CTMP: AM Skincare Done Right

Finding the right skincare routine can be a bit tiring, isn’t it? It often happens that when you start looking for products, you feel completely lost with so many different products that are available. However, if you are a beginner at this & lost about where to begin, we’re here to help you build a simple yet effective AM skincare routine that is surprisingly simple & easy to follow too.

What is a ‘Skincare Routine’?

Like your daily routine, which you follow through the day, your Skincare Routine is one which you follow to ensure the good health of your skin. Your AM routine is the one you’ll follow in the day & PM routine is the one you’ll follow at night. It is essential that you follow a proper routine. Because if there’s anything worse than not following a skincare routine, it's doing it wrong!

It is therefore important that before you jump on the skincare bandwagon & decide to commit to any routine, you are well-informed. And once you’ve decided on the products you want to buy & the routine you want to follow, you must stick with it! We know it’s difficult but sticking to your routine is the only way you’ll get the maximum benefit.

CTMP: An Easy-to-Follow AM Skincare Routine

Now, you may have heard of the CTM routine which many of us consider the basis for healthy skin. So, what is this additional P that we are talking about here? Well, the P in this routine stands for ‘Protect’.

While we do love a good Cleanse, Tone & Moisturize ritual, we feel that it is not enough to protect your skin from sun damage. So, for us, CTMP stands for Cleanse, Tone, Moisturize & Protect, an AM skincare routine that makes your skin sun safe.

So, how do you go about it?

Cleanse

To begin with, you must always cleanse your face with a gentle, sulphate-free cleanser. Doing so will wash away the sweat, germs and excess oil that have collected on your skin overnight. It will also help in preparing your skin for the next steps in your skincare routine.

Confused about what face wash you should be using? Take a look at the range of sulphate-free face washes from Dot & Key. They address a host of skin concerns & you can pick the one that is best suited to your skin’s needs.

Pro Tip: Cold water strips your skin of essential nutrients. Always cleanse your face with lukewarm water.

Tone

A toner’s job is to refresh your skin & prepare it for the next steps in your skincare routine. Ideally, you should be applying the toner right before you apply the serum or moisturizer. Toners balance out the skin’s pH & hence they are an essential in your routine.

Make sure that you are using an alcohol-free toner. Such a toner will gently prepare your skin to better absorb the serum/moisturizer, thereby helping nourish your skin better. 

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Looking for an alcohol-free toner? Do take a look at Dot & Key’s range of alcohol-free toners, and you could come across just the toner you’d been looking for.

Moisturize

Once you are done with your cleansing & toning, you arrive at the all important step! Now, no matter what you’ve been told, remember, Moisturizing is a MUST! Irrespective of your skin type, you should never skip this step. A moisturizer nourishes your skin & strengthens the skin barrier. Skipping on it would mean you’re compromising on the skin barrier, which is never good news!

On the lookout for a new moisturizer? Dot & Key’s range of day creams & face creams are extremely gentle & non-comedogenic, making them a perfect fit for your AM skincare routine.

and finally…

Protect!

Now that you've gone through the steps of the regular CTM routine, we arrive at the all important final step, i.e., P or what we like to call Protect. So what exactly are we protecting the skin from? The answer is, Sun damage!

You see, when we say protect your skin from sun damage, we mean protecting it every single day. This is irrespective of whether you're spending the day at home or stepping out.

Applying sunscreen should always be the most important step in your AM skincare routine. It's because the sunscreen protects your skin from the harmful UVA/UVB rays of the sun, which in turn causes a variety of skin problems such as tanning, sun spots, dark spots, early signs of aging, uneven skin tone and others.

Myth: You only need sunscreen only in the summer months.

Fact: The UVA/UVB rays of the sun are present all round the year. This makes applying sunscreen a year-long ritual.

Pro Tip: Make sure you apply the sunscreen liberally, at least 15 to 30 minutes before stepping out in the sun. Moreover, you should re-apply the sunscreen after fixed intervals, to ensure maximum sun protection.

Now that is what we’d like to call a simple yet complete AM skincare routine. It is easy to follow & rather effective in protecting & nourishing your skin, as you take on the world. However, we must remind you here that as is the case with almost everything, being regular is key. A lazy day or a day off is just not acceptable.