Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. Please consider clicking through them if you choose to make a purchase; this helps support my ability to run this blog. Thank you! All reviews are based on my honest opinion.

I try to eat organic food because I want to avoid potentially harmful pesticides and other chemicals – so of course I’ve also tried to transition my skin and beauty products too. It’s taken me some trial and error to suss out products that really work, so I’m sharing my findings. Here’s my full clean skincare regimen – everything I use on my face, and when I use it, to help take the guesswork out of your journey finding clean skincare products you love.

Getting into clean skincare

While it’s taking me a long time to completely shift to nontoxic makeup, moving to clean skincare has been an easier change – mostly because I discovered Skincando last year. A woman-owned spa and skincare line, Skincando’s organic, natural products aim to nourish skin and reinforce its natural barrier so it can thrive, naturally. 

Sara Damelio, Skincando’s founder, is a holistic esthetician who started her company after working in skincare sales and discovering that many mainstream skin products simply consist of fillers, some (often toxic) chemicals, and a lot of branding. Since then, Sara has built up a loyal following with her natural remedies and minimalist approach to skincare that she imparts through the Garden Spa, an appointment-only treatment studio out of her pretty Silver Spring apartment.

Sara’s facials are simply amazing (I had one last month – she’s enforcing strict COVID-19 sanitary practices) and they’re what I’ve based my organic skincare routine around. Her combination of massage, Skincando products, and hydrasonic exfoliation always leaves my skin feeling smooth and healthy afterwards.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to the at-home organic skincare routine that’s I’ve been using to maintain my skin’s post-facial glow:

Wearing KNC Beauty’s adorable all-natural shooting star eye masks – a special treat on days I’m going to be in front of the camera.

Morning

First thing in the morning, I splash my face with water and pat dry. A couple days a week I start the day off with a thin layer of Skincando’s gentle, antimicrobial Wild Honey Face Mask. I leave this mask on for about 30 minutes while I exercise on my stationary bike, to neutralize any potential breakouts.

Left: wearing Skincando’s Wild Honey Mask. Right: All my favorite Skincando products

After showering, I apply four spritzes of Skincando’s Sage + Gold Toner across my face. The colloidal copper and silver are also anti-microbial, and the sage smells amazing. Then pat on a few drops of Onekind’s super-fast absorbing Golden State Nourishing Facial Oil (reviewed here). If I’m going outside, I follow that with Skincando’s Silver Lotion, a light daily SPF 15 that isn’t shiny, layers well under makeup, and smells like vanilla beans.

These days I don’t wear a ton of makeup, but I have been loving ILIA’s SPF 40 Super Serum Skin Tint for extra sun protection (reviewed here), sometimes followed by a little face powder, brow gel, mascara, and a dewy my-lips-but-better lipstick. 

Shop my natural makeup look

Everything here is available from Credo Beauty, the “Sephora” of clean makeup and skincare. Get $10 off your first Credo Beauty order with my referral link.

Evening

At night, I use Skincando’s CBD Cleansing Oil and Blue Lavender Gel Cleanser one after the other to remove makeup gently and leave my skin clean but not dry or stripped. The oil lifts makeup from my face but – important to note – doesn’t emulsify with water like many of the synthetic oil-based cleansers out there. To wash it off, I use a pump of the gel cleanser, which gently washes away impurities. If I’m not wearing sunscreen or makeup, I skip the cleansing oil and just use a few drops of the gel cleanser.

My most recent skin tool obsession is this super affordable ultrasonic skin scrubber that – for the $25 price tag – is amazingly effective at easing out the gunk from clogged pores. It’s an excellent maintenance tool that’s very gentle and extremely satisfying to use a few nights a week! I also just bought the (much pricier) La Luer MIRA facial system and am in the process of testing it out. So far I think it’s working really, really well but I’m going to test it for a couple more weeks before sharing my thoughts.

Left: Applying Skincando’s Miracle Cream. Right: The Gugug face scrubber.

I used to apply a retinol gel every night, but it can be drying, so I recently made the switch to bakuchiol, a plant-based alternative to retinol that has the same benefits while also being natural and gentle on the skin. I picked this affordable serum from BYBI Beauty because it has only two simple, clean ingredients – bakuchiol and squalane.

Then depending on the humidity I seal it in with either a few more drops of Onekind’s lightweight Golden State oil, or a small amount of Skincando’s rich Miracle Cream with nourishing omega three fatty acids that make my skin feel super plump and healthy.

Weekends

Saturdays are mask days! If my skin is looking a little dull, I start my weekend off with Skincando’s Pearl Mud Mask (again, while on my stationary bike – I like to multitask!) to draw up any pore-clogging oil to the surface. 

After rinsing it off, I like to do a gentle peel. I was using The Ordinary’s AHA + BHA Peeling Solution but Skincando just came out with a Pumpkin Enzyme Mask that was fabulous when Sara used it on me during my facial. As soon as it got tingly, she started massaging my face with chilled stone rollers which felt simply lovely, so I’ve been recreating that experience at home.

Skincando’s heirloom pumpkin mask smells like pie; it’s perfect for fall!

And that’s a wrap – everything I use consistently on my skin. Most products I only use 1-2 times a week, but I’ve found that using a handful of core products that are natural and effective really makes a difference.

Everything feels more luxurious wearing Lunya’s Washable Silk Robe in rose petal.

I’ve learned the hard way not to get lazy with skincare, because it’s always the month I decide to skip things that I end up breaking out! Let me know if you have any questions in the comments, and you can buy Skincando online directly from their website here.

Shop Skincare Favorites

Follow me on Instagram @theprimpysheep for more product reviews and style inspiration. And if you enjoyed this review, you might also like:

ILIA Skin Tint Review & Swatches

Exploring Green Beauty in D.C.

Senreve Midi Maestra Review