How To Transform Your Skincare Routine With Habit Stacking

Do you struggle keeping up with your skincare routine or constantly forget product steps? If a consistent routine feels tough to maintain, you may want to consider adopting habit stacking. While the notion itself isn’t new, applying it to your beauty regimen is likely a fresh twist.

With a busy schedule, it’s easy to fall victim to forgetfulness and time constraints. However, consistency and repetition are key to a happy, healthy skin barrier, and small, persistent habits lead to better results over time. Establishing a routine that is both effective and sustainable is going to be essential to keeping some of those skincare steps from falling by the wayside. Habit stacking is a simple yet powerful method that can transform even the most thorough routine into an automatic and effortless part of your day.

What is Habit Stacking?

Much like common mechanisms used in studying (think word games and acronyms), this play on memorization and productivity is all about creating intuitive, easy to follow associations. Popularized by author James Clear in his 2018 book Atomic Habits, and scientist BJ Fogg’s Tiny Habits program, the premise of habit stacking is simple: link a new habit you’d like to incorporate into your daily life to an existing habit you already have. The idea is that by piggybacking or “stacking” one small new habit onto a familiar one, it’s more likely to stick and eventually become second nature.

How Can Habit Stacking Be Applied to Skincare?

Most of us already have some sort of loose routine that outlines our mornings, afternoons and evenings. So whether you’re looking to combat common skin concerns like blemishes, dryness or dull skin, or just enhance your natural beauty, habit stacking can help you reduce the mental effort required to reprioritize skincare.

How to Build Your Skincare Routine With Habit Stacking

While some of us may be looking to create an entire routine from scratch, others may be looking for ways to add one or two new products into the mix.

1. Start by identifying your current habits and existing routines

Which habits are executed daily and at what time of day? These can be things like your morning shower or cup of coffee, applying makeup or your midday touch-up, taking your vitamins or reading before bed. Your most consistent rituals are the perfect candidates for habit stacking.

2. Choose the new product and habit you’d like to incorporate

Are you interested in exploring double cleansing? Trying to get better at reapplying your SPF throughout the day? Want to add an extra layer of hydration to your evening routine?

Any balanced skincare routine should include products from four foundational categories:

• Cleanse + Prepare: The washes and toners used to remove dirt, oil and makeup, and prep your skin for other products.
• Correct + Boost: The spot treatments, masks and extras that address more specific skin concerns like blemishes, wrinkles or discoloration.
• Renew + Fortify: The creams, lotions and serums that hydrate the skin and lock in moisture.
• Protect + Prevent: The SPFs that protect your skin from harmful UV ray exposure.

3. Stack the habit onto part of your existing routine

Match the timing of your existing habits with those you’re trying to adopt, and remember, start slow! The best goals are realistic and not overly ambitious. Try stacking one, maybe two habits at a time, gradually building up your routine until each step is fully integrated.

Habit Stacking Examples

Ready to give this method a try? Here are a few sample pre-stacked habits to get you started…

Showering x Cleansing: If regular cleansing is the goal, consider taking a cleanser like Epionce Purifying Wash into the shower to kill two birds with one stone. This multitasking cleanser works for both face and body, and ensures your skin stays squeaky clean without the added cleanup that comes with splashing around over the sink.

Taking Vitamins x Using Botanical Ingredients: If incorporating more botanical ingredients into your skincare routine is the goal, apply a treatment step like Intense Defense Serum when you take your usual vitamins or medications. This non-irritating formula visibly reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles for healthy, younger-looking skin.

Teeth Brushing x Moisturizing: If moisturizing more often is the goal, anchor a facial lotion or cream tailored to your skin type to the time you brush your teeth. This way, you’ll end up adding appropriate hydration at least twice a day. Plus, doing your skincare after brushing your teeth helps prevent the transfer of bacteria from the mouth to clean skin!

Makeup x SPF: If the goal is to get into the habit of wearing sunscreen every day, apply broad spectrum protection like Daily Shield Tinted SPF 50 Sunscreen after you moisturize and before you begin your makeup. This light, blendable, antioxidant-rich formula evens out your skin tone while imparting a natural-looking, healthy glow, and acts as the perfect base for foundation or concealer.

Reading x Masking: If incorporating a mask is the goal, pair it with your nightly reading, whether that’s a novel, biography or just something on your phone. The Enriched Firming Mask adds extra hydration to improve the appearance of elasticity in the skin, helps calm visible redness, and soothes sensitive skin.

Bonus

Scheduling Doctor Appointments x Visiting an Epionce Pro: If the goal is to supplement your skincare routine with more professional esthetician visits, consider booking your visits at the same time you’re coordinating all of your other maintenance tasks, like your annual physical, your dentist appointments or your haircuts. Afterall, prioritizing your skin is just another part of prioritizing your health!

Long-Term Benefits of Habit Stacking Your Skincare

The benefits of habit stacking can be significant, ranging from the obvious (better skin) to more unexpected psychological effects (less stress and a real sense of accomplishment). You won’t experience these benefits overnight, but progressively over time. And as with anything new, you’ll want to give yourself some grace. Self-compassion and flexibility are vital to making habits stick, so don’t beat yourself up if you find yourself forgetting one habit or losing motivation early on. If you find yourself struggling, you can try using visual reminders to help tie your habits, like placing your moisturizer near your toothbrush or keeping your sunscreen in your makeup bag. Over time, your new habits will become more natural, freeing up more brain power for new goals.

Habit stacking is a compelling tool that can make even the most comprehensive skincare routine more consistent, effective and seamless. By attaching new products and skincare habits to existing ones, you’ll create a lasting regimen that supports healthier skin over an extended period of time. Track your progress and tweak your routine as your skin goes through seasonal or hormonal changes. And remember, if you start small and be patient, building up gradually, after awhile your routine will be as automatic as brushing your teeth or getting dressed.

Interested in creating or expanding your custom skincare routine? Contact one of our Epionce Pros — trained skincare professionals who will provide in-person guidance tailored to your needs. Find an Epionce Pro Near You