Aside from the plot twists and mesmerizing dance moves that make us OBSESS over our favorite Korean actors and K-pop stars, there’s one thing that catches our eye:
That. Amazing. Skin.
It seems that they’re models who have reached an impossible level of beauty but trust us.
With some K-beauty skincare hacks, you can achieve great skin yourself!
Curious to know their secrets? We listed it all down on this page. (Just keep it a secret!)
Top 10 Korean Beauty Hacks to Try Today
1. Do Face Exercises
Who says only your body muscles can work out? Your face has muscles, too – and you’ll benefit from exercising them:
- Increase your blood flow
- Regulate blood circulation
- Fight aging
- Reduce any facial scars’ appearance
Mouthing vowels exaggeratedly (A, E, I, O, U) is already a facial exercise that can improve your blood flow.
Pucker your lips and smile wide to increase blood circulation regularly.
It’s easy to do, and you can set aside a few minutes every morning and night.
You’ll get more defined features in no time!
2. Try Double-Cleansing
Double-cleansing is how it sounds. Instead of cleansing just once, DOUBLE-CLEANSE with different cleansers.
How to start:
- Use an oil-based cleanser and water-based cleanser.
- To double-cleanse, begin with the oil cleanser.
- Wipe it off, add the water-based cleanser, and rinse again.
It may seem as if you’re squeaky-clean with just soap, but you’re actually stripping it off its natural oils.
Plus, there can still be leftover bacteria or dirt deep in your pores.
An oil cleanser is great because it can melt away oil-based gunk and dirt from your face.
If you’re still undecided about an oil cleanser, we’re here to tell you to make the right choice and just start using it now!
3. Do a Facial Massage
This step is similar to doing facial exercises.
Wash your hands – we’re going to use your knuckles and thumbs for this skin care method.
A facial massage can BOOST CIRCULATION and give you a sharper jawline.
How to Do It:
Use your knuckles to massage up your jawline from your cheeks, from your nose to your cheeks, and from the middle of your eyebrow towards your temples.
Try to do this Korean trick in the mornings and evenings for a few minutes! Check if you can see results in a couple of weeks.
Remember: Clean hands are a must. You don’t want to transfer bacteria to your pores!
You can do the massage as you’re doing your skincare routine! When you apply your moisturizer or serum, do the massage then.
You can even apply a few drops of facial essence when you do this for an extra boost of moisture.
4. Buy Those Sheet Masks!
These sheet masks are everywhere in South Korea. Take your beauty rest while having these masks on, and wake up to smoother, suppler skin.
There are sheet masks for every skin type.
You can get sheet masks INFUSED with different ingredients (think ginseng, rice water, and activated charcoal) to make sure you hit the problem spots. We personally love charcoal sheet masks.
It’s designed to fit on the face’s contours, so all you need to do is put them on and WAIT FOR 25 MINUTES. It’ll hydrate and rejuvenate your skin!
Most of these face masks contain purely organic ingredients! Makes them less harsh on your skin.
Drive-by your favorite skincare store to stock up on a few to try out every week.
If you think your skin and wallet can handle it, you can try using them every day.
5. Skip the Lipsticks and Go for Lip Tints
Tired of your regular lipsticks or need something MORE MOISTURIZING?
Lip tints come to save the day! You can bring out your natural lip color, and it can be your new makeup best friend.
If you noticed, Asian makeup is vastly different from the usual western makeup routine.
These lip products have the following benefits:
- Give your lips the necessary pop of color
- Your makeup look won’t go overboard
- Moisturizes your lips with the primary beauty ingredients: waxes and oils
These lip products glide on effortlessly and last ALL DAY.
Lip tints are the go-to beauty products for those who’d love to try the Korean gradient lip lookout!
They’re light on the lips and don’t contain harsh chemicals.
Make sure you have a dark and light lip tint on hand, and you can easily create an eye-catching, ombré effect.
6. Put Towels Away and Air Dry Your Face
By now, you should know one thing: Do not rub your face with a towel.
If you still do this, we beg you to simply pat your skin gently! Rubbing CAN CAUSE irritation and inflammation.
But there’s another trick you can do for your skin: air-drying.
