When Charlotte Cho, author of the book "Korean Beauty Secrets", came to South Korea - the country where her parents come from - she discovered much more than just her roots and the traditions of the place she comes from. She discovered a great secret passed down in Korean families from grandmother to mother, and from mother to daughter. The secret of beautiful, well-groomed skin. A secret that she later passed on to women all over the world in her bestselling book.
Korean facial care, Korean beauty ritual, Korean beauty secret - the way Korean women care for their skin is called by us, Europeans, in different ways. However, they share several common terms - it is a precise, multi-step process, which consists of cleansing, toning, multi-step moisturising, exfoliation, nourishment (also from the inside), sun protection, and even a type of make-up. Korean women apply make-up in the morning with the same care and concern for their skin, as they do when they wash it off in the evening. They always follow a few fixed steps. Learn them and start using them, and your skin will be just as beautiful.
Korean skincare steps:
Thorough cleansing of facial skin
In the morning, just water, in the evening, oil to remove make-up. Korean women start their ritual by preparing their skin for the next stages of care. They particularly believe in the power of oils and it is with cosmetics based on oils that they most often remove make-up in the evening.
Secondly, toning
Once upon a time, toner was associated with the next stage of facial cleansing. Thanks to Korean skincare, we know that this was partly a mistake. Toner primarily serves to balance the skin's pH after cleansing - and as a result, to moisturize it. Toning is the basis for the next stage of the Korean beauty ritual. Note! It is important to choose gentle toners, without added alcohol. What next?
Exfoliation
To help your skin absorb moisturizing and nourishing cosmetics even better, you first need to gently exfoliate it. Korean women emphasize the importance of regular removal of dead skin. For this purpose, they use scrubs and electric toothbrushes. And they exfoliate the entire body! Saunas and steam baths are very popular in Korea, which are used to remove dead skin.
Moisturizing
Korean facial care involves several stages of moisturizing. Korean women are really crazy about it. And rightly so! Their flawless complexion is proof that they are right. So let's learn from the best.
First, essence. What is it? It's a hybrid between toner and serum. A very light cosmetic that may even seem too "watery". However, it works wonders to prepare the skin for the next step, which is...
Ampoule. Or in other words - booster. This is a certain version of serum that we should use in connection with a specific need of our skin and for a shorter period of time. For example, if we have a period behind us in which we did not sleep as much as our body needs, this lack has probably reflected in the condition of our skin. To improve its appearance, we can temporarily include the use of an ampoule in our ritual.
Serum. That is, a concentrated cosmetic with a greater amount of ingredients that nourish the skin of the face. We include serum in our care on a permanent basis. This cosmetic helps to deal with wrinkles, dehydration or discoloration.
The next step in the Korean beauty ritual of moisturizing your face is taking care of the delicate skin around your eyes. Interestingly, the sooner you start using an eye cream, the sooner you'll see the first signs of time passing.
Moisturizing cream is the last step in the stage we called moisturizing. Think of it as a lid that protects the contents of the container from cooling down. The cream will "seal" all the previous moisturizing cosmetics that we have pampered our skin with.
Sheet masks
A sheet mask is an absolute hit in Korean facial care. Every Korean woman has one at home and regularly includes it in her beautiful skin ritual. What is the phenomenon of such a mask that has also reached us? A sheet mask is very richly soaked in nutrients and helps to moisturize and nourish our skin even better. This is a permanent and very important element of the Korean beauty ritual, which is worth repeating regularly. In addition, those twenty minutes with a mask on your face is a wonderful relaxation after a long day at work or school. Another plus!
Cosmetics with SPF filter
Here is another answer to the question of why Korean women have such flawless skin. Namely, they effectively protect it from the harmful effects of sunlight. They do not leave the house without a suitable layer of sunscreen and touch it up several times during the day. Fashion also protects them from the sun - they wear wide-brimmed hats and sunglasses.
Makeup
We come to another very important point in Korean facial care. Yes, makeup is also treated by Korean women as part of the ritual. Korean women apply BB creams or CC creams under their foundation. The latter are slightly lighter and give a slightly more "glassy" effect. Then, they apply good quality cosmetics, not prejudging the thickness of the layers. They focus on naturalness and freshness, because the skin should breathe above all.
Healthy lifestyle
We come to a point that is not a direct step in Korean facial care, but has a great (albeit indirect) impact on the condition of our skin. Korean women pay great attention to how they live. What they eat. How much they sleep (and what quality of sleep). How often they rest. How often they stress. They know that a proper lifestyle has a huge impact on their skin. So they drink lots of water, get enough sleep, try not to stress and avoid junk food. This is the last, very important element of Korean facial care, which has revolutionized thinking about skin care around the world.
It's true. Korean facial care has many stages and requires systematicity, precision and patience. However, no stage is accidental here and none should be skipped. All together they form a harmonious whole that works for the benefit of our complexion. And the proof of the effectiveness of the Korean ritual of beautiful skin are the well-groomed faces of Korean women, which until late in life are able to not reveal the age of their owners. Do you really need an additional recommendation? :)
