What is Skin Cycling? New Skincare Trends For 2024
There is a viral skincare method that has become popular on TikTok as well as all other social media platforms, and people are loving it! It was created by Dr. Whitney Bowe, an amazing dermatologist who introduced a skincare method called “Skin Cycling.”In short, it is beneficial to let any skin type gradually adjust to using a retinoid and obtain glass skin. If you want to learn more, keep on scrolling!
What is Skin Cycling?
Skin cycling is a skincare technique that involves cycling through your nighttime skincare products to maintain skin health and prevent discomfort. It restricts the use of active chemicals and exfoliants to only 2 evenings every 4 days, followed by a few days of rest for your skin. The four-night cycle schedule is as follows:
- Night 1: Exfoliation night
- Night 2: Retinoid night
- Night 3 & 4: Recovery night
- And repeat!
Surprisingly, skin cycling is an easy technique that requires only a few skincare products to get started, unlike other approaches that need the usage of more than 10 products in a routine.
Even better, you can customise the skin cycling products to suit your skin’s specific needs! For instance, if you have oily skin, you can skip one of the recovery nights to make it a three-night cycle: Exfoliation night, retinoid night, recovery night, and repeat.
How Does Skin Cycling Work
Skin cycling involves a straight forward approach of alternating your nighttime skincare products between exfoliant and retinol during the week. As these two products may be irritating to the skin, when used right, they can effectively enhance outcomes while preventing potential skin irritation or damage.
This technique is adaptable to all skin types, as you have the flexibility to customise the products and their frequency in your skincare routine. It all depends on the skin you want to achieve, and it’s never a bad idea to start slowly with skincare! This skin cycling technique will allow you to gradually introduce a new routine to your skin.
How-To Guide to Skin Cycling
The first step before beginning the skin cycling routine is to identify your skin type. Keep in mind that not all skin is the same, so always listen to your skin!
Once you’ve identified which products are best for you, you can start employing the Dr Whitney Bowe’s skin cycling routine! This is how it works:
Night 1: Exfoliation
Begin your first night by exfoliating your skin! This is the time when you get rid of all of your dead skin cells from the skin’s surface layer. You can use a physical or AHA/BHA-based chemical exfoliator that is gentle on your skin, as opposed to physical scrubs. Since most exfoliators contain chemical exfoliants, they will accelerate the process of cell renewal, allowing everything that follows to penetrate deeper into your skin. WonderDewi Cica Gentle Scrub is an excellent choice for this.
Night 2: Retinoid
It’s retinol night on the second night of the skin cycling! If you have sensitive skin, Dr. Bowe recommends applying moisturiser to the sensitive areas before applying retinol. This will help to ease the process of using retinol on your skin. Once your skin has adapted to retinoid, you can apply it first, followed by moisturiser.
Retinol is unique in that it boosts anti-ageing active ingredients, making your skin look as youthful as ever! Although retinol may irritate your skin at first, don’t be afraid; once your skin gets used to it, you won’t be disappointed! Just remember to apply WonderDewi Cica Sunscreen during the day.
Night 3 & 4: Recovery
The third and fourth nights are for your skin to recover from all the active ingredients, but this does not imply you should not use any skincare products! This is the moment to provide your skin with adequate hydration and restoration.
Wash your face with your cleanser and, if you like, double cleanse with WonderLab Bel-Aek Ageless Cleansing Balm! If you want more hydration, apply WonderLab Bel-Aek Ageless Serum, WonderDewi Cica Moisturiser or WonderLab Bel-Aek Ageless Moisturiser to your skin to help it retain moisture. Then, layer it with WonderDewi Cica Moisturiser and pat some face oil on top! If you have oily skin, you might want to limit some products because you don’t want to over-moisturise your skin.
Benefits of Skin Cycling
Skin cycling not only simplifies your skincare routine with Dr. Whitey Bowe’s easy instructions, but it also gives various skin benefits, including:
Repairs skin barrier
Although exfoliants and retinoids can help repair the skin barrier, excessive use can be harmful. As a result of Dr. Whitney Bowe’s skin cycling technique, your skin will have enough time to repair during the two recovery nights.
Reduces side effects of the products
As you only need to apply once in between cycles, skin cycling helps to prevent the undesirable side effects of the active ingredients products. This is why we love this technique since it allows your skin to gradually become adapted to the products.
Reduces signs of ageing
As the routine is structured to make use of retinol and anti-ageing products, it helps reduce visible wrinkles, fine lines and hyperpigmentation.
An easy technique for everyone
Rather than incorporating an increasing number of products into your nightly routine, this simplifies the approach, concentrating solely on ingredients that cater to the essential needs of all skin types.
Start Skin Cycling with WonderLab!
WonderLab is the way to go for people looking for an effective approach to skincare through skin cycling. We offer a selection of products ideal for all skin types, with a dedication to simplicity and a focus on essential elements that cater to various skin demands.
Shop at WonderLab to elevate your skincare routine and experience the benefits of skin cycling—where simplicity meets efficacy for beautiful and healthy skin.