Skin is the body’s largest organ. Keeping your skin healthy is an essential component of leading a healthy life. Keeping skin healthy also makes us look younger, which can boost confidence.
However, so much skin advice can be challenging to sift what doesn’t work with what does. And caring for the skin is very personal, so what might work for someone else won’t work for you.
Have a Skin Care Routine
A skincare routine is a fundamental part of caring for your skin. It should include a gentle cleanser, serums, and moisturizers. And you can add a toner if your skin needs it.
Keeping your skin clean and locking in moisture are essential to keep skin healthy and clean, two significant components of skin health.
Morning and Night Routines Are Different
Your morning and night routines have different goals, so you should vary. In the morning, you should focus on preventative measures to protect your skin during harsh days.
At night you should have a routine that focuses on restoration. Nighttime is when you’ll you toners, cleansers, and other products that focus on repairing skin and restoring balance.
Your nighttime routine should include a cleanser, whatever products you want, and then moisturizer to top it all off. Just rinsing your face with a simple cloth and lukewarm water is enough in the morning. Then add some moisturizer to keep the skin moist during the day.
Exfoliates, Masks, and Other Products
You should only use exfoliates, masks, and other irritating products once or twice a week. While they can help solve specific issues, too many of these products will throw your skin off balance and irritate it, causing breakouts and other skin issues.
Use the Right Products
Skincare is confusing. So many ingredients, so much industry jargon, and so many options. However, not all products are created equal, and chances are there’s one product in your skincare lineup that’s doing you more harm than good.
Dry, Oily, Normal, Combination, or Sensitive?
Start by learning your skin type. There are five types of skin, dry, oily, normal, combination, and sensitive. Dry skin needs extra moisture, oily skin doesn’t, and a combination has oily and dry parts.
Sensitive skin is when your skin becomes itchy, irritated, or tingly after using products, and has unique products just for that type. Test out a few products on your skin in an inconspicuous area to see if it’s sensitive.
To find if you have oily, dry, or combination, clean your face. Wait thirty minutes for your face to replenish its oils. Then take a tissue and rub different parts of it on your face. Hold it up to the light.
If it’s transparent, you have oily skin. If it’s not, you have dry skin. If parts of it are transparent, you have combination skin. Knowing your skin type and picking products with ingredients will help you find the best way to care for your face.
Read Ingredient Lists and Match Your Skin Type
Different products match different skin types. If you have oily skin, you’ll want to use a foaming cleanser with a light lotion moisturizer. For dry skin, you’ll wish to use a cream-based cleanser and moisturizer and use all of these products on different face parts for combination skin.
Sensitive skin should test products before using them to ensure they won’t cause a reaction. Look for products that advertise for sensitive skin, and check the labels for any harsh chemicals.
Use Sunscreen Everyday
The number one reason for aging skin is sunlight. The sun’s harsh UV rays hit the skin and damage it, and that damage stacks up over time. It causes wrinkles, dark spots, skin cancer, and other problems.
So the most crucial part of caring for your skin is sun protection. Try to get a moisturizer with at least 30SPF to prevent sunlight from damaging skin during the day, and always apply sunscreen to exposed skin 30 minutes before sun exposure.
Reapply every two hours, more if you’re sweating or getting wet. You should apply sunscreen when it’s cloudy or cold because the sun’s rays still reach you and damage your skin.
Be Gentle With Your Face
The skin on your face, neck, and chest is sensitive. Scrubbing too hard, applying harsh chemicals, and rubbing will cause irritation and skin issues like acne. So only buy gentle products on the skin, and gently cleanse the face and neck with your fingertips to prevent irritation.
Similarly, you should change the washcloths you use on your face daily, wash your pillowcases once a week, and don’t touch your face unless necessary. The last one, in particular, can be a bad habit to break, but you’ll be surprised how much healthier your skin looks once you stop.
Lead a Healthy Lifestyle
Skincare is just one part of a healthy lifestyle. Eating right, getting plenty of sleep, exercising, and reducing stress can significantly affect skin health.
For example, daily exercise helps circulation, which is vital to skin health—increasing blood flow to your face results in a better overall complexion.
Eat Fruit and Veggies
Fruits and veggies are packed with vitamins that improve skin health. Vitamin C, beta-carotene, Vitamin E, selenium, and carotenoids are all antioxidants that help prevent skin from aging.
Avoid sugary and high-fat foods, as these will cause your face to go out of whack and cause acne.
Don’t Shirk Beauty Sleep
There’s a reason it’s called “beauty sleep,” after all. Sleep is when the body restores and rejuvenates itself, which goes for your skin and the rest of your body. This is when your skin takes in vitamins and minerals and attempts to restore balance after a long and stressful day.
You can help by adding valuable products to your nighttime routine, like retinol, creams, and oils. As long as it helps get your skin back in balance for another day tomorrow.
Less Stress, More Fun
Stress is a significant contributing factor to breakouts and acne. Too much stress harms your entire body. Time to unwind, relax, and enjoy enjoyable activities is integral to a balanced life.
If you’re having trouble getting through day-to-day, have problems with pain, or have stomach issues, stress may be the cause. Take time to destress daily, and contact your primary care doctor if it becomes overwhelming.
The Secret to Healthy Skin: A Healthy Life
Being healthy isn’t easy. Most of us struggle with it daily, and life is full of other responsibilities. Often health falls by the wayside as we work to keep up with it all. But the key to getting healthy skin is to lead a healthy lifestyle. Eat healthy foods, get plenty of sleep and exercise, and manage stress well.
Understanding your skin type and how to care for it will give you bright, glowing skin that will be with you for years.
