1. Cleanse your skin every night before bed
Your mama told you to do it, but you really should start doing it every night. Not only does the nightly cleanse remove the grimy build-up of the day, but it allows your skin the opportunity to breathe and repair itself. A nightly washing helps to prevent clogged pores, product-induced breakouts, and raccoon eyes in the morning. If you are not sure what to cleanse with check find out here.
I know we all have had evenings where we were too tired, too tipsy, or too randy to properly wash our face. So here is a pro-tip to accomodate these “events”– keep a ziplock baggie filled with baby wipes in your night stand. Simply wipe off (gently) your makeup, and throw away the wipe. Please do not do this every night–it should be saved for “emergencies” only.
2. Edit your cosmetics and skin care products
Two times a year you should be editing your skin care products and your cosmetics, for two reasons:
- Safety (contamination, bacteria formation, etc.)
- Reduced effectiveness
I know this will be very hard for some, but it really is important. What I mean by “editing” is to look at every single skin care/cosmetic product you have, and get rid of anything that meets the following guidelines:
Throw out:
- Any product that has expired according the the expiration date–(Safety Issue)
- Any product that is one or more years old–even if un-opened–(Safety & Efficacy Issue)
- Any eye product that has been opened for longer than six months–(Safety)
- Any product in a jar, that you have put your finger into (even once), and that is older than one month (Safety)
- Any product or cosmetic that you have had for 6 months, and never used. (Trust me, you are not going to use it)
3. Clean your makeup brushes
Let’s be honest, when was the last time you cleaned your makeup brushes? If you answered anything other than “last week,” you are past due. Makeup brushes can hold bacteria deep within the brush, not to mention product build up, and general grime. This compromises the health of your skin, and it can destroy your brushes. Here is the easiest way to take care of your skin’s health and the longevity of your brushes.
- Fill a glass with warm water, and let your brushes soak for five minutes.
- Take one brush out, and pour a small amount of baby shampoo in your hand. Swish the brush around in the shampoo, and work it all the way through the bristles.
- Rinse with cool water.
- Repeat as many times as necessary.
- Use paper towel to absorb excess moisture from the bristles, but do not rub.
- Using your hands, shape the damp bristles into the original shape of the brush, an leave them standing up to dry (bristles up)
4. Go to your Dermatologist
I don’t know about you, but January is what I call my “tune-up” month. This is the month I schedule my first dental appointment of the year, my OBGYN, and my car service, etc. It is also the first of two dermatology check ups I do each year. I live in Southern California, and pretty much live in the sun. Although sunscreen is my religion, it wasn’t always. I rely on my Dermatologist to look at every square inch of me to make sure something scary isn’t lurking.
According to the National Cancer Institute, Between 40 and 50 percent of Americans who live to age 65 will have skin cancer at least once. This should scare the hell out of you, and send you running to your Dermatologist. If you don’t have one, the Skin Cancer Foundation has a “Physician Finder” to help you out. Please don’t wait, early detection is what it is all about!
5. Wear sunscreen everyday
Period. Make this part of your morning shower routine. As soon as you dry off, apply sunscreen to your body skin. Just do it–it won’t take any time, and it may save your life. Be sure do a little extra application to behind the neck (even with long hair), on the feet, and any other area that is likely to see even a smidgen of UV light during the day. As for your face, chest, neck and ears, do these areas as part of your regular skin care, or cosmetic routine, using an SPF of at least 30, everyday.
6. Introduce a weekly at-home facial to your routine
Take one evening a week, a do this mini-facial routine. Your skin will thrive–just be sure to use products made for your skin type/condition.
- Steam: Boil a pot of water, and pour into your sink (plugged). Stand over the bowl with a towel over your head to tent-in the steam, for five minutes. DO NOT put your face too close to the steam.
- Cleanse: Cleanse your face two times in a row, 1 minute per cleanse. Rinse with warm water.
- Exfoliate: Apply an enzyme-based exfoliant, and leave it on as per the manufacturer’s instructions. Rinse with warm water.
- Massage: Using a light-weight oil, like sweet almond oil, pour a few drops into your hands, and gently massage in upward motions for five minutes. Soak a wash cloth in warm water, and us it to gently remove any residual oil from your skin.
