What’s the best skin care routine for moms? To figure out how to incorporate a multi-step routine into a super busy life, we reached out to five moms with demanding jobs to get their best advice.
There’s nothing more heroic to us than a mom who balances being a great mother with a career she’s passionate about, and finds the time to fit in a detailed skin care routine. It’s so inspiring to see women carve out that essential “me time” and treat their skin to products that help them look and feel their best.
We’re not saying accomplishing this is easy…but it is doable! Here, we feature five moms—from two business owners in Los Angeles to a marketing director in New York—who make being a mom, a businesswoman, and a skin care enthusiast look easy.
You’ll discover just how jam-packed their days are, their favorite skin care products, and their best skin care advice for other hard-working moms.
Michelle, 34, Los Angeles
Skin type: Dry
A typical day in Michelle’s life:
My kids are four and six and have a very busy schedule with school and extracurricular activities. My morning typically starts with getting the kids ready for school and feeding them breakfast. Once they’re off to school, I come back home to work on my photo-booth business, which I currently operate from home. I pick up the kids from school between 1-2pm. Once they are home, I am back in mommy mode—feeding them, helping them with homework, and washing them up.
Once they are down for the night, I’m back to operating the business for another few hours. These hours are the most peaceful part of my day because my kids are old enough to sleep throughout the night! And this is the perfect time to wind down by pampering myself with a skin routine that not only relaxes me but makes me feel more confident about myself because I see that my effort is improving my skin tone, texture, and wrinkles.
What skin issues do you deal with and what do you look for in products?
As a mom, I often forget about my own needs because I’m so focused on the kids and usually exhausted by the end of the day. Sometimes I even forget simple things, like drinking water. My skin was always on the drier side, but after having children my skin got even drier, especially when my kids were babies! To address my dry skin, I look for cleansers that make me feel clean and moisturized at the same time. I prefer lotions and creams that have lighter consistency for summer months, and I go with thicker creams for the winter.
What’s your skin care routine?
When I’m wearing heavy makeup, I start my routine with Banila Co Clean it Zero because I love how easily it removes waterproof eye-makeup. Then, I use a cotton pad to wipe off the makeup. Then I cleanse my face and neck with either the Klavuu foaming cleanser or the Fresh Soy Face Cleanser. I like to use Klavuu on days when I wear heavy makeup and the Fresh cleanser for days with no makeup or with light makeup. I like to switch things up regularly. If there is any excess makeup left, I apply some Son & Park Beauty Water on a cotton pad to wipe it off. I adore the subtle scent of Beauty Water and its versatility to remove heavy eye makeup and use as a toner.
Once the cleaning process is complete, I use the Acwell Licorice Ph-Balancing Cleansing Toner. I’m addicted to the minty fresh feeling I get when I apply this on my face! Next, I use the Hanskin Essence to start the first step to moisturizing my face. I love how it’s very light and hydrating. Lastly, I mix in the Triple C Vitamin C Serum into my night cream and apply it all over my face and neck (the neck is an extension of your face, and you never want to leave it out). Vitamin C is a must! I notice a huge difference in the wrinkles on my forehead and neck after using it. Some days, I don’t have time for all the extra steps, and on those days, after cleansing, I go straight to using Klairs Vitamin E Mask. It’s a lightweight overnight mask that doesn’t require you to rinse your face after use. You can go straight to sleep after it’s applied!
What’s your best advice for moms who want to develop a consistent skin care routine?
Initially, you may notice your skin breaking out a bit more than usual, but don’t give up. Your skin is purging toxins, and once it settles, you will notice much clearer, brighter skin. Remember that maintaining your skin will help keep you looking and feeling young! Skin is everything in beauty. And get your hubby on the skin care routine, as well! It has done wonders for mine (He’s 41 and looks like he’s in his 30s).
Yemile, 27, New York City
Skin type: Normal to dry
A typical day in Yemile’s life:
I’m a journalist and I just started going back to work after having my son three months ago. I typically I wake up around 6 or 7 to breastfeed. That can take up to an hour. I have to be out the door by eight to be able to commute into the city from Long Island, which means I have a really small window for skin care in the mornings. Skin care is very important to me because I want to provide that care for myself, but mornings are hard, so on particularly insane mornings, I may only have time to cleanse with a micellar water, apply sunscreen, and brush my teeth. I make the time in the morning, but I don’t double cleanse in the morning.
What are the skin issues you deal with and what do you look for in products?
I look for things to make me look less haggard and sleep-deprived. Eye cream is key. The products I could use were first limited by pregnancy and then by breastfeeding. For example, I had to stop using retinols, so I’ve looked for cheats to compensate.
Sometimes I just shower and then I cleanse in the shower. Otherwise, I cleanse with micellar water. A couple of times a week, I also exfoliate with the Neogen Wine Pads. I love those. They smell like a bottle of the Manischewitz grape juice. I don’t rinse it off, despite what the instructions say, but it comes off when I tone after. I hate putting cleansers and scrubs on my face, so this is great. Then I tone with the Acwell Licorice Toner (I LOVE how it smells). After that, I apply the Neogen Essence with my hands. It reminds me of watching my grandfather dabbing cologne onto his face. After that, I apply my SkinCeuticals Hydrating B5 gel, which is actually quite watery and contains hyaluronic acid and vitamin B5.
