for care

To soothe the skin

These recipes are necessary in case of severe irritation.

Prune mask

You will need:

• 2 prunes;
• 2 spoons of boiling water;
• spoon of oatmeal and honey.

Pour boiling water over the prunes for 10 minutes. Then crush in a mortar to a mushy state along with water. Add oatmeal and honey there and stir.

Now you can apply the face mask for 20 minutes and then rinse with plenty of warm water.

Raw potatoes

What to do with rosacea? Raw potatoes can effectively cope with it. You can wipe your face with a slice, or you can make a cucumber-type mask.

Boiled potatoes have similar properties. The tuber needs to be boiled and crushed along with the peel. Then add 2 tbsp milk and yolk. Apply the paste to your face and wash off after half an hour.

Clay

Good old clay is an effective remedy for skin restoration. The red variety will help remove skin irritations - it is the most gentle and safe. Apply according to the instructions on the package.

You shouldn’t use white – it dries it out too much.

For lips

Aevit restores lips well. Sold in capsules filled with an oily liquid. Crush it and apply it to your lips - the restoration will not take long to arrive.

If you have an exacerbation of herpes on the lips (colds), a mixture of apple and butter will help:

1. Grate the apple. The variety should be sweet so as not to cause even more irritation.
2. Mix tbsp. apples with the same amount of butter. Apply the mixture to your lips and wash off after 15 minutes.

For acne on oily skin

If you are suffering from acne, you can also try homemade recipes.

Apple mask

Grate the apple, cucumber or cabbage on a fine grater. Add a spoonful of oatmeal or rice flour to make a sticky porridge. Apply it on your face and wash off after half an hour.

Banana

Mix half a banana with a spoon of lemon juice. It can be applied for no more than 5 minutes. Afterwards, be sure to use alginate to avoid getting a chemical burn.

By the way, the recipe is good for skin whitening.

For hydration

Berry-fruit mix

Mix 50 grams of natural berry and fruit juice. You can also add vegetable broth. Wet cotton swabs and place them on your face, leave for 15 minutes.

Mayonnaise

Cosmetologists jokingly call this mask cosmetic mayonnaise. For it you will need:

• half raw yolk;
• tbsp sunflower or olive oil;
• tbsp honey

Mix the ingredients well with a fork, whisk or mixer to form a fluffy mass similar to mayonnaise. Apply it on your face and leave for half an hour.

Milk-apple puree

An effective product for restoring skin freshness. To do this, you will need to boil 1 medium apple in a small amount of milk. Then you need to mash it into a puree, you can use a blender.

When the mixture has cooled, apply it to your face and leave for 20 minutes and rinse with warm water. By the way, there is no need to apply cream after the mask; it will effectively nourish the skin and will not have side effects.

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Serums for skin

These are products with a very high concentration of substances aimed at solving a specific problem. Due to the high concentration, just a few drops are enough to achieve the desired effect.

These products penetrate the deepest and are truly powerful in the fight against various cosmetic problems, such as acne, loss of skin elasticity, age spots or age-related changes.

Manufacturers often produce entire lines of cosmetics that solve specific problems for your skin. And in these lines, one product, for example a serum, enhances or complements the subsequent cream that solves the same problem.

In what order should I apply facial products?

What is the difference between the effects of a mask and a cream?

Creams and masks are fundamentally different products. If the former are intended for regular care, then the latter are for one-time intensive exposure. They complement each other perfectly, but if you use one product, this does not mean that you can forget about applying the other.

Photo: grumy.ru

Table of differences

The cream is a basic care product, the mask is an additional care product. One cannot be a substitute for the other. Neither a mask nor a cream can become a substitute for a healthy lifestyle, proper nutrition and sleep.

Alginate masks

They have an unusual method of application: it is a powder that is diluted with water and applied to the face, after which it hardens and turns into a rubber mask. After 10-15 minutes it can be easily removed with one movement.

The main advantage of these masks is the substance from which they are composed. Alginic acid, which is extracted from brown seaweed. This acid has a lifting effect, moisturizes the skin well and stimulates collagen production.

Such masks in themselves moisturize the skin well, due to the fact that moisture from the surface of the skin practically does not evaporate. In addition, they have an amazing lifting effect. And applying a moisturizing or nourishing cream will give excellent results for dehydrated skin or with reduced tone.

How face masks can damage your skin

If you constantly keep a mask on your face (and this is necessary and mandatory in modern conditions), a real greenhouse effect will form under it. The exhaled heat does not leave the barrier and remains inside. The skin creates a moist and warm environment, and this is an ideal habitat for bacteria, fungi and mites. In this regard, there is an exacerbation of seborrhea, demodicosis and acne.

