Short, shorter, shortest skincare routines to try for when you're in a hurry

Hitting the snooze button to get a few more minutes of sleep is a morning ritual for many of us. The downside is that once you wake up, you are already running late! In the hurry of taking a shower, ironing the clothes, grabbing your breakfast, you might just skip your morning skincare routine. This is, obviously, far from ideal.

Given the pollution in our cities and our hectic schedules, our skin health suffers over time. Poor cleansing routines open us up to the possibility of infections. Same for open pores and cracked skin. And failure to wear sunscreen can cause sunburns or worse. [caption id=“attachment_8006541” align=“alignnone” width=“1280”] Representational image. Image credit: Getty[/caption] While applying make-up can help you look fresh, it won’t make your skin radiant internally. So the next time, you’re running late, don’t skip your skincare routine. Just switch it out for these simpler steps.

1. Skincare routine if you have 15 minutes

Fifteen minutes can be enough time to replenish your skin. Here are a few steps to get you started:

• Slash cool water on your face. Now use a low pH mild cleanser to wash your face. A low pH facial cleanser keeps the skin’s moisture intact. Wash your face by making a circular motion with your fingertips for at least 3 minutes, rinse well and pat dry.
• After the cleanser, take a few drops of toner on a cotton pad and dab it on your face. You can also take the toner in your palm and directly apply onto your skin and leave it on for 2 minutes to dry. Toner helps in shrinking the pores of the skin, which can otherwise get clogged with dirt, causing blackheads and acne. Toner also penetrates deep into the skin and hydrates it for a long time.
• After the toner, apply a few drops of serum onto your skin and massage it onto the skin for at least 3 minutes. Different serums are recommended for different skin types. Serums are available in oil-based, gel-based, water-based and emulsion-based varieties. They usually contain topical antioxidants and vitamins A, C, and E, which help in achieving dewy skin.
• Now put some eye cream under and around your eyes to get rid of dark circles, puffiness or the tired look. Massage it in for at least 2 minutes.
• Moisturise your skin with a good moisturiser to prevent the skin from drying out, even during summers. People with oily skin can use water-based moisturisers.
• The last step is to apply a sunscreen with at least 30 SPF to protect your face from sunburn and the UV radiations of the sun. Make sure that you apply sunscreen during winters too.

2. Skincare routine if you have 10 minutes

You can skip serum and eye cream if you have just 10 minutes to complete your skincare routine. Follow these steps to get the job done quickly yet efficiently:

• Wash your face with a mild and low pH cleanser for 3 minutes, then rinse and pat dry.
• Take a few drops of toner onto a cotton pad and dab it onto the face. Let it dry for at least 2 minutes.
• Now apply a good quality moisturiser that locks in the moisture of your skin. Massage for a good 3 minutes and move on to the sunscreen.
• Apply a layer of sunscreen onto your face to shield it from the harmful rays of the sun.

[caption id=“attachment_8006371” align=“alignnone” width=“1014”] Representational image. Image source: Getty Images.[/caption]

3. Skincare routine if you have 5 minutes

Just go basic. Here’s how:

• Wash your face and neck with a low pH cleanser for three minutes, rinse and pat dry.
• Do not skip the moisturiser: Apply a moisturiser that keeps your skin hydrated throughout the day.
• Sunscreen is a must. Apply a layer of sunscreen on top of your moisturiser and you are good to go.

Read How to Get Glowing Skin for more information. Health articles in Firstpost are written by myUpchar.com, India’s first and biggest resource for verified medical information. At myUpchar, researchers and journalists work with doctors to bring you information on all things health.