This is an affiliated post. All opinions expressed are in agreement with my own.
Your skin is the largest organ in your body, but do you look after it as much as you look after other organs? You eat healthily to protect your heart and digestive organs, alongside regular exercise to do the same. However, what are you doing to get healthier skin?
A lot of people don’t even have a skincare routine, which is borderline blasphemy! You need to take some regular steps to make your skin as healthy as can be. Why? Because it will make you feel way more confident in yourself, and it will also help you prevent a variety of common skin conditions that can be really annoying to deal with. Oh, and a good skincare routine should also protect you from certain skin cancers - particularly those caused by UV rays.
Keeping all of that in mind, here are five easy steps to healthier skin in just a few weeks:
Step 1: Understand your skin type
People can have different skin types depending on a range of factors. Primarily, you have four different variations:
Dry skin
Oily skin
Sensitive skin
Normal skin
Dry skin is obviously when your skin doesn’t produce enough natural oils, making it very raw and flaky. You may experience problems like eczema if you have excessively dry skin. Oily skin is the opposite - you’re producing too much oil, so your skin is super greasy and looks very shiny, making you prone to breakouts. Sensitive skin is usually very red and prone to rashes or itchy spots, often getting inflamed easily when you use certain products. Lastly, normal skin is what most people are aiming for; it’s not too red, too oily, or too dry.
Now, you could also have a combination of skin types on your face - some people have oily foreheads and dry cheeks. Regardless, the first step in getting healthier skin is knowing your skin type. Why? Because it dictates what products you should be using. For instance, if you have dry skin, you want to use things that are made for your skin type. Likewise, if you have oily skin, you’ll want to stay away from moisturizers and products that are oil-based.
Step 2: Cleanse your face daily
Cleansing your face is basically another way of saying you need to wash it every day - probably more than once per day. Giving your face a good cleanse will remove dirt and bacteria from it, preventing build-ups that can clog pores and lead to breakouts. It’s important that you cleanse your face daily, but don’t exfoliate that often. Exfoliation is rougher than cleansing, and it can be bad for your skin if you do it too often. You should maybe exfoliate once a week at most for a deeper facial clean.
Of course, be sure you buy a cleanser that suits your skin type. This is particularly important if you have sensitive skin as a lot of cleansers might trigger inflammation and redness. It’s so easy to go online and find cleansers to suit different skin types. If you have really dry skin, it can be better to use an oil cleanser on your face to stop it from drying out even more. Similarly, if you have oily skin, a water-based cleanser is typically recommended.
Cleanse your skin every morning when you wake up, and every evening before going to sleep. It’s super important to cleanse your skin after wearing makeup too. Use a good cleanser to ensure that all of your makeup is removed, and then wash your face again to double-check. Wearing too much makeup or leaving makeup on your face can clog your pores and create all kinds of skin problems.
Step 3: Moisturize immediately after cleansing
Moisturizers are incredibly important when keeping your skin healthy. Essentially, they help your skin retain water and moisture in it, which is very beneficial for many reasons. Primarily, moisturized skin stays younger for longer. If you don’t moisturize, your skin can become excessively dry and this means skin cells shed and you look older. Likewise, if you have oily skin, you might assume that moisturizing is bad for you or unnecessary. On the contrary, not moisturizing oily skin can make it oilier! If you trap moisture in your skin, it can stop the oil glands from becoming overactive, preventing extra oiliness.
The key is to moisturize as soon as you have finished cleansing your skin. Whether this is in the shower or after washing your face, you need to apply a moisturizer. Why? Because waiting for too long will mean the water evaporates from your skin and you lose it. Adding a moisturizer will trap the moisture in, keeping your skin nice and healthy.
Again, you need to buy a moisturizer that suits your skin type. Have a browse online, and you will soon see many brands with products that fit your needs.
Step 4: Apply sunscreen
Yes, even when it’s not sunny!
Sunscreen with a high SPF will be so beneficial for your skin as it protects you from the damaging UV rays of the sun. Constant exposure to these rays can be detrimental to both your skin’s health and your overall wellbeing. When skin gets exposed to UV rays for long periods, it starts to show signs of sun damage. This can be through burning or an excessive tan, but it ends up harming your skin and making you look much older. You’ll start seeing earlier signs of wrinkles than you expected!
Moreover, UV rays can cause cancer. In fact, this is one of the main causes of skin cancer in the world today. If you don’t protect yourself with SPF, you run the risk of increasing your chances of getting this serious disease.
The great news is that a lot of skincare products and makeup products now contain SPF in them. You can also find facial moisturizers that are formulated to be lighter than normal sunscreen, but with a high SPF rating. Generally speaking, SPF 30 is probably the minimum you want to apply.
Step 5: Turn down the heat
Nothing feels better than stepping into a very warm shower. Funnily enough, women are naturally likely to prefer hotter showers than men. If you’ve ever shared a bathroom with a man, you’ll know they always turn the heat down when it’s their turn to shower. You step in and feel like you’ve had ice thrown over you! So, you turn it back up, and then they comment on how it’s like standing in a lava waterfall.
Well, there’s a scientific reason behind this! Women have thinner skin than men, so more heat escapes their bodies. Thus, you feel colder in most situations, hence the need for hot showers. Okay, science lesson over, now back to healthy skin!
Hot water might feel nice, but it’s actually bad for you. The heat can inflame your skin and strip away a lot of its natural oils. In fact, if you regularly take hot showers, the chances are you suffer from dry skin all over your body. If you want healthier skin, it’s time to turn the temperature down and get used to cooler showers. Colder showers are generally more beneficial for your overall health as they can wake you up, make you feel more alert, and don’t damage your skin.
Just like that, you’ve got a five-step routine to help you achieve healthier skin. The best thing is, if you start following these steps, you are going to see improvements in a matter of weeks!
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