Slugging: a viral skincare trend

What is slugging and how does it work on your skin?

Slugging is a Korean facial skincare technique for people with dry skin. The process consists of applying a layer of Vaseline as the last step in your nighttime routine to seal in hydration. This method helps to keep your skin soft and protected, especially in cold or dry climates. Furthermore, by ensuring deeper moisturising, your skin will have a much brighter look.

Vaseline is an occlusive that prevents transepidermal water loss. Vaseline works by forming a barrier between our skin and the air, while also retaining the moisture of our face. This favours moisturising of the skin, i.e. hydration. If we apply it as the last step in our routine, it will seal in the active ingredients that we have applied previously in our nighttime skincare. 

We need to be a little careful though, because it is not 100% effective for everyone, and it is also incompatible with some other treatments. 

That is the case of retinol, salicylic acid or glycolic acid. Because those active ingredients are more irritant, we need to take special care if they are going to be sealed into our skin with Vaseline. Therefore, they are not compatible and using Vaseline could cause irritation or even mild burns. 

This super-moisturising routine is not recommended for oily skins, sensitive or reactive skins, or when undergoing an outbreak of acne.

Step-by-step guide to effective nighttime slugging

To start the process, the first thing we need to do is:

1. Deep cleanse your skin using the double cleansing technique. 
2. If we want to enhance the slugging effect, we can apply some serum containing hyaluronic acid after cleansing. 
3. We should then use our usual moisturiser, making sure that it does not contain any of irritant active ingredients mentioned previously. 
4. After applying some moisturising cream, we apply the layer of Vaseline all over our face, but avoiding the area around our eyes and lips. Only a small amount is required, since a thin layer is enough to create a protective barrier.
5. Leave it to work and your skin to absorb it before going to bed in order to avoid staining the pillow and wiping the product off. 
6. Rinsing your face as soon as you get up the next day is absolutely essential, before applying your morning beauty routine.