8 Tips to Improve Your Overall Skin Health
Calling everyone who wants beautiful, youthful skin!
Whether you want to proactively fight premature aging and pigmentation, or you want to stop current acne or wrinkles in their tracks, I’ve compiled an ultimate guide of necessities for optimum skin health.
Get ready to step up your beauty routine, and see results.
1. Cleanse Daily
It’s a common misconception that cleansing our faces is only needed when we wear makeup. False: our skin is constantly bombarded with pollution, toxins and debris, which needs to be removed at the end of each day. A gentle cleanser is vital to remove all the dirt and sweat from our skin before it clogs our sebaceous glands, causing acne and blackheads.
2. Refresh your Skin with a Toner
Our skin naturally ranges from 4.5-5.5 on the pH scale, making our integumentary system slightly acidic. Many products, such as soap, are alkaline in nature which disrupts the balance of our acidic skin. Toner rebalances the pH of the skin, creating harmony and preventing the overproduction of oil, which is the skin’s natural defense against alkalinity. Toner also minimizes pores and protects against mineral buildup from tap water.
3. Moisturize, Moisturize, Moisturize
I always tell my clients, if you do nothing else to your skin, moisturize! Even for those with oily skin, an oil-free moisturizer is essential in preventing break-outs. Most skincare products contain drying ingredients to prevent acne and to cleanse, but can have harsh effects on the skin. Rehydrating with a moisturizer creates a layer of protection and prevents low-grade chronic inflammation that leads to the breakdown of collagen. Moisturizing daily can eliminate accelerated ageing. Need I say more?
4. Remove Build-up
Whether through manual or chemical exfoliation, removing dead cells from the surface of your skin helps with brightening and lightening. Unpolished skin can look dull, cloudy and causes breakouts. Our skin naturally sheds dead skin cells, but they can sometimes stick to the skin, which can clog pores. Exfoliating once a week helps to minimize scarring and pigmentation, and keeps the natural process of exfoliating going, which slows as we age.m
5. Hydrate Inside and Out
Drinking plentiful water throughout the day, paired with a good moisturizer, keeps the skin from drying out. When your skin is hydrated, it remains plump, elastic and resilient. Keeping a healthy balance of water-to-oil on the surface of your skin also prevents blemishes and irritation. Dark circles under the eyes can be minimized just from drinking the recommended 8 glasses of water a day. Eating healthy and exercising ensures you have all the nutrients you need, and helps to tone the skin.
6. Include the Neck and Decollete in Your Routine
Fighting against ageing not only includes taking care of your face, but also your jaw line, neck and chest. Afterall, these areas (along with the hands) will give away your age even with a youthful appearing face. Don’t forget to use your products on all of these areas, always moving in an upward motion!
7. Don’t Skip the Lips
Ever feel like chapstick doesn’t help your dry, cracked lips? Smothering them in lip balm won’t solve your problem because these products are occlusive, but are not hydrating. When putting on your moisturizer, apply also to your lips to hydrate, then cover your lips in lip balm to form an occlusive barrier to help lock in moisture. Gently exfoliating (especially in the winter) can also help to remove dead skin build-up for softer lips.
8. Take Care in the Sun
We all know the sun can be our worst enemy when it comes to early aging and hyperpigmentation, but is virtually unavoidable. Wearing sunscreen, using a hat, and finding shade in the part of the day when the sun’s UV rays are the strongest can minimize sun damage to the skin. Many foundations now include SPF due to a high demand for sun protection.
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