Vegan Skincare Products: Vegan Skincare Routine

In the past I have been very guilty of not taking very good care of my skin by not taking my make-up off properly and not applying sunscreen every day which recently I’ve learned is terrible for your skin!  

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Natural Methods

I used to use a microfibre cloth to remove make-up and just use jojoba oil to moisturise thinking that would be enough but of course my skin would continually flare up and I ended up with dry patches. On my discovery to find the cause I realised that my vegan skincare routine was awful and set out to fix it.  

As I’m a hippy by nature I’ve always liked to use ‘natural’ products on my skin but I’ve realised recently that my skin is loads better since using more science and nature combined type of products.

I love Lush but their products are very fragranced and sometimes quite greasy so for my skin I’ve seen such a massive difference from cutting these out and staying away from physical exfoliaters such as scrubs.

I found skincare videos on YouTube from influencers like James Welsh click here for his channel and Susan Yara who is the founder of Mixed Make-up YouTube channel (click here), they both know what they’re talking about when it comes to skincare.

I’ve began to learn over the past year what my skin needs so I can find quality vegan skincare products in the UK, to have a decent vegan skincare routine.

My Morning Routine:

Wash Face

I spray my face with Rose water, (this is not essential splashing it with some water would be good enough I just have some currently) I just pat this gently into my skin.

Vitamin C Serum

The next step of my vegan skincare routine is, I take a small amount of The Ordinary Vitamin C Suspension and smooth in gently. Beauty bay sell The Ordinary products of you’re in the UK, for the serum click here. This product is a brightening product and works very well in combination with sunscreen.  

Sunscreen

Next I apply sunscreen, my current favourite is Yaoh Hemp Seed Sun Block factor 30. It’s not a bad price at £10.99 on their website (they only deliver within Europe though) and although it’s an all over sunscreen I use it on my face and haven’t noticed any irritation. For Yaoh sunblock click here.

For oily skin I would stay clear of this one. My skin is a bit on the dry side, this sunscreen is a bit greasy and leaves my skin dewy under make-up. It does have a coconut scent which I don’t mind but I know that’s not for everyone. For more sunscreen check out my best vegan sunscreen post.

Primer

The final step I do in my morning vegan skincare routine is prime my skin for make-up with Revolution Under Eye Primer, which I bought from Superdrug but also on their website UK and my current favourite face primer is Elf luminous Putty Primer. However this step is obviously not necessary if you’re not wearing make-up, although it does give the skin a lovely healthy glow on it’s own.  

Evening Routine:

First Cleanse

To start my vegan skincare routine, I do a first cleanse. I usually just use jojoba oil and a microfibre cloth, I probably bought the oil on EBay, you can use any oil really if you’re trying to get rid of make-up or sunscreen build up.  

Second Cleanse

My second cleanse is to remove any make-up left on my skin so I use The Ordinary Squalene Cleanser which I love because the small one is so cheap at £5.50 and it doesn’t leave the dry feeling some cleansers do! Beauty Bay UK sell it, click here. The Ordinary is actually really good for vegan skincare products, in case you didn’t know.

Glycolic Acid

At this stage in my vegan skincare routine once or twice a week only I use The Ordinary Glyolic Acid 7% Toning Solution if you’re in the UK Cult Beauty sell it click here. As it’s a chemical exfoliater you have to be careful not to overuse this product but I find it works great at removing dead skin cells and brightening my skin.  There are many other chemical exfoliaters you can use for various skin types, I’ve heard that salicylic acid works much better on combination/oily skin. (Don’t mind the tired eyes in the video, I’m a mum so it’s part of it unfortunately!)

I also use Glycolic acid for deodorant, check out my natural deodorant post for more information. It’s probably my favourite vegan skincare product because of how versatile it is.

Hyaluronic Acid Serum

If I’ve used Glycolic acid that day I will then use a hyaluronic acid serum such as Revolution Plumping serum, in their website click here, as I like to use this as a barrier before using a Retinol serum (see next step). This is because you have essentially made your skin more sensitive by using the Glycolic acid; which is also why sunscreen is such an important step in the morning routine.  

Retinol Serum

Next and quite importantly for me now I’m in my early 30’s (eek!) is The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 2% serum, Beauty Bay again click here. Retinol is the only ingredient in skincare which has been scientifically proven to reduce fine lines and wrinkles. Retinol is also something else that increases your skins sensitivity to the sun so always make sure you wear sunscreen if you use this.  

I am currently being cautious with my use of Retinols because of breastfeeding my baby.

Topical use of Retinol is usually fine because it’s not going to transfer to the milk or anything but because of the hormones associated with breastfeeding and the fact Retinol can cause irritation in the skin: I am starting with this more stable version of Retinol

If my skin is still fine when I run out. I’ll work my way through the other Ordinary Retinols so my skin doesn’t freak out!

The Ordinary have a good amount of vegan skincare products as they have very simple ingredients and they’re affordable because they don’t spend any money on marketing.

Eyelash Serum

While I wait for the Retinol to absorb into my skin I usually use a Lash serum on my lash line, obviously not necessary for everyone but I’ve really been quite impressed with the difference in using a Lash serum on my eyelashes; which before using the serum were sparse and short. For the serum on EBay click here.

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Moisturiser

The final step of my vegan skincare routine is a general moisturiser to lock everything in, I love this Elf Happy Hydration Cream. It has niacinamide for hyperpigmentation, hemp oil and hyaluronic acid to lock moisture in. You can find Elf products on their website I think they offer free delivery for orders over £25 in the UK, for the cream click here. Elf have a great range of vegan skincare products as their whole range is cruelty free and vegan.

I was bought a lovely night cream a few years ago Sukin (The Vegan Kind affiliate link) which I’ve noticed is really affordable if you were looking for a different moisturiser to try. This one is a great cruelty free and vegan skincare product with natural ingredients.

Summary

If you’re new to a vegan skincare routine you might find all of these steps quite a lot, however the vegan skincare routine in the morning takes me 5 minutes and the evening routine 10 minutes including brushing my teeth so not a lot of time really.

Everything we do and don’t do to our skin effects how it looks as we age so I feel like it’s never too late to get a good vegan skincare routine and the bare minimum we should be doing to our skin is cleanse, moisturise and protect from the sun.

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Please be aware I’m not an expert and everything written is just my opinion and things that I’ve learned on my journey. If you’re unsure about anything consult a skincare specialist and be cautious about using new vegan skincare products on your skin.  

If you’re into vegan skincare check out my latest favourite brand in sustainable packaging, Face Theory Skincare. This includes my most recent vegan skincare routine. I’ve also recently reviewed some Ringana samples and Ma Natural Skincare which is a UK brand.

I hope you find something useful in my vegan skincare routine post. Are there any vegan skincare products that you are curious to try? Let me know if there are. What are your holy grail vegan skincare products?

You can also follow me on Instagram where I’m the most active. If you’d like to hear my dulcet tones, check out my YouTube channel.

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