Minimal skincare routine for dehydrated skin: three steps

The three steps

Keep the same three steps for at least a month.

What you can drop

Skip toners, multiple serums and weekly masks to start. They add risk without adding clarity for dehydrated skin.

Avoid skipping moisturizer on oily-dehydrated skin regardless of how short your routine is.

When to add a fourth step

After four stable weeks, consider glycerin. Add it twice weekly, and wait two weeks before adding anything else.

Judge results after five to ten days for the first plump-up, a month to hold it.

A zone-by-zone check

Whole-face impressions hide progress. Check each of these zones on its own, in the same light, once a week.

Six questions to ask yourself

Answer honestly before adding or swapping a product. Most plateaus are explained by one of these.

Adjusting through the year

Routines that cannot bend get abandoned. These tweaks keep the core steps intact.

Frequently asked questions