Hailey Bieber has been the reigning queen of trends for years. She catapulted the chrome nails trend, the glazed donut skin, the cinnamon cookie butter hair (whatever that means). Her Erewhon Smoothie is a fan-favorite (and apparently really worth it), her husband is the Justin Bieber, and she founded rhode skin.
While her It Girl resume is both extensive and impressive, Hailey’s pushing her latest trend alongside her new rhode Pineapple Refresh Cleanser:skin cycling.
In a world filled with TikTok trends, there’s a constant slew of exciting new skincare products that will allegedly change your skin forever. But here’s the thing: the products that work for one person’s skin may not work for yours.
For example, my skin can tolerate using Paula’s Choice Liquid Exfoliant twice a day…but it made my friend’s sensitive skin flare up. So, what works for me doesn’t work for her.
And while Hailey just released the Pineapple Refresh Cleanser, she’s also pushing a whole new skincare regimen at the same time. Introducing skin cycling, where you take a cyclical approach to your skincare routine…and it’s actually dermatologist-recommended.
What Is Skin Cycling?
Skin cycling is just like working out: you alternate days when you go to the gym with days of rest. For your skin it’s similar, you switch between exfoliating products and hydrating products to give your skin barrier a much-needed break.
My dermatologist suggested I try skin cycling when I started using Retinol because I was terrified of breaking my barrier and my skin drying out. If there’s one thing I hate, it’s dry skin.
Originally given to patients with sensitive skin, psoriasis, rosacea, and other picky issues, skin cycling is beneficial because it lowers the risk of inflammation or irritation.
So, if you’re looking to try out exfoliants, Retinol, or other abrasive ingredients, skin cycling is a fantastic way to ensure your skin barrier doesn’t break in the process.
What Products Should I Skin Cycle With?
When it comes to Retinol, starting with a low-dosage can be a great way to ease into the Retinol world without all the harsh effects. But Retinol isn’t the only skincare ingredient that deserve skin cycling.
Intense ingredients like AHAs and BHAs can easily penetrate the surface of your skin and can harm your skin barrier. While they can help clean your pores, remove dead skin cells from the surface, help cell regeneration, if you aren’t careful they can also be a nightmare for your barrier.
So, if you’re impartial to many AHA or BHA toners like Paula’s Choice, or you want to start but aren’t sure how your skin will react, try skin cycling!
Some of the major hydrating ingredients you’ll want to incorporate into your routine should be hyaluronic acid, squalane, rosewater, glycerin, and niacinamide. They’re all dermatologist-recommended and are used in trending brands like Glow Recipe and Drunk Elephant.
Another essential is an eye cream. Your undereyes must be moisturized to battle discoloration and aging skin. Plus, your makeup will look much better on a moisturized base.
A Week Of Skin Cycling
When I first started my Retinol journey, I didn’t like using my Retinol three days in a row. I preferred to give my skin a break in between uses so I dead skin on my forehead would stop flaking off.
The best advice I can give is to skin cycle at night. Use heavily moisturizing products like hyaluronic acid during the day so your barrier is nice and nourished all day long.
While your process will be different than mine, I’d be remiss if I didn’t share the routine that’s working for me these days.
Here is my week-long skin cycling routine that won’t harm your precious skin barrier:
Monday:
Cleanser
Toner
Retinol
Moisturizer
Tuesday:
Cleanser
Toner
Hyaluronic Acid
Moisturizer
Wednesday:
Cleanser
Toner
Retinol
Moisturizer
Thursday:
Cleanser
Rose Water Toner
Overnight Hydration Mask
Friday:
Cleanser
Toner
Retinol
Moisturizer
Saturday:
Cleanser
Hydrating Essence
Hyaluronic Acid
Moisturizer
Sunday:
Cleanser
Toner
Squalane Serum
Moisturizer
