7 Essential Habits for Perfect Skin
Getting the skin of your dreams can be as easy as creating the right beauty habits. After all, habits are the small decisions that we make every day that end up having a big difference over time. You don’t need to start them all at once, but we’re sure that just incorporating a few into your beauty routine will make a difference. Here’s 7 essential habits you can start for perfect skin.
1. Cleansing Your Skin Properly
First and foremost is cleansing your skin. Washing your face is important for two crucial reasons; first, it ensures that any grime and makeup from the day is washed away from your skin, ensuring it doesn’t even get the chance to cause breakouts or irritate the skin.
Second, ensuring that your skin is perfectly clean makes sure that your skin can take advantage of all the amazing ingredients packed into the rest of your skincare!
Cleansing your skin properly involves double cleansing - the method of using an oil cleanser or micellar water to remove any makeup before getting any last traces off with a cleanser that's perfect for your skin type.
That's right, the actual cleanser you use matters, too! An overly drying or stripping cleanser could lead to dehydrated, sensitive, and peeling skin - the opposite of what we're trying to go for.
Pro tip: check if your current cleanser is right for you by taking note of how your skin feels right after cleansing. If immediately feels dry, tight, or itchy, (or even all three) that's a sign it's not quite right for you.
Foreo Micro Foam Cleanser | $55
Designed to be used with Foreo Luna Cleansing Brushes, this sulphate-free facial cleanser is perfect for all skin types.
2. Using a Skincare Tool to Boost Your Routine
If you can’t get to the spa or beauty therapist’s office as often as you like, bring spa technology into your home. When it comes to beauty gadgets such as LED therapy or dermal rolling at home, using it on a consistent basis is just as important as the technology itself!
How often should that be, exactly? It depends on the device - but a great rule of thumb is once a week if it’s something like a derma roller or LED mask. For manual tools like gua sha tools or facial rollers, using them as part of your nightly skincare routine is a great way to massage your skin, encouraging lymphatic drainage for gorgeous skin.
Foreo UFO | $289
Bring the power of LED light therapy home with the Foreo UFO - stimulate collagen production and reduce inflammation for radiant, youthful skin.
3. Using the Right Actives for Your Skin Type
This one is tricky but really pays off once you get it right. When it comes down to it, everyone’s skin is different - which is why an ingredient that’s amazing for one skin type might not be so great for another.
Getting to know your skin (and which active ingredients are best for it) might start with a quick skincare quiz to determine your skin type, and from there working out which ingredients are the best for your skin.
For example, oily skin with a combination of salicylic acid, but might not find peptides effective or even necessary. On the other hand, niacinamide is an active that works well with pretty much every single skin type and is beneficial for almost all skin concerns - so it’s something that anyone can happily add to their routine!
SK-II R.N.A. Power Radical New Age Essence | $270
This serum from SK-II combines Pitera with the power of Niacinamide, an active that fits in every skincare routine!
4. Ensuring Your Skin Is Moisturised Enough
Many of us often underestimate the importance of just keeping our skin moisturised - especially those of us with oily skin. The truth is, keeping skin moisturised is what ensures it’s working as it should! When skin lacks enough hydration and moisture, the natural acid mantle doesn’t work as well - the part of our skin that helps to keep moisture in and external irritants out.
By ensuring skin is healthy and moisturised, you do two things: first, you keep this precious part of your skin healthy and functioning. Second, you ensure that your skincare isn’t going to waste. Your skin can’t take advantage of amazing ingredients like retinol and peptides if it’s too busy doing damage control with a damaged moisture barrier!
Declaré Probiotic Skin Solution Multi Regeneration Cream | $149
A rich, moisturising cream that helps to fortify your moisture barrier with the power of probiotic ingredients and natural plant oils.
5. Protecting Your Skin from the Sun
Wearing SPF daily might be second nature to many of you already - but if not, it’s a major one that you should start ASAP! Excessive UV exposure is one of the most common and most damaging factors that cause premature wrinkle formation, uneven skin tone, and collagen breakdown.
And that’s not even mentioning the risk of skin cancer! When it comes to how your skin looks, wearing sunscreen every day is an easy way to prevent issues from popping up in the long run - and saves you a whole lot of stress when it comes to your skin.
This habit is extra-important if you use skincare that causes photosensitivity - in other words, if you use products with ingredients such as AHAs and Retinol. These ingredients can leave your skin more vulnerable than normal to damage from UV rays, so it’s crucial to wear sunscreen daily and a hat if you’ll be spending any time in the sun.
La Mer The Reparative Skin Tint SPF30 | $179
Get two-in-one sun protection and skin perfecting with this skin tint from La Mer.
6. Exfoliating Regularly
How to get glowing skin happens pretty quickly once you start exfoliating! The benefits of exfoliating include sweeping away any lingering dead skin cells that are dulling your skin’s radiance or causing breakouts. Over longer periods of time, some chemical exfoliants are also able to boost collagen production and fade the appearance of skin imperfections such as acne scars and dark spots.
The best thing about it is you don’t need to exfoliate super frequently to get the benefits - what matters more is sticking to a regular routine, aka creating a habit. Our tip? Start with exfoliating just once a week to see what difference it makes for your skin. You’d be surprised at how much of a difference it can make!
La Prairie Cellular Mineral Face Exfoliator | $215
Formulated with crushed natural minerals to gently buff away dead skin cells and reveal radiant skin.
7. Getting Enough Beauty Sleep
The truth is, sleep affects our skin more than we think - did you know that sleep deprivation is linked to issues such as dehydration and skin irritation? Our skin is influenced by what’s called our natural circadian rhythm. It’s our internal clock that tells us when to sleep and also tells our cells what to do when we are asleep.
It’s a fact that at night time, our skin does most of its healing and regeneration from the day’s exposure. Skin also tends to dry out faster at night, which is why night creams tend to have heavier, richer textures.
If we don’t get enough sleep, telltale signs show on our skin - dullness, unexplained breakouts, and of course, dark circles. So make sure to get your 8 hours of beauty sleep every night for glowing skin!
Declaré 5 Secrets Night Cream | $149
This night cream from Declaré uses the power of relaxing lavender and soothing chamomile to prepare your skin (and you!) for a good night's sleep.
Implement these 7 essential habits for glowing skin today and experience the difference. Looking for the right products for your skin? Try our Skin Quiz!
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