Be realistic about your goals and do what you can when you can. Some mornings you can’t do every step, so prioritize sun protection, and don’t beat yourself up. Look at skin care as a little slice of self-care protected time. Even when the house is falling down around you, you have a few minutes in the morning and night that you can devote to taking care of yourself.
Gina, 48, Houston
Skin type: Combination
Gina’s daughter works at Soko Glam and just got her started on a full Korean skin care routine a few months ago. Since then, she’s been hooked.
A day in Gina’s life:
I’m married with four children, ranging in age from 29 to 18. I work full-time in the retail industry and sometimes don’t leave work until 9pm. Like many Americans, I have a very stressful and demanding life. Add to that a bad outside environment that’s full of pollution and free radicals and the fact that I’m going through menopause, and it’s safe to say that my skin was going through some issues before starting with K-beauty.
What skin issues do you deal with?
Through menopause, I developed rosacea and adult acne that left my skin scarred around the chin area. The thing you can see the most on me is my droopy eyes the skin sagging around my jaw.
What’s your skin care routine?
I cleanse with the Klavuu Pure Pearlsation Cleansing Foam and then I tone with the Acwell pH Balancing Cleansing Toner. I use the Neogen Bio-Peel in Wine twice a week to exfoliate. I then pat in the Neogen White Truffle Serum In Oil Drop and take my time applying the Erborian Ginseng Infusion Eye Cream. I roll it all around my orbital bone so it absorbs better. I put some pressure around my sinus area with the eye cream and drag it out. Then I top it all off with the Missha Super Aqua Cell Renew Snail Cream. This made my skin so smooth and it actually lifted the acne scar on my chin.
What’s your best advice for moms who want to develop a consistent skin care routine?
Be disciplined and give yourself time—it honestly takes five minutes. I really believe you need to love your skin. Preserving is easier than reversing. I take five minutes to love myself and then the rest of the day I focus on everyone else. I’m a cook, chef, I’m whatever everyone else wants me to be, except in the morning for five minutes, I’m Gina, and at night for five minutes, I am Gina.
Daniela, 34, Los Angeles
Skin type: Dry
A typical day in Daniela’s life:
My day usually starts at 6:30am at the sounds of Pablo, my 8 month-old or Ramiro, my 2.5 year-old. The first thing I do is breastfeed my baby, and get a glass of water afterwards. Breastfeeding dries you up. I have breakfast with my toddler. And then I do my skin care routine. I squeeze it in during breakfast and playtime.
I’m 34 and Mexican. My skin has always been on the dry side. It seems to be always thirsty. Plus, living in Mexico City and Los Angeles, two very dry climates, left me craving for hydration. It was when I lived in Mexico City that I began to really think about my skin because the pollution was making my skin super dry and flaky. I tend to always look products that can restore hydration and still be gentle for my skin.
Then my favorite part: applying my serum. The first serum that I purchased and was using constantly was Estee Lauder’s Advanced Night Repair serum, but it was getting too expensive. Now, I am using The Plant Base’s Waterfall Moist Balanced Hyaluronic Acid 100 serum. Plant Base’s serum dries up super quickly and leaves my skin super soft afterwards, not to mention my pores tend to look smaller too. It’s super lightweight too.
After my second pregnancy, I developed some hyperpigmentation around my eyes due to my hormonal changes. I began using COSRX Triple C Lightning Liquid. I have only started using it for a month, so I am hoping to see some fading of my dark spots soon. I also exfoliate twice or three times a week with the Neogen Bio-Peel Gauze in Lemon. These pads are so easy to use and gentle on the skin.
I know this sounds like a lot for a mom to apply in the morning, but after a few weeks of doing all of this, it becomes very easy and my dry skin really needs it and loves it. And I do all of this while my babies are playing or eating breakfast.
Inhwa, 35, New York City
What skin issues do you deal with and what do you look for in products?
Effective and efficient! Those are at the core most important benefits I look for in my skin care. I’ve naturally just become more “speedy” with everything I do since becoming a mom, but if I’m investing any time to my routine, I NEED to know that I will see results in making sure that my skin is hydrated.
A typical day in Inhwa’s life (including her skin care routine):
At 6am, during the work week, I start my day off with a shower and my morning skin care routine. My morning skincare and makeup routine allow me to spend a little time to myself to look semi-presentable during the day. I use my oil cleanser, Banila Co Clean it Zero Resveratrol, to start my cleansing and then hop in the shower. I like to use my water cleanser, Klavuu Pure Pearlsation Revitalizing Facial Cleansing Foam, in the shower every morning for my second double cleanse.
What’s your best advice for moms who want to develop a consistent skin care routine?
Find products that work for your skin that you know you can fit into your daily schedule. Once it starts working and you find the products to be effective, the easier it will be to keep at it and make it a consistent routine. Also, don’t skimp on hydration, even for oily/combination skin! It’s important to make sure the skin is balanced and has hydration. Dehydrated skin will lead to early signs of aging, so use essence daily!