7 SIMPLE TIPS FOR HEALTHY SKIN AT EVERY AGE
Learn how to work with your skin to keep it happy and healthy - no matter what season you're in. These are seven of our favorite skincare rituals that help keep skin plump, healthy, and vibrant at all ages.
1. Get to know your skin
The first (and most important) part of any skincare ritual is taking the time to get to know your skin and what it needs. Guides are great, but following somebody else’s perfect routine will only get you so far. Is your skin oily? Is it sensitive? When does your skin look the best? What makes your skin breakout? It can be easy to get overwhelmed by products and tutorials, but remember - even if you’re a skincare novice, nobody knows your skin as well as you do.
2. Create a ritual
Rituals aren’t just items to check off a to-do list. Rituals are regularly-practiced habits and activities that ground us, fulfill us, and energize us. Rituals take into consideration how you want to feel instead of only want you need to accomplish. A skincare ritual might mean giving yourself a short facial massage as you apply eye cream to reduce inflammation, or it could mean putting on your favorite music every morning as you get ready for work to set the tone for your day. It should feel like a part of the day that you look forward to - not a chore. Skincare rituals allow us to be proactive with skincare instead of reactive, so that you can focus on keeping your skin happy and healthy for years to come.
3. If it's not good for your body, it's not good for your skin
When we talk about taking care of our bodies it’s often in terms of fitness or nutrition and skincare is often placed separately in the “beauty” category. But skincare relates directly to the body… our skin is our largest organ! Because our skin is such a large, sensitive organ, it also can be an excellent indicator of what’s going on in the body. When we’re sick, our skin looks pale and dull. When we’re well-rested and relaxed, our skin looks plump and vibrant.
A good rule of thumb is; if it’s not good for your body, it’s not good for your skin. High stress, lack of sleep, lots of processed foods, and dehydrating drinks (like alcohol or caffeine) have as much of an impact on your skin as your body and overall mood. Just like everything, find a balanced approach that best supports your needs.
4. Stay hydrated
When your skin is dehydrated it can get inflamed, flaky, and red. Staying properly hydrated helps your skin look smooth and soft, reducing the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines. Hydrated skin also has a better chance of staying healthy, as it’s better equipped to fight of free-radicals and other irritants. Hydration is also key for healthy aging skin, because as we age our oil glands become less active, which dehydrates our skin. This is why you might feel like your skin is dehydrated even if your habits and water intake haven’t changed.
In addition to drinking lots of water throughout the day, a rich moisturizer like Suzi’s Botanical Night Cream will help trap water against the skin overnight, pumping up crevices and wrinkles.
5. Wash your face correctly
Washing your face is the foundation of a great skincare routine - and most of us are already doing it every day! The only problem? You might be doing this very simple, basic human routine incorrectly. The satisfaction of a squeaky clean face is so alluring that you may unknowingly be causing things like inflammation and redness to worsen. Common examples of over-zealous face washing are: exfoliating too much and/or too abrasively, being too rough with our skin, or drying down with scratchy towels.
You can still get a deep, satisfying clean with a gentler approach. Aim for exfoliating 3-4 times a month. When washing your face, try to massage your skin instead of pulling or rubbing. Gently dab skin to dry with a soft towel instead of rubbing or wiping. And don’t forget to wash your neck with your face wash, too!
6. Be gentle
When a blemish pops up, the first instinct is to figure out how to tackle it at every angle as soon as possible. As anybody whose ever picked a pimple into oblivion knows… this usually makes things worse. Give sensitive skin time to breath. Touch your face in soft, gentle motions. Avoid scrubbing or exfoliating sensitive areas and consider shifting your products as needed. In terms of soothing irritated skin, less is often more.
7. Use night time to your advantage
At the end of a long day it can be tempting to skip washing your face and fall asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow, but sleep is the perfect time for your skin to do the deep work it needs to regenerate new cells. When you go to sleep with makeup on, your skin care experience tiny micro abrasions as you rest, which contribute to lines and wrinkles overtime. By washing your face before bed, you remove any potential irritants, while also prepping skin for overnight repair. Sleep is the perfect time to lock in hydration using powerful creams (like our Botanical Night Cream) that help skin moisturize and heal overnight. And of course, always go to bed hydrated with a cozy cup of tea or a small glass of water after you brush your teeth.