Your ONE FAVORITE BATHROOM TOWEL can be a breeding ground for bacteria.
Think about it. The moist, damp environment creates an environment where they thrive.
Air-drying your face can save you from this kind of incident.
Air-drying also helps your face retain the necessary hydration to BETTER ABSORB skincare products!
After cleansing in the shower with warm water, do the following:
- Pat excess water away from your skin with your fingers
- Apply toner, serums, moisturizers, or other Korean skincare products in your skincare regimen
- Let your skin air-dry!
7. Drink Barley Tea
Join your mother in her tea obsession. It’s the key to flawless skin!
Barley tea’s nutritional content boasts antioxidants that can change your world!
It’ll get rid of toxins, give you a glow, and improve circulation.
Try barley tea every night as you let that sheet mask absorb. If barley isn’t your type, then you can also try Ginseng tea.
8. Blur Out Imperfections Instead of Just Covering Them
Women, even some Korean women, love full-coverage products. But slathering your entire skin with concealer and foundation is a RECIPE for acne.
If you don’t cleanse properly after you wear makeup, the leftover makeup product (like BB or CC cream) lingers in many pores and skin cells.
Then, it gets aggravated with the dirt and dust.
Many Koreans Swear by Beauty Hacks:
Use a makeup brush and focus on blurring out blemishes that stand out.
We recommend using your favorite concealer, BB cream, CC Cream, and an air-cushion foundation.
Layer each sheer application to achieve total coverage on one spot.
Top it off with Korean beauty setting products to make the entire look last!
9. Make Your Skincare Last with An Overnight Sleeping Mask
Your Korean beauty and skincare regimen doesn’t have to end the moment you go to bed.
Maximize the most of your time in the sack with one overnight sleeping mask!
The overnight sleeping mask will revitalize your skin every night, leaving it plump the next day. Hello, glowing skin!
10. Do a Steam Massage
Skip the hot baths and jump straight into the shower!
Let your face feel a temperature difference with a hot steam massage.
You’ll jump out hydrated, content, and with better skin!
Before You Try Some Skincare Hacks from South Korea...
#1 Remember That Your Mileage May Vary
While you can stick with a consistent beauty philosophy, there are times that even the most comprehensive Korean skincare won’t work.
While Korean beauty routines can start off with 10+ steps, this can be TOO MUCH for you.
You have to figure out what methods can work for you specifically.
How do you do that? We have some skincare routine tips:
- Start with the basics. Have the building blocks: cleanse, moisturize, and exfoliate.
- Do skin patches. Test out the product on your skin first for 24 hours!
- Visit a dermatologist. Skin clinics can give you better tricks than guessing what beauty hacks will work.
#2 Check Your Skin Type First
The three general skin types are dry, oily, and combination. Everyone has a type and must choose Korean beauty methods that’ll help them out!
You can only tell what type you have according to your experience.
For example:
- Dry skin might need more hydration.
- Oily skin may take an interest in balancing oil production and sebum.
- Combination skin may need various Korean hacks to accommodate dry patches.
You might want to check out other skincare routines as well!
#3 Nourish Your Body from the Inside-Out
ALWAYS remember to eat for nutrition, NOT FOR SOLELY TASTE.
This is a known fact in Korean beauty news: too much sugar and salt content in your food can cause breakouts!
- Eat your fill of fruits and vegetables.
- Keep fried foods at the bare minimum.
- Get into the tea culture of Korea and drink that barley tea along with other nutritious mixtures!
To Sum Up Korean Beauty Culture and Tips...
Koreans have a knack for figuring out impeccable skin care habits that’ll make you stand out.
The Korean beauty philosophy truly is a godsend for today’s skincare enthusiasts.
The best part has come: Try each aspect and see how many can work for you.
You can never have too many ways to keep skin healthy.
These beauty hacks also aren’t just good for women, but also for men! Korean skincare for men is just as effective and nourishing as it is for women.
We hope we helped you out!
Take the step to have clear skin and a better glow today. Radiant skin is coming!
CHANGELOG:
August 10, 2021 – Updated formatting and content
July 14, 2021 – Reviewed and updated article links
