The best anti-aging sidekick lies in your daily skincare routine. It's not just about genetics, it's about your daily habits. Your skincare now will contribute to your beautiful and healthy skin even 30 years from now!
You may wonder where to start on your journey to a consistent skincare routine. The first step is identifying your skin type and which concerns you want to target.
There are four main types of skin: oily, dry, combination, and normal. Common secondary types are defined by skin concerns, such as dehydrated, acne-prone, sensitive, and aged skin. It's important to know your exact skin type. Skin care products that are one size fits all rarely work, and it’s because your skin needs tailored products and solutions. Different skin types and a lot of factors affect our skin health which explains why our skin’s maintenance level is not the same as others. So what your skin needs may be different from the blogger you follow or your best friend's.
For your reference, I will lay out the identifying characteristics to determine your skin type and do a little experiment. Wash your face with your normal cleanser, then wait an hour. Feel your skin and observe any appearance changes, then match your observations to the descriptions below.
OILY: Skin tends to be shiny, with larger pores, while being prone to blackheads and blemishes.
DRY: Skin often has almost invisible pores, feels tight (especially after cleansing), while being prone to flaking, redness, and fine lines.
COMBINATION: Skin is a cross between the dry and oily. Skin tends to be oily in the T-zone and dry everywhere else.
NORMAL: Neither dry nor oily, skin remains well-balanced and feels even in texture.
Once you have discovered your skin type, we can assess your product needs and set up a regime specifically designed to bring the best out of YOUR skin!
So we know your skin type... Now what?!
Let's talk the order of your skincare routine! The main goal in our skin care routine comes down to a few simple things. Keeping our skin looking and feeling its best, preventing further damage to our skin, help repair past superficial damage to our skin, and minimizing irritation to the skin. You should have an AM and a PM routine for optimal results and pristine skin health.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?
Starting with cleanser, a HUGE benefit of facial cleansing is removing oil, dirt, and other unwanted elements on our face. Excessive dirt buildup on the surface of the skin can cause blockages of the pores, which allows bacteria to penetrate causing inflammation, which in turn can cause acne. For best results: cleanse morning, night and after exercising.
After cleansing and removing unwanted elements or makeup on your face, toners provide a healthy, clean base by stabilizing the skin's pH level, making for the skin's optimal absorbtion of the rest of your regimen's products. Toners are sometimes thought of as optional, but shouldn't be, as they are vital to aid with added replenishment to your skin and a balanced starting point.
Serums are typically used to repair and protect to get a younger, healthier looking skin. Sometimes, this step is skipped or seen as more of a luxury. But, pause! Treating the skin is HUGE in effectively addressing your skin problems. A serum is known for its ability to penetrate deeper into the skin layers. Adding to the skin care routine the ability to deliver powerful ingredients directly to the skin.
The biggest beauty tip that we always hear is to moisturize. Regular hydration will better protect your skin against fine line and wrinkle development in general. The purpose of a moisturizer is to prevent the loss of water in the outermost layer of our skin, but it also helps to prevent environmental damage to your skin as it acts as a protective barrier. When your skin is properly moisturized, it is stronger, plumper and more radiant looking. If you have oily skin, you may think it is best to dry your skin out. This is really the worst thing you could do if you want to have balanced, beautiful skin. Instead of drying out the skin, you should aim to balance out your skin’s natural oil production. When you dry out the skin, you trick your skin’s oil producing glands into thinking they need to produce more oil. Religiously applying moisturizer after cleansing will prevent your skin from drying out, keeping it nourished, smooth and hydrated.
SPF is all the rage and last on the daily list. Always use sunscreen during the day, rain or shine! It will protect you from the harmful UV rays of the sun which is the number one cause of wrinkles, uneven skin tone, skin sagging and other signs of skin aging. Read more about the importance of SPF here.
Twice a week you should make sure you are exfoliating your skin. Why? This can be used to help get rid of skin buildup and improve the skin’s texture and appearance. There are two types: physical and chemical exfoliants. Physical or manual exfoliators are the classic face scrubs that contain small particles that buff away the top layer of dead skin cells while chemical exfoliators are compounds that break the bonds of the upper layer of the skin and effectively removes the dull and dead skin that you want to get rid off.
Lastly, the holy grail: a face mask! They are a concentrated, focused treatment that will have your skin feeling refreshed in next to no time. The intensive process gets deep into your pores clearing them of dead skin cells, dirt and oil leaving you with that post-mask glow. If you are prone to oily skin, look for clay-based masks, as these will help draw out excess oils and impurities but also tighten your pores. Dry skin types should look for a mask that focuses on hydration.
Consistency is the key when it comes to skincare. Real results will not show up overnight so be patient and stick to your skincare routine daily. It’s the only way that you will achieve real, visible results!
Comentários