The skin needs care and attention to keep flawless-looking. Merely washing it or spreading a blob of lotion across the body isn’t enough. How to nurture the skin? Here are 10 rules each of us should follow.
1. Intensely moisturize your skin every single day.
Over 75% of the human body is made from water. That is why the skin needs a moisture boost every single day – it loses water constantly. Therefore, it really pays to use moisturizing serum, creams and lotions rich in substances like hyaluronic acid, urea, honey or aloe, which are natural ingredients transporting water to innermost layers of skin.
2. Use sun protection all year round.
UV poses a lot of threats to our skin. It speeds up the aging process by damaging collagen and elastin fibers responsible for keeping the skin elastic and plump. That’s why sunblock is a must, not just in summer, though. The sunlight is equally destructive for our skin in the spring, fall and winter.
3. If possible, take a shower, not a bath.
A fun fact is that a shower is more skin-friendly than a bath. Dehydration is very likely to appear when you take a long bath, especially when the water is hot. So, if you need a bath, use lukewarm water and don’t stay too long. Ideally, stick to showers.
4. Choose mild washing products.
Speaking of showers, we need to pick suitable products. The skin doesn’t like harsh detergents which leave it irritated and parched, causing damage to its hydro-lipid mantle. Gentle soaps and washes free from substances like SLS are much better. The milder, the better.
5. Gently towel-dry, don’t rub.
After a shower, remember to dry the skin the right way. Again, being gentle pays off. Rubbing too hard may end up in irritations and speed up loss of moisture while gentle towel-drying is good for the skin.
6. Protect the skin against the bite in the winter.
When does the skin lose precious water? Also in the winter when the temperature drops and it’s really frosty. We need to secure the skin to keep irritations and dryness at bay. So, warm clothes don’t only keep you warm and prevent catching a cold but they also help care for the skin.
7. Eat a healthy, balanced diet.
The idea that a healthy diet is a part of skin care is starting to catch on. It’s a good thing because what we eat affects our good looks. Five portions of veggies per day sounds like some cheap marketing slogan but they are really a source of precious vitamins and minerals for the skin.
8. Drink more water and less other drinks.
We could write an essay on beneficial effect of water on the skin health. Apart from applying moisturizing products we need to drink sufficient amounts of water. Minimum of two liters per day is the base to be healthy and make the skin look its best.
9. Essential on your skin care to-do list: get enough sleep.
If we don’t get enough sleep, there are no products or treatments that will fix our skin. How long you sleep isn’t the only thing to consider, though. The quality of your sleep matters as well. If you have problems with falling asleep, frequent awakenings or shallow sleep, it’s a signal to start looking for the causes. It’s good to improve your sleep to get better skin.
10. Give up on smoking and other bad habits.
Cherry on top: giving up on cigarettes, drinking little alcohol and ditching other bad habits. No matter which one we talk about, each one causes damage to the skin. Smoker’s skin suffers a lot, getting sallow, dull and dry. This speeds up aging, which isn’t what you want, right?
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