Skin care tips your future self will thank you for

Skin care is very important and it’s necessary to develop a regime that you follow religiously, at least if you want your skin to thank you in the future. Even if you do not have problematic skin, you have to follow a certain skin care routine. Most of the times, when you have acne prone skin, while it could be genetic, it could also be due to lifestyle choices. Perhaps you’re skimping on necessary skin care steps that you should not and we are here to remind you on what you need to do for good skin. The first step is to find out your skin type because that way, you will be able to cater to the needs of your skin accordingly. That being said, here are habits you must adopt if you want to achieve good skin.

1. Never sleep with makeup on.

It’s really tempting after a night out to sort of just doze off. But, your future self will thank you for adopting the habit of taking off your makeup every night before you sleep. More often than not, makeup contains harsh chemicals that may be bad for your skin and not just that, makeup clogs your pores and your skin needs to breathe. So, ladies, take off that makeup if you want to have good skin.

Removing makeup (courtesy) Removing makeup (courtesy) Pulse Live Kenya

2. Double cleanse, always!

In the event you are not aware, you definitely need to cleanse your skin twice a day; in the morning and evening. While a majority of us cleanse just once, well, actually, we are supposed to cleanse twice just to make sure that all the excess oil, dirt and grim that our skin collected throughout the day is cleaned out. When cleansing, do it gently instead of vigorously and do not forget the neck – always treat the neck as though it’s a part of your face. Oh btw, remember to use luke warm water to rinse your face because very hot water may leave your skin extremely dry and that’s something you want to avoid.

3. Do not forget to tone.

Tone? What the hell is that? What do I need a toner for? Ladies, a toner should be part of your daily skin care routine and should be used twice a day; in the morning and evening. Not only does a toner help remove the excess dirt that may have remained on your skin after cleansing, but it also helps tighten your pores while restoring its pH. Try and go for toners that are alcohol-free so that your skin is not left completely dry and moisture deprived. For beginners, you can use organic apple cider vinegar (with the mother) as a toner and it works perfectly.

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Also read: Beauty hacks you need to start following ASAP if you have oily skin

4. Moisturizing is a must!

Once you tone, you must moisturize your skin, without forgetting the neck. Moisturize gently with the tip of your fingers, doing so in circular upward motions because? Gravity. You don’t want to drag your skin downwards because you’re trying to delay the appearance of wrinkles as much as possible. Truth of the matter is, you cannot avoid wrinkles (unless through surgery) as growing old is inevitable but what you can do is delay their appearance and anyone who knows a thing or two about skin care will confidently tell you that if you want your wrinkles to start appearing early, skimp on moisturizer. It’s very important not to forget your neck because that’s the first part of the body that actually tells away your age. The neck is very prone to wrinkling and you have to take equal care of it.

Model applying facial moisturizer ece-auto-gen

5. Sunscreen must not be forgotten.

You may choose to have a moisturizer with SPF and if not, always apply sunscreen to block away the harmful rays of the sun. Contrary to popular belief, even with all the melanin, yes indeed, black people do need sunscreen. This is especially important for people who spend a lot of time under the sun – not only will applying sunscreen prevent skin cancer, but also prevent premature aging and wrinkling.

Woman applying sunscreen (Courtesy) ece-auto-gen

6. Adopt ‘once in a while’ beauty routines…

These include exfoliating, to remove dead skin so that your skin can be able to take in products with ease, clay masks are especially perfect for people with oily skin as they help draw out excess oil, dirt and open up pores, face steaming, as well as DIY face masks using natural products like plain natural yogurt, honey, turmeric etc. There are a tone of face masks out there that cater to different skin types that you can try out. Some face masks help restore moisture to your skin and leave it soft, supple and rejuvenated. These routines can be done weekly or even once in a month. Think of it as giving your skin a 'spa treatment'.

Face mask(eaglemedia) Face mask Pulse Live Kenya

7. Other daily habits to adopt.

Get enough sleep. It’s very important to ensure that you’re getting at least 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep as this really comes in handy to ensure your health is in check and good health subsequently leads to good skin. And speaking of health, do ensure that you’re eating healthily as technically, you are what you eat – junk in, junk out. Incorporate healthy fruits and vegetables in your diet and your skin will thank you for it. Do not forget to hydrate – take at least 8 glasses of water on a daily. Water helps flush out toxins that may be the culprits behind your pimples and zits and not only that, water also keeps you and your skin hydrated.

Drinking water helps get rid of toxins in the body ece-auto-gen

8. Do not forget to clean your makeup brushes.

You cannot do all the above then go on to use dirty brushes. These brushes collect a lot of dirt, excess makeup, oil and dirt from your skin so you need to wash them every once in a while, to prevent transferring bacteria that could cause breakouts on your skin. And speaking of bacteria, do not touch your face with dirty hands; always wash and disinfect your hands to make sure they’re germ free before you apply products on your face.

Set of make-up brushes ece-auto-gen

9. Have a separate face cloth and towel for your face.

You definitely do not want to use the same towel you use to wash your dirty body and feet, on your face. Have a separate one for your face and another one too to dry the face. Do ensure that you soak these towels with disinfectant every once in a while because damp towels are major carriers of bacteria and so they should be disinfected and changed at least weekly.

10. Do not ignore the pillowcase.

If you’re the kind that uses the same pillowcase and sheets for one month straight, well, I wouldn’t be surprised if you constantly have skin breakouts. Your pillowcase collects a lot of dirt from your hair and skin and you need to change it often to ensure that all the cleansing and moisturizing you are doing is not for nothing. If you have long hair, always tie it up when sleeping so that it doesn’t come into contact with your skin, this is simply because hair has a lot of dirt from the dust and excess oils and grease.

Pillows(yelp) Bedtime mistakes that are bad for skin Pulse Live Kenya

Bonus:

Avoid using bathing soap to clean your face because it will completely dry out your face and remove the good oils as well as moisture. Do not poke the pimples, this may lead to permanent scars – instead, try and manage them using dermatologically tested creams or DIYs that work.

If you do all the above, I do not see why you should have skin problems!