Separately, it is worth mentioning about acne (acne). It is caused by the bacterium Cutibacterium acnes, which “loves” to multiply in the sebaceous glands, causing hypersecretion. Sebum clogs the follicles, which causes the formation of comedones.

Makeup complicates the situation. Due to the heat and humidity, creams, lipsticks, bases, etc. begin to flow and mix with sweat and sebum, which only “encourages” fungus, bacteria and mites to multiply. This effect is associated with “medical mask allergy.”

Oily and combination skin suffers the most. Since people with this type have a very sweaty face, relapses of acne and demodicosis will not keep you waiting.

Cosmetologists nicknamed this effect “maskne” (mask + acne). This is due to the fact that even people who have overcome acne have returned to teenage problems.

Dry skin is less susceptible to such diseases. But peeling appears much more often, which can only be removed with medicinal cosmetics.

In addition, a full-face mask causes disruption of blood circulation. The most dangerous manifestation of this disease is rosacea (thinning of the walls of blood vessels). In addition there may be:

• skin inflammation;
• endless swelling that cannot be relieved with diuretics;
• itchy skin;
• red spots.

Naturally, dermatological problems are not a reason to risk your health. Therefore, it is better to learn how to remove acne from the chin and restore the skin.

Fabric masks

Sheet masks are a quick and convenient way to take care of yourself. Sometimes such masks are applied immediately after washing, before or after toner, or instead of serum.

Fabric masks do not need to be washed off; on the contrary, after removing the mask, you need to carefully drive the remaining gel with which it was soaked into the skin of the face and neck. Your skin will take everything it needs exactly at the time specified by the manufacturer.

Additional application of cream, in this case, is an individual matter. The main thing is to follow your feelings and not overdo it.

The best store-bought care creams

In stores and pharmacies you will find hundreds of products, for example, the following popular mid-priced products:

• Bioderma Atoderm Intensive Baume Facial Balm. Product for dry and sensitive skin. Absorbs for a long time, has a pleasant smell, nourishes, moisturizes, and does not cause allergies. Contains sunflower oil.
• La Roche-Posay CICAPLAST BAUME B5 SPF50. Suitable for normal skin. Contains no fragrance, does not cause hyperpigmentation, and has SPF 50.
• Librederm SERACIN Mattifying Day Cream For Oily Skin Seracin. Mattifying composition for oily skin. The product adsorbs sebum and normalizes the functioning of the sebaceous glands. Moisturizes, relieves redness, prevents acne. Contains burdock extract, gulyavnik extract, hydroacid, zinc salt.
• Natura Siberica Day face cream. Product for oily and combination skin. It has a mattifying, nourishing, moisturizing effect, and has SPF 15. The product contains phytopeptides, hyaluronic acid, vitamin C. At first, a slight tingling may occur upon application.
• Black pearl Self-rejuvenation 36+. Suitable for sensitive skin. Promotes the production of its own molecules of collagen, elastin, hyaluronic acid. Distributes well, moisturizes, evens out tone.
• AVENE Cleanance HYDRA. Suitable for problem skin. Helps with acne, nourishes, moisturizes, removes oily sheen.

After the masks, you should apply cream in accordance with your dermatological characteristics.

The cost of creams ranges from 250 to 1500 rubles. The ideal drug for you may be in both the economy and premium segments.

Eye patches

Some of the best products that help you quickly get in shape when you have a date or an important meeting ahead, and your skin is not in the best condition. They perfectly tighten the skin of the eyelids, refresh the color and remove swelling under the eyes.

These are hydrogel or made from non-woven fabric overlays - masks under the eyes. The point of these products is in the highly effective compounds with which they are impregnated. Thanks to this, they can almost instantly remove puffiness and dark circles under the eyes, moisturize and smooth the skin under the eyes, giving them a fresh and rested look.

But, unfortunately, patches have a visible but short-term effect. Therefore, the use of patches does not exclude the use of eye cream. Most of the products you use in the previous stages cannot be applied to your eyelids. To do this, you need a special eye cream - effective, but delicate.

Application rules

So, let's look at how to properly make a face mask. The most important thing to remember is that the mask is applied only to previously prepared skin. Therefore, before the procedure, you should cleanse your face, then steam the skin or use a scrub.

The product is applied without affecting the skin around the eyes and lips. After application, you should lie down and relax for 15-20 minutes, avoiding talking and not straining the facial muscles.

The exposure time of the product is usually indicated on the packaging. How to apply the mask - with your fingers, a brush or a special spatula - does not matter at all.

