Glowing, youthful skin isn’t just a product of genetics: your diet and skin care routine play a huge role in reducing breakouts and preventing skin damage.
Here are some important tips to keep in mind while designing your skin care routine:
Always use sunscreen. The easiest way to prevent skin cancer, slow down aging, and keep your skin looking youthful? Sunscreen! There are so many varieties of sunscreen and moisturizers with built-in SPF, which means there are zero excuses when it comes to protecting your skin from the sun. Just like brushing your teeth, putting on sunscreen or moisturizers with SPF protection should be an automatic part of your daily rituals. You’ll thank us later!
You are what you eat… and drink. If you eat greasy foods, you’re on your way to greasy skin. Even a night of heavy drinking can reveal itself in the quality of your skin. The best medicine to a bad diet binge? Drink some green juice with spices like turmeric and ginger to help cleanse your system, and get back on a healthy diet, ASAP. Make sure you’re eating plenty of fruits and veggies to reap the benefits of plant-based vitamins and nutrients. While certain fruits and veggies have different skin-related benefits, try and eat a wide variety to cover your bases and make sure you’re getting all the nutrients your body needs.
Breaking out? Swap out your make-up. Are you over-using foundation or another product? Are you applying makeup with your fingers instead of brushes? Swap-out products and re-examine your beauty routine in order to help mitigate breakouts. If you need to, phase out all your make-up temporarily until your skin clears up, then re-introduce products slowly to figure out what’s irritating your skin.
Hydrate all day, every day. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! That glow comes from a healthy, well-hydrated body, so make sure you are drinking plenty of water, especially after a workout. If you consume a lot of caffeine and alcohol, be sure to balance that out with a lot of water intake.
Find the skincare products that work best for your skin. It may take some trial and error, but finding the right skincare products for your skin is key. Pinpoint the problems you’re having with your skin, and then test out different products, eliminating those that don’t work or cause you to break out. A hydrating clay mask may work wonders for one skin type, while an exfoliating scrub may be the right answer for someone else.
Never sleep (or workout!) with your makeup on. Clogged pores are unhappy pores — make sure to take off ALL your makeup before a sweat sesh or before getting some shut-eye. Let your skin breathe!
Sweat every day. Exercise flushes free radicals and other cellular debris from your system, and it also helps to prevent stress and improve blood flow. All of this contributes to healthy skin and fewer breakouts, so get out there and go work out!
Healthy skin takes some time and effort, but once you’ve got your routine on lock, your skin will thank you!
