When you realize your skin is looking a little off lately, it can overwhelming to decide what to do about it—especially if you’re new to cleansers and serums and moisturizers. To make it easier for you, we’ve compiled a list of 10 skin care tips that are easy to start and guarantee results.
Start slow—don’t try to fit in all 10 at once. Choose one each week and work your way through the list!
Here’s a bonus tip—don’t forget that the skin on your chest (the decolletage area) is equally as important to care for. Use these skin care ideas there too, or else it might give your try age away!
1. Drink water
Studies show that many people are walking around slightly dehydrated even though they have access to clean water. Water to the human body is like oil to a car—it keeps you in tip top shape. Even slight dehydration can bring down your mood and energy, and your skin will feel dry and deflated. Start drinking more water to hydrate your body and keep your skin happy.
2. Avoid too much alcohol
Alcohol saps your body of water and is often loaded with sugar—a bad combo for your health and your face. After a few drinks you might think, “I look good!” But, your skin says otherwise. Too much alcohol can dry out your skin and exacerbate redness. Cut back the number of drinks you have per week and your body will thank you.
3. Wear sunscreen
I’m sure we’re not the first to tell you how important sunscreen is. It’s true, sunscreen is a skin life-saver. It’s estimated that around 80% of skin damage (like wrinkles and dark spots) is caused by the sun’s UV rays. This is a good thing. It means you have the control to limit your aging by applying sunscreen every morning—even on cloudy days! Don’t forget to apply it to your chest area too, an area that’s often forgotten.
4. Be gentle with your skin
You might be mad at your skin, but that’s no excuse to treat it badly. Hot water, rough towels, and too much touching tugs at your skin and irritates it. Facial skin is more delicate than skin on the other parts of the body, and therefore sensitive to temperature extremes and rough fabrics.
5. Use moisturizer
Everyone can benefit from adding moisturizer to their skincare routine. Even oily skin can benefit from moisture, just be sure to choose a formulation that works with your skin type. Apply before bedtime and wake up to smoother, softer skin.
6. Always wash your makeup off
Women on TV always wake up with perfectly-applied makeup. But, that’s fiction. In reality, sleeping with your makeup on means you’re sleeping with the dirt and sweat of the day, too. And it probably means you aren’t applying any skincare products—but that’s a whole other problem. Your skin needs to breathe and refresh itself during the night and if you don’t wash your face before bed you’re hampering its ability to do so.
7. Be wary of ingredients
Products may claim to heal skin, but if they have irritating ingredients they’ll only harm it. Everybody’s skin reacts differently, so if you find you’re getting clogged pores from a product, review the ingredients for things like silicone or mineral oil (which are a problem for many skin types).
8. Eat well
Just like drinking lots of water gives you healthy skin, ingesting the right foods can, too. Eating lots of fruits and vegetables (and avoiding red meat and too many bad carbs) lends a glow to the skin thanks to antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties.
9. Don’t smoke
You know smoking is bad for you. If the threat of cancer isn’t enough to make you quit, the way smoking affects your skin might be. The constant exposure to cigarette smoke causes free radicals in your skin, which basically means the stuff that makes your skin sag and form wrinkles. Use this as a motivator and take steps to quit!
10. Try retinol
One ingredient that’s been applauded time and time again is retinol. The ingredient is in many products and increases skin cell turnover so your skin is constantly renewing itself. It reduces the wrinkles and dark spots you have now and keeps them from forming in the future. In other words, it’s a miracle product, and you should pick some up now!
Like we mentioned, while you’re taking steps to improve your skin, don’t forget your chest. We’ve made it easy—try our 3 step program (or mix and match!) and see results within weeks!