Your skin plays a very important role in your life. Not only can clear, beautiful skin make you look and feel great, but your skin is also an indicator of your health! Although the skin is the largest organ in the human body, it is often neglected or mistreated. Even from a young age, my mom taught me how important it was to care for your skin.
Now, you may be thinking—”I’m a busy mom! I don’t have time for a beauty routine!” Well, guess what? Taking care of your skin doesn’t have to add 30 minutes to your already exhausting day! The tips I’m about to share with you can be done in FIVE minutes, twice a day. So tell me…can you spare 10 extra minutes a day to look and feel better about yourself?
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#1 Wash your face twice a day
You may already do this, but washing your face twice a day is very important for good skin. I love to use a mild cleanser in the morning to wash away all of the magical skincare elixirs from the night before. Washing your face in the morning is also a great way to wake yourself up and get some blood flowing to those rosy cheeks!
Now, washing your face at night is even MORE important. During the day, your skin is exposed to (and soaks up) various bacteria and toxins that you’re probably not even aware of.
Washing your face at night allows you to remove these toxins and bacteria from your skin. If you’re a daily makeup wearer, like me, then I highly suggest using a mild exfoliant at night time. I love the deep clean feeling I get from the slight scrubbing of the St. Ives Apricot Scrub.
If you feel that using an exfoliant every night is too rough on your skin, then keep the exfoliating to once or twice a week and stick with a mild cleanser for nightly use—just make sure you use something at night!
#2 Moisturize, Day and Night!
Moisturizing your skin is so important! It will help to keep it hydrated, smooth, and help keep those wrinkles at bay!
Be sure to moisturize right after washing your face with lukewarm water, which will help your skin absorb the product better.
Do you really need a separate cream for day and night? That’s up to you. Many “day creams” contain an SPF—a VITAL ingredient in your daily moisturizer (see next skincare rule). For this reason, it’s often easier to just get separate creams for morning and evening use. However, if you don’t feel the need to buy two creams, make sure you use an SPF of at least 30 under your daily moisturizer if it does not contain one.
#3 Use SPF Daily!
“But I work inside and it’s Winter! I don’t need sunscreen!”—WRONG! Your skin (especially the sensitive skin on your face) is still exposed to UV rays, even if it’s only for a few minutes a day. Make sure it’s protected daily by always wearing SPF in your moisturizer.
If you’re going to be outside for a decent amount of time, make sure to take extra precautions, such as wearing a hat and wearing a sunscreen with a higher SPF. Reapply that sunscreen when needed and those wrinkles won’t stand a chance!
#4 Take Your Makeup Off—Every. Single. Night!
Ladies, I get it. You’ve been non-stop since 5 A.M. You’re tired. You need sleep. You feel like you’ve run a marathon. Forget the washcloth tonight—you’ll take off your makeup in the morning…NO. YOU. WILL. NOT!
Sleeping in your makeup can be tempting at times, but trust me, it is TERRIBLE for you!
As a former college girl who went to plenty of parties, I have committed this skincare sin more than I would like to admit. However, I can honestly say that taking off my makeup every night is something I have gotten extremely good at.
Leaving your makeup on at night will leave you susceptible to skin and eye infections (pimples and pink eye, anyone?).
Leaving your makeup on can also dry your skin out and cause premature wrinkles. Not to mention, if you left your makeup on, that means you didn’t wash your face or moisturize, thus breaking Skincare Bible Rules #1 and #2!
But you’re not going to do that anymore, because you want to be healthy and look FAB-U-LOUS! To take off my makeup, I have used Neutrogena Makeup Removing Wipes. I love this brand (one particular item I do not find to be equivalent in generic brands) because they are gentle enough on my contact-wearing eyes.
However, if you do not like the idea of makeup wipes (or want to be a little more earth-friendly), I recently discovered the Face Halo, which is a round, washcloth-like disk that promises to remove even the toughest of makeup with just water. Amazingly, it does! I am hooked! You can throw them in the washing machine and they claim to last for 200 washes! You can pick up a 3 pack here.
#5 Drink plenty of water
Water makes up the majority of our cell structure, and skin cells are no different! Making sure you drink enough water each day allows our body’s organs to function properly, including the skin.
Make sure you are getting at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water each day to keep your skin plump and hydrated.
#6 Vitamins
Make sure you’re getting a variety of vitamins by eating plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables each day. While getting the majority of your vitamins through your diet is usually recommended, you can supplement with a daily multi-vitamin too, just to make sure your skin is getting all of the nourishment it needs to look and function properly.
#7 It’s Not Just Your Face! Don’t Forget About Your Body!
It’s important to not only take care of the skin on your face, but your body too! Make sure to moisturize your body daily. A great time to do this is right when you get out of the shower, as your skin is most absorbent at this time.
You are a warrior, Momma! I know you’re busy and tired. You get out there and kill it each day and you are AWESOME! Sometimes the idea of adding something else to your routine can be daunting, but just remember to always make time to take care of YOU!
Would you leave the house without brushing your teeth? (Okay, I meant on purpose…’cause come on, I know we’ve all been there). If you take the extra 10 minutes a day (5 in the morning and 5 at night) to add these simple steps to your skincare routine it will become a habit and you will do it without thinking about it. I promise you will look and feel better!
Stay on track with your skincare routine by downloading my FREE Weekly Skincare Checklist! Just enter your email in the form below to be on your way to better skin!
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