- Masque: Apply a masque all over the face and neck (avoiding the eyes and mouth). Leave on as per the manufacturer’s instructions. Rinse with warm water, and pat face and neck dry.
- Spritz a light misting of toner all over face.
- Apply a hydrating serum all over while face is still damp from the toner.
- Apply a night time moisturizer on face an neck (avoid eyes)
- Apply eye cream with your ring finger just under the eyes, and to the sides
- Go to sleep
7. Add a retinoid to your daily routine
If you are over 35 years old, you really should consider incorporating a retinoid product into your daily routine. Retinoids are vitamin A derivatives that are approved for over the counter use to actively fight age spots, fine lines, wrinkles, and keep your skin tone even.
Retinoids are gentle powerhouses, however they are not for everyone. If you are still worshipping the sun, or tanning booth, DO NOT use retinoids. Retinoids increase sensitivity to UV rays, and sun damage. Also, I personally do not recommend retinoid usage for my pregnant, or nursing clients.
Two products that I highly recommend with Retinoids are: Skinceutical’s Retinol 0.5, and RoC MultiCorrection Skin Renewing Serum.
8. Drink more water
Water consumption and absorption helps every system in the the body work more efficiently, including the integumentary system (the organ network that includes skin). If you want happy skin cells, lay the foundation by using solid skin care practices, and drink lots of water.
9. Give yourself a weekly body scrub
This seems like a delicious and indulgent treat after a long week of work, but it’s great for your physiology too! Sloughing off dead skin cells allows oxygen to penetrate more easily making your skin cells healthier–better able to support your skin, and ward off disease. Try out this homemade Sweet Coffee and Sugar Body Scrub recipe and routine.
10. Invest in a humidifier
Would you like to improve your skin’s appearance and combat dry skin over night? Forget your partner, sleep with a humidifier (or be sweet and share). A humidifier should be a part of everyone’s skin care arsenal, even if it is only needed in the tough season’s like Winter and Summer when heating and air conditioning can be drying. The humidifier helps to plump your epidermal cells giving your skin a healthier look, and feel. As our bodies age, our skin becomes drier due to a complicated series of events, and cellular breakdowns. A humidifier will not “cure” that, but will do much to alleviate the environmental situations that create dry skin. Quiet, small, even desk-sized humidifiers can be found at most drug, or hardware stores.
11. Use an eye cream everyday
Few skin care products are more controversial then eye cream. Many skin care professionals swear by it, others scoff at it. Here is my take.
The skin under your eye is not exactly the same as the rest of your face, it requires special care. This skin is much thinner, which means it has less structural support underneath. Additionally, the eye area tends to be sensitive, and less tolerant of many ingredients that make your other products work beautifully. Products that are formulated for this special area of skin are generally milled more precisely making the individual molecules that make up the product smaller, and more gently/easily absorbed. For these reasons, and the results I see around my own eyes, I swear by specialized eye creams.
12. Invest in professional facial at least three or four times a year
Yes, I heard you gasp. If you are still looking at skin care as a function of “beauty,” as opposed to skin health, then this tip might seem shocking or over indulgent. However, if you know that taking care of your skin is an important piece in your overall health care, then you may understand the importance of regular, professional skin maintenance.
During a professional treatment, your skin therapist will perform all the functions mentioned above under the “at-home facial” tip, and then some. During a professional treatment you can expect your skin therapist to evaluate the current condition of your skin, come up with a treatment protocol/plan using professional grade products, and recommendations for at home care. It is not uncommon for your therapist to do extractions to unclog pores, or use a chemical peel/microdermabrasion to resurface rough skin. But most importantly, your skin care therapist may be the first one to notice something on your skin that may affect your health. He or she cannot “diagnose” you, but can offer encouragement to “get that spot checked.”
There is so much of our own bodies that we do not look at on a daily basis–even on our faces we may not see, or feel that there is anything is wrong. Sometimes it takes the trained eye of a skin care professional to help you “see” what you cannot.
Thank you
Thank you for reading through this very long post. If you regularly read my blog, welcome back! If you are new to Personal Skin Solutions, and like what I have to say, I invite you to “Like” my Facebook page. Not only will you join an interesting community of skin lovers, but you will also receive my free report “The 5 Obstacles to Great Looking Skin.”
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