Leave bad skin care habits behind you and have a great skin care routine

Bad Habit #1 You Pick at Your Skin

We admit it is very difficult to keep your hands off blackheads, whiteheads and pimples. They aren’t wanted on your face and squeezing them seems like a quick fix, except that the damage you’re doing to your skin is probably worse than having the blemish to begin with. Picking at your skin and the damage that comes with it can stay visible on your skin far longer than if you decided to just leave the blemish there. Acne scars can form and those can take weeks, if not months, to correct. Additionally, if your fingers are not clean you could be pushing germs and grease onto your skin, only making your breakouts worse. The simple solution is to keep your hands off your face.

Bad Habit #2 You Don’t Cleanse Your Skin in the Evening

Sometimes when you’re really tired after a long day, going to the bathroom to wash your face, remove your make up, then moisturize is just too much. However annoying it is, you should take off your make up. If you don’t, you’ll go to sleep with clogged pores, oil, and dead skin cells on your face, all of which can lead to blemishes and prevent surface cell turnover. This almost guarantees that you won’t wake up with glowing skin.

Make things easy for yourself by finding a super easy way to cleanse. Use micellar water or cleansing wipes designed for your skin type. With micellar water, a few swipes across your face with a cotton pad will remove all traces of makeup, dirt, and oil that might have formed on your face. Micellar water is filled with micelles which are water-soluble oil particles that attract oil and dirt particles like a magnet. It will seep your skin of any sebum or oil particles while being gentle. If your skin is very oily you can clean your face with a wipe specially formulated for oily skin. It will refresh your skin and you won’t go to sleep with a “dirty” face.

Bad Habit #3 You Smoke

You already know that smoking is bad and can cause major health issues. It can also wreak havoc on your skin because it deprives your skin of nutrients, can give you uneven skin tone, and can cause your skin to sag. Use this new year to quit your bad habitUnless you are smoke-free you are compromising your skin’s health and subjecting it to damage.

Bad Habit #4 You Drink Too Much

Alcohol is omnipresent in many social situations and while a glass of wine here and there is probably okay, , hitting the bottle excessively can make skin look less than picture perfect. Excessive alcohol can dehydrate your skin and robs it of necessary nutrients and electrolytes. It’s best to stay hydrated with water and if you are having a night out with lots of drinking, try to sneak in a glass of water in between drinks.

Bad Habit # 5 You don’t exercise regularly

You might be thinking, “what does exercise have to do with my skin care routine?” The answer is, a lot! Most people think of exercise as something that only benefits their body/physique but it can be beneficial for your skin. Exercise rigorously means you are going to sweat. When you sweat your pores open up and expel dirt and oil. Just make sure to cleanse after your sweat session because your perspiration and dead skin cells can be a breeding ground for blemishes. Read our pre- and post-gym skin care guide here.

Bad Habit # 6 You don’t use SPF every day

SPF is incredibly important. So important in fact, that you need to make it a part of everyday routine. Even when it’s snowing outside you should be wearing at least SPF 15 or higher. Why? Because sun exposure is by far the biggest factor in prematurely aging skin. Don’t let the sun cause damage to you skin in the form of sun spots, fine lines, and sagging skin. The easiest way to always wear SPF is to use a daily moisturizer or BB cream that includes sun protection in it. Just apply after cleansing in the morning and you’re good to go!

Bad Habit # 7 You’re exfoliating too much/too little

Exfoliation helps get rid of dead skin cells on the surface of your skin and allows products to work effectively. Make sure to exfoliate at least once a week either with a product that has gentle fruit acids. Avoid exfoliating too often as this can irritate your skin and make it break out more often, especially with very hard granular products that use sand or crystals.

Bad Habit # 8 You haven’t made antioxidants a part of your life

Antioxidants are a good way to help keep your body and skin healthy. Consuming them in foods and appling them topically on your skin can be beneficial. Look for Vitamin C, Vitamin E, green tea and retinol (Vitamin A) to use in the form of serums, cleansers and moisturizers. When it comes to food, leafy greens, citrus fruits and berries are full of antioxidants.

Now that we’ve established what habits need changing or removing from your life we can move on to how you can take care of your skin to make it look flawless. Here’s a simple skin care routine that you can follow every day for healthy-looking skin.

Your Perfect Skin Care Routine

Step One: Get Rid of The Grime

Remember we mentioned this before? You should cleanse your face before you go to sleep. The good news is that there are a variety of options to choose from; you can go full cleanser and water, use a cleansing milk, or if you want to make things really easy use a micellar water, which doesn’t have to be rinsed off the skin. Here’s the lowdown on the best cleansing method for your skin type:

Normal Skin
Use lukewarm water and a gentle face cleanser to massage off dirt and oil that has accumulated on your face throughout the day. Once you’ve gotten rid of build-up, your skin is cleansed and primed for the rest of your routine.

Oily Skin
Your night nighttime skin care routine can really make or break whether or not your skin will look oily the next day. By cleansing your skin regularly you can regulate oil production and also reduce the appearance of large pores. Make sure to use a cleanser that can remove all the impurities. We recommend a blackhead eliminating scrub such as Garnier SkinActive’s Clean+ Pore Purifying 2-in-1 Cleanser with charcoal for a deep clean.

Dry Skin
Use a gentle cleanser to optimize your skin’s natural barrier; don’t use anything too harsh as it will make your skin even drier.

Sensitive Skin
Fragrances and alcohol can make your skin flare up. Use a milky, non-comodegenic cleanser specifically formulated for sensitive skin.

All skin types should cleanse both in the morning and at night.

Step Two: Hydrate or Tone

This next step plays a huge role in the effectiveness of your nighttime skin care routine as it can address specific skin issues unique to your skin.

Normal Skin, You likely still have a skin issue you would like to hone in on such as fine lines or minimizing pores. Make sure to find a mask that can work overnight to address these.

Oily Skin
Now is the time to use a product with pro-retinol which will help manage oil production on your skin.

Dry Skin
You can lock in extra hydration onto your skin by using a moisturizing serum or sleeping mask. This is like a glass of water for your skin and the absorption will leave your complexion glowing.

Sensitive Skin

While retinoids work wonders for most other skin types it can have a negative reaction on sensitive skin. Instead reach for Vitamin C which has antioxidant properties but won’t irritate your skin.

Step Three: Hydrate and moisturize your Skin

Normal Skin
Choose a nighttime moisturizer with retinol, peptides or Vitamins A and/or C.

Oily Skin
You may or may not want to use a very light moisturizer depending on how oily your skin appears after applying pro-retinol.

Dry Skin
Depending on how rich your serum or mask was in the prior step, you can stop at step two. If you feel like your skin needsadditional moisture use a light, nighttime moisturizer on top of the serum or mask.

Sensitive Skin

The moisture of a mask is your ally to help fight against flakiness and dryness. Make sure to apply one a few times per week.

Step Four: Take Care of Your Eyes

The key to looking fresh in the morning might be waking up bright-eyed. Try to incorporate eye care into your nighttime beauty routine as the skin around the eyes is very delicate. Use a cream or gel to make sure this delicate area stays supple and hydrated.

And there you have it, the perfect nighttime skincare routine. Make sure to get your skin ready before you hit the sack and you will wake up with your skin looking perfect. Also make sure to catch 7-8 hours of sleep to feel and look well-rested when you wake up!