Over the years, I have gathered some helpful tips when it comes to caring for your skin. These tips and tricks are things I do myself and although some of them aren't groundbreaking, it might require you to switch up how you do things, even if it is just a little! I have also collated some information on anti-ageing at the end, so be sure to give that a read!
1. Pat don't rub
Our skin is quite fragile and sometimes it's the things we don't consider that might be irritating your skin. After washing your face, it's common to get a towel to rub off all the excess water. However this is quite aggressive on your skin, so I would propose that you pat the towel onto your skin as it will get rid of the water in a more gentle way.
Similarly, when applying products into the skin, such as serums and eye-creams, rubbing the products on the skin is just going to aggravate the skin and sometimes you end up rubbing the product off or the product ends up going in the wrong place. I'm also not going to say that rubbing your skin will cause wrinkles, but you are decreasing the elasticity of the skin by doing this. Again, I would propose pressing serums and eye creams onto the desired areas, so that they can absorb nicely in those areas.
2. Wash, Wash, Wash
I wash my face twice a day and that suits me well. Everyone is different when it comes to how much they should wash their face and that's just fine. This point is more about how well you might be washing your face. After I have cleansed my face and I am rinsing my skin of the products, I will rinse my face at least 5-10 times with water. This seems excessive however if you only rinse your face once or twice trying to get the excess face wash off, then chances are that you probably haven't got rid of the product fully which means that you might still have makeup/dirt/face wash on your face and you are applying more skincare products on top of this. If you think your face is clean of any products, it's probably best you rinse another time to be sure.
3. Less is more
I can fully say that this is my weakness. When I was first interested in skincare, I was trying everything from cleansing brushes, acids, toners and retinols - chopping and changing so often that my own skin couldn't keep up.
Now, I'm a firm believer in a fixed routine that has minimal products, I'm aware that I might still apply more products than the average person but this is my current minimum:
Morning: Exfoliate and cleanse. Follow up with a serum, moisturiser, lip-balm, eye-cream and SPF.
Evening: Oil cleanser (to remove makeup), exfoliate and cleanse. Follow up with serum, moisturiser, lip-balm and eye-cream.
Morning: Exfoliate and cleanse. Follow up with a serum, moisturiser, lip-balm, eye-cream and SPF.
Evening: Oil cleanser (to remove makeup), exfoliate and cleanse. Follow up with serum, moisturiser, lip-balm and eye-cream.
4. If it ain't broke...
Like the previous point, it's easy to go overboard with skincare and end up causing damage rather than helping your skin. If you do really want a product, then ask yourself whether there is a skin concern that you want to address and if the product you want will fulfil this. It's easy to get carried away with adverts claiming to be the holy grail of products but sometimes it's good to look at why what you are already using is currently working. Chances are that there is no added benefits about the product you wanted to buy, however I do understand buying something if it will help with a specific skin concern or other factors such as price and accessibility.
5. Anti-ageing / SPF
Anti-ageing can only be achieved through preventative measures. If you are over 25, I would start thinking about what you can do to help your skin retain it's moisture and elasticity. Skincare can't fix everything - lifestyle factors play a part too, drinking enough water, getting enough sleep, drinking, smoking - no amount of money you spend on a product can fully reverse a lifestyle that has spanned over decades. However there are 3 products/ingredients that are known to be truly anti-ageing, I will talk about them each below.
5.1. SPF: It's widely known that UVA rays can cause signs of skin ageing such as wrinkles, and no matter whether it's an overcast day those rays are still there. I am a big believer in applying SPF everyday regardless of the weather.
5.2. Retinols: A derivative of Vitamin A, Retinols and Retinoids are known for increasing the cell turnover in the skin, which means that skin acts in the same way as it did when you are younger, helping signs of ageing such as wrinkles, uneven skin-tone, elasticity and even things like acne and shrinking the size of pores. Although this sounds ideal, Retinols can be irritating on the skin so be careful before trying any and be informed about the percentage that you are using as this determines the strength and potency of the product. Check out Caroline Hirons blog and YouTube for more in-depth information about Retinols from an expert.
5.3. Niacinamide: AKA Vitamin B3 is an ingredient that I don't think most people are aware of. Another proven anti-ageing ingredient that can reduce fine lines and wrinkles with prolonged use and can clinically reduce pore size and skin texture. If you are interested, it's worth researching this before purchasing- I use The Ordinary's Niacinamide and Zinc 10%. Again, it's worth paying attention to the percentages of the product.
I could go on forever talking about those three ingredients, so if you are interested in them then be sure to let me know and I can do more of an in-depth post about them. As a bit of a disclaimer, I am not a dermatologist or a skin expert, I just like to stay up to date with the latest ingredients and do tend to research them before sharing them with other people. I would advise anyone to also do their own research before purchasing a product too.
I hope this post has been helpful, let me know if you do have any questions, and will be happy answer them or direct you in the right direction! If you would like to read more posts then be sure to follow me on Bloglovin to stay up to date!