How to apply correctly: rules of application

Apply the tonic to the face along massage lines using gauze, fingers or a cotton pad. Cosmetologists recommend purchasing the product in the form of a spray, which reduces the traumatic effect on the skin.

Massage line diagram

Rules and method of use:

• The forehead should be treated from the center to the temples;
• when caring for the eye area, the product should be applied with light movements from the inner to the outer corner with the eyelid closed, and then under the eyes;
• It is advisable to apply the product to the nose from above, descending from the eyebrow line to the tip, and follow from the sinuses towards the cheekbones;
• It is recommended to wipe the cheeks, starting from the upper lip and ending with the lobe;
• It is more convenient to apply the product on the chin from the center, moving towards the ears.

During the procedure, you should pay attention to the neck area; it is best to wipe this area with smooth movements from top to bottom from the neckline to the chin area.

Evening

You shouldn't neglect evening washing and facial skin care procedures, even if you've had a hard day at work or returned home after a stormy party. Overnight, residual makeup, sebum and dust will clog into the pores, cause inflammation and make the skin dull. Therefore, even if the prospect of quickly getting into bed is too tempting, take 15 minutes for yourself and your beauty. Despite the multi-step nature, evening care will not take much time, but the spartan “I’ll quickly wash my face with soap and forget about the cream” will only cause dryness and irritation.

1 — Night restorative facial serum with 2% retinol complex Dr. Brandt, 2 — Revitalizing eye serum with vitamin C ester Perricone MD, 3 — Night facial serum with Thalgo acids, 4 — Pixi toner, 5 — Ultraceuticals revitalizing face mask, 6 — Caudalie glycolic peeling mask

What can be used instead of toner: hydrolate, gel or lotion

This is not the only means for effective toning and preparation for moisturizing. As an alternative, use lotion, gel or hydrosol that has a similar consistency and composition. Find out the difference between a tonic and a lotion by following the link.

If you do not trust industrial cosmetics, you can replace them at home with the following analogues:

• green tea;
• decoction of chamomile;
• a mixture of lemon and grapefruit juice;
• cucumber water;
• herbal infusion.

There is a wide range of similar products on the market, from which you can choose the composition for any skin.

Constantly powder your face to remove oily shine.

A shiny face will lead anyone to despair, because against such a “brilliant” background any makeup looks dull. Powder solves the problem for a while, but the problem remains and only gets worse. Constant application of even the lightest powder leads to clogged pores, and the skin begins to react with even more active sebum secretion.

It is much better to use mattifying wipes: they not only remove shine, but also cleanse the face of sebaceous secretions and dust.

Do I need to wash off the toner and how to wash it off after washing: with soap or water

After application to facial skin, there is no need to remove the product. Before using other caring cosmetics, wait until the composition is completely absorbed.

If you have applied a large amount of product, the excess can be washed off with light touches using a cotton pad or gauze; it is not necessary to resort to soap or water. After the procedure, a thin mattifying film may remain on the face, which does not affect the effectiveness of the moisturizing or nourishing product. Find out what the most effective moisturizing facial cosmetics are here.

How to use at home: how often to wipe your face

Cosmetologists recommend using a tonic every day up to 2 times. The procedure is most conveniently carried out during morning and evening face washing. In the early hours, this allows you to prepare the skin for applying makeup, and in the late hours, it allows you to remove remnants of cosmetics and enhance the effect of using a night care cream. The tonic does not provide any lifting effect. Find out more about what you need a facial toner for here.

If you need to apply makeup several times a day, it is recommended to apply each procedure using a toner. In summer, it is permissible to increase the number of applications or add a refreshing tonic, which eliminates dirt, greasy shine and sweat.

Using a facial scrub too often.

Each of us wants to become the owner of smooth and soft skin, but we definitely shouldn’t scrub our cheeks and nose with a scrub every time we wash our face. This can seriously damage the lipid protective layer of the skin, and instead of the desired smoothness, you can get acne and inflammation. For acne, exfoliants should generally be used extremely carefully: soft, gentle options, such as special peels, are suitable.

For oily skin, it is optimal to apply the scrub twice a week (after completely cleansing the face according to all the rules!). And in the case of dry skin - once a week and a half.

Rarely change your pillowcase.

Your pillowcase may look spotlessly clean even a week after changing, but know that by the second day of use, it will begin to pick up bacteria and dead skin cells (as well as all your wonderful skincare products that should only be on your face).

If you continue to sleep on the same pillowcase, then all the “dirt”, of course, will move back to the skin, cause irritation and cause the same acne. To prevent this from happening, the pillowcase should be changed every third day (read more about the rules for changing bed linen in our material).

For the same reasons, it is advisable to do the same with a face towel, even if it seems to you that it has not yet become very dirty.