Following up from our most recent blog ‘Skincare Habits to Break’, I’m back again to give you some ‘Healthy Skincare Habits’ to help you in your journey to healthier skin.
It’s never too late to establish healthy skin habits, and we’re here to help you get started.
Always Wear Sunscreen
Whatever the weather or season, sunscreen is a must! You may not realise but our skin is exposed to different rays, not just the ones omitted by the big yellow ball in the sky!
The most obvious is indeed UBA rays from the sun, these rays can cause your skin to tan, however not protecting your skin can lead to wrinkles and possibly skin cancer if you’re not careful. The other place you may not realise you are being affected by rays are those that can be found coming from the screens of your smartphone, tablets and computers which is a lot of blue light, so it is important to protect your skin from these harmful UV rays too.
Limit the Time Spent on Your Phone
If you find you are using your phone more than you’d like to, there is an app that I can really recommend to help you minimise your screen time. It is called Flora. Basically, you set a length of time as to how long you need/want to be productive for, and then you close your phone off, and while you’re off your phone, you are ‘planting a tree’. If you go onto your phone your ‘tree dies’, so your little garden will have dead trees. This is an app I find really helpful because I don’t like to kill my trees, so I have no choice other than to not go on my phone.
Get Enough Sleep
This is one for those who actually can get enough sleep – so sorry to all those who are parents to a young child! People don’t realise but sleep is so important to us and our bodies and getting enough of it has such a positive effect on everything from brain functioning and heart health to emotional well-being. Good sleep comes with so many more positives such as alertness, reducing stress, and even improving your memory. I know how hard it is to stop scrolling on your phone in bed, but you’ll thank yourself for it in 9 hours’ time when you wake up!
Switch Skincare Products With Seasons
Although your skin never changes, your skin type can, so for example, my skin can get really dry in the colder months but can change to being pretty normal during the warm months, so I tend to use a lighter moisturiser between the months of around April to September and switch to something a little heavier from October to March. However, if you don’t find that your skin type changes much, there’s no need to switch your routine up if you don’t need too. (We make it easier for you every season - check out our Spring & Summer Skincare Essential Blogs!)
Ditch the Face Wipes
Having an effective cleansing routine that helps your skin get rid of dirt, impurities, and grime that has built up throughout the day is the foundation to any good skincare routine. I have used face wipes for 22 years, and it wasn’t until around 3 months when I bought some micellar water, rose water toner, and some cotton wool pads.
There are a few reasons for this change,, not only are wipes bad for the environment, but also, I was starting to realise that makeup wipes just take the top layer of your makeup off, so I started to feel like my skin wasn’t properly clean. Switching to micellar water makes me feel much fresher and like my pores are actually being cleaned. Also, having sensitive skin I found that some brands made my skin irritated. If you haven’t tried micellar water, I would 100% recommend it, it has actually changed my skin care routine.
Remember Your Neck, Chest and Hands
I’m not going to name names, however I do know a few older people whose face looks young, but their hands give their age away – this actually happened, sorry dad! It’s super important to remember that it’s not just your face that needs TLC, because that’s not the only place damage and aging can occur. When you’re trying out anti-aging products, extend them to your neck and chest, and always use sunscreen on these areas too. When it comes to your hands, with a good, rich hand cream that leaves your hand feeling conditioned.
Improving your skin in these ways will only work when you are consistent with it. So ultimately, the best tip I can give you is…Consistency is KEY!
