The Ordinary Skincare Regimens: Expert Routines for Every Skin Type

(May contain PR samples, affiliate links and nuts but no one paid me for this post and my enthusiasm is self generated)

I’ve been fortunate to receive some brand new The Ordinary product regimens. They have been devised by The Ordinary’s founder Brandon Truaxe and, as far as I’m aware, haven’t been released elsewhere.

I’m trying not to blog exclusively about The Ordinary, it’s really hard though. The Ordinary produces affordable skincare that has actually made a significant improvement to my problem face. The Ordinary is really growing as a brand- They’ve won multiple awards from the Times, Grazia, Tatler, the list goes on. There are now a Deciem store in Spitalfields in London, with plans to open a new one in Covent Garden. It’s fantastic, if you can figure out how to use it. It takes a lot of brain power to get a regime devised, so I’ve done some of the work for you. I’ve written some other guide posts- How to use 2% Retinoid and How to incorporate acids into your skincare regimen.

I also have these new regimens that Brandon (the CEO) just released. This is hot of the press, straight from the horses mouth info. All the products are available from TheOrdinary.com and the most expensive product is £14.90. Here they all are for your perusal-

The Ordinary Regimen For Acne

Persistent Acne and Sporadic Blemishes require a different routine:

Persistent Acne:
· AM: Salicylic Acid 2% Solution, Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%

· PM: Retinol 1%, knowing that the skin will peel and go through purging in the first 4-8 weeks. It can be diluted with other creams at the start phase to reduce irritation.

Blemishes/Congestion:

· AM: Salicylic Acid 2% Solution, Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%

· PM: Salicylic Acid 2% Solution, Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%

· Twice per week: AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution

The Ordinary Regimen For Sensitive Skin

· AM: Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5, Natural Moisturising Factors + HA

· PM: 100% Plant-Derived Squalane, Natural Moisturising Factors + HA

The Ordinary Regimen For Dry Skin

· AM: Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5, Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA

· PM: Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5, 100% Plant-Derived Squalane + B5, Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA

· Twice per week: AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution

The Ordinary Regimen For Aging and Wrinkles

· AM: Buffet, Natural Moisturising Factors + HA

· PM: Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution, Buffet, Advanced Retinoid 2%, (optional 100% Organic Cold-Pressed Rose Hip Seed Oil, Marula or Squalane)

· Twice per week: AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution

The Ordinary Regimen For Pigmentation

· AM: Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA, Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%, Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate Solution 20% in Vitamin F

· PM: Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution, Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA, Azelaic Acid Suspension 10% or Advanced Retinoid 2%

· Twice per week: AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution

The Ordinary Regimen For Oily Skin

· AM: Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%, Natural Moisturising Factors (if the skin becomes too dry). Note – the High-Adherence Silicone Primer can be a very good AM hydrator for oily Skin

· PM: Salicylic Acid 2% Solution, Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%

Before You StartUsing The Ordinary- Some Pointers

• Before starting to use your skincare you will need to cleanse the skin to get it ready to absorb. Pick a mild cleanser to prep the skin before using the serums. A good cleanser should be non perfumed, non foaming and not containing any little bitty things that scratch your face. My faves are Deciem’s own Hylamide High Efficiency Face Cleanser, Lush’s Ultrabland Cleanser or Cerave Hydrating Cleanser. The cleansers I’ve mentioned will leave your skin clean but not dried out or irritated.
• I would suggest picking a regimen, order the products you need obvs, write (or print) it out and stick it up in your bathroom cabinet so you can keep track of what your doing. It’ll help if you annotate the bottles with a sharpie as they all look the same it’s hard when you’re fumbling about in the early morning to see what’s what.
• The mind boggling part is if your skin doesn’t fit neatly into one skin type. You have acne and pigmentation? How dare you! The good news is that a lot of these products will work for several skin problems- e.g. Retinoids work for acne, wrinkles and pigmentation. If I was you, to begin with just concentrate on one skin complaint and see how you get on.
• Use the products in the order they appear above.
• If it’s not working for you and you don’t know what to do next then email the Deciem monkeys or Victoria Health, they are full of great advice. There’s a great chat room on Facebook called The Ordinary Chatroom (where I now moderate). Also read my blog, which is the best!
• Choose a sunscreen, the acid and retinoid products will leave your skin more sensitive to the sun, so you must use spf after alongside them. I have recently written a post on sunscreen with recommendations.

The Ordinary skincare isn’t exactly user friendly but with some forward planning and these regimens research you can yield some really great results for your skin type. Read more at TheOrdinary.com