5 Ways to Improve Your Skin Care Routine

Many are surprised when I tell them that I am in my 50’s.  Although we can all improve our self-care, one thing that I have been consistent about is my skin care routine.  And it’s never too early or too late to start. When I was a teenager, an older woman told me to be sure to use a face cream every day.  In my early twenties, another told me to be sure to moisturize my neck as well.  And yet another added, don’t forget your décolletage.

🤍 Over the years, many of you have asked which products I use and recommend. This post contains some of my affiliate links for “making every day the best day” while cooking, entertaining and living life.  If you buy something through one of those links, you won’t pay a penny more, but I’ll get a small commission which helps keep the lights on. Thanks!

Perhaps you have dry skin, oily skin or combination skin.  Some more serious situations call for going to a dermatologist or skin care salon to speak with a skin care specialist who can do a complete analysis.  

Here are my top five tips for all skin types to make your skin glow.

1. Skin Care Starts With A Clean Slate

Start your morning fresh by washing your face with a gentle purifying cleanser.  Even before a shower, washing your face removes any result of perspiration or residue that may have accumulated during sleep.  It also helps you wake up and feel more ready to take charge of your day.

2. Create an Oasis for Your Skin

Moisturizing your skin is one of the most important things you can do for your skin health.  And nowadays, there are more specialized products on the market than ever before. It’s worth the time and attention to do a little research and find a moisturizer with many positive reviews, whether online or by asking friends what skin care products they love.  

Choose a moisturizer with SPF.  Even many makeup companies have recognized the importance of daily SPF use and have incorporated sun protection into their makeup.  It’s also important to choose a moisturizer made specifically for your skin’s particular needs.  If you have oily or sensitive skin, be sure to choose accordingly.

Another important factor is to choose a moisturizer that doesn’t clog pores.  Think of your skin’s pores as little helpers that get rid of sweat and natural oils that your skin releases.  When we aren’t careful to clean our face and neck properly each day, our pores can get clogged.  Adding moistuizer on top of clogged pores not only clogs them further, but doesn’t allow the moisturizer to do its job since it can’t penetrate the skin deeply.  It’s important to be especially careful of areas that tend to get neglected, such as between the eyebrows and around the nostrils. A good toner and exfoliator can also help.   

Aside from choosing the best daytime face cream within your budget, using an eye cream can also be very beneficial.  The skin around the eyes is more delicate than the skin on the rest of your face.  For this reason, eye creams are made without ingredients that can irritate, such as fragrances and are made with lesser amounts of retinol.

                       

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3. Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate

This can not be said enough.  Hydrating is one of the best things you can do for your body.  Every morning, even before my coffee, I drink a cup of water.  And no, I am usually not in the mood nor do I have “a taste” to drink water.  But it has become a habit and now I do it without too much thought.  Do you want to know what helped me make drinking water first thing in the morning a daily ritual?  It began with a daily visualization as I drank.  

Have you ever had a houseplant that didn’t seem like it was going to make it?  Perhaps you had gone on vacation or just forgot about it, and it was dry, limp and withered. Then, by what seemed like a miracle after one watering, the plant suddenly has been brought back to life, standing erect and full of shine!  Well, one day I realized that was exactly how my skin felt.  So as I drink that cup of water each morning, I would visualize my skin and my body being rejuvenated and energized by the water. And it works………literally!

But keeping your skin hydrated doesn’t only depend on your water intake.  It also depends on your sun intake.  Whether direct or indirect exposure, the sun can be your friend or your foe.  Here too, a little research goes a long way.  It’s important to understand how much sun and which rays are beneficial.  And learning about how sunlight affects cholesterol to produce vitamin D is quite fascinating. 

There is also much to learn about how we can, not only help our skin from the outside, but also from the inside.  Various nutrients can help our skin.  There is an interesting correlation between vitamin c and our bodies natural collagen production.  Collagen is a protein that is found naturally in our skin and that supports connective tissue.  Our connective tissue is crucial to our body health in that it supports and protects our body tissue and organs. Foods rich in vitamin C also offer our bodies help in increasing its hyaluronic acid, its natural form of lubrication. A better understanding of how our amazing bodies work will encourage you to take better care of yourself and help you be your body’s protector.  

                       

4. Finish Off Strong!

An evening skin care regimen can be considered just as important as your morning skin care routine. I often say, “A great day starts the night before.”  You work hard all day and so does your skin. To see the best results from your daytime efforts, I can’t emphasize enough how crucial it is to go to bed with a clean and moisturized face. Adding a soothing lip balm and moisturizing your hands before bed is a quick action that will make you feel luxurious and accomplished before you doze off from a day spent mostly taking care of others.

                       

5. Recovery Mode is Real for Skin Care

Two of the best things you can do for your anti aging skin care is to get adequate amounts of sleep and exercise.  Your skin is working hard by day to protect itself from the elements.  Help your skin recover and your skin’s cells rejuevnate during the night while you sleep.  

Use these precious hours at rest to help your skin cells as your body’s blood flow increases during sleep. I mentioned how helpful it is to moisturize before bed as well as during the start of your day.  You can use the same cream you use during your morning skin care routine, but there are night face creams with added ingredients to help your skin restore and renew its elasticity while you sleep. 

With a little research you can choose the skin care products that are best for you and your budget.  Although nature will take its course, we can and should do our best to take care of ourselves.  These simple self care practices will help us live more mindfully.  And the added benefits will not only be skin so soft and reduced wrinkles, but an increase in positive thinking and healthy emotions that emanate from proper self care and lower stress levels.

As it is taught, a physical body protects the soul, so do your best to keep your body in good shape by starting with improving your skin health!

What can you start doing for yourself today to improve your skin care routine? Let me know in the comments below. I can’t wait to see what you wrote!