Maintaining your skin’s appearance can often be a costly one especially as you get older and become more conscious of what’s happening to your skin. So with that in mind, how do we spend a little less but still manage to keep our skin looking its best? Here are some cheap ways of doing just that.
Drink More Water
The best things in life are free, and that couldn’t be more accurate when it comes to H2O. Water is great for keeping the body hydrated and doing so can improve the skin’s appearance vastly. We should aim to drink around a liter of water per day and more if we’ve been exercising or drinking alcohol the night before. Drinking water helps flush out and get rid of toxins in the body. Without water, the skin cells don’t function at their best especially as they’re made up of water anyway. So they’ll become dry, flaky and that’ll leave the skin looking dull.
Always Wash Your Face
It’s easy to neglect your face when you’re in the shower or getting changed in the morning. However, it’s important to wash your face every day. Your pores can get clogged up with dirt and other particles from makeup or moisturizers that are used throughout the day, and it’s important these are cleaned away by the time you hit the hay. So whether it’s a full face of makeup or just a bit of sunscreen, always wash your face.
Wear Sunscreen
Sunscreen is an important barrier between your skin and UV rays from the sun. Even on a cloudy day, if the sun is out, it will penetrate through the clouds. Therefore it’s really important to wear a sunscreen with an SPF of around fifteen to twenty underneath your makeup or perhaps using a daily moisturizer or foundation that has SPF in it. Sun damage is one of the most influential causes to your skin that can make it look aged and damaged, so it’s important to protect it as best you can. This also means, spending less to no time on sunbeds. Opt for fake tans instead that doesn’t harm the skin as UV rays can.
Keep Your Bedding Clean & Use Silk
It doesn’t cost anything (other than your utility bill) to keep your bedding clean. Think about how much dirt and oil transfers onto the bedding that you lie on each night. It’s quite a lot when you think about it! So it’s useful to change your bedding regularly to keep it fresh. You should own some pillowcase protectors that you can change and refreshen. They also keep your pillows protected from staining or yellowing from the daily grime in your hair and skin.
Silk is a great material to have on your bedding. Silk is soft and gentle on the skin and because of that it, silk pillowcases can protect your hair from damage and allows you to stay cooler during the night. This also means that you’ll sweat less and sweat is what causes our pores to become clogged up in the first place. A silk eye mask is also recommended as the soft material, doesn’t rub against the skin and is gentle on the eyes but also allows you to get a good night’s sleep. So that means your eyes are less puffy and less baggy underneath.
Have A Good Skincare Routine
A good skincare routine is important and should be implemented as soon as you can. Our skin can go through a lot, as it’s the biggest organ on the body and it’s exposed to the elements. So making sure you have a regular skin care regime is essential. Start out your money by cleaning your face with a cleansing oil. This will get rid of any dirt and oil that’s formed overnight on your skin. Take a hot shower to open up the pores and get exfoliating with some form of body scrub or brush to buff away old skin cells to make way for the new ones.
Use a generous amount of moisturizer on the body and focus your attention on the drier parts of the body. Parts like your elbows and knees are likely to get dry quickly due to the skin being thinner and getting more daily action. Don’t forget to exfoliate your face as it allows a blank canvas for your other skincare products and makeup. You should try and do this a few times a week, perhaps not every day and only use exfoliants that are kind on your skin. Invest in a good daily moisturizer and serum to act as a good barrier between your skin and makeup.
When you wind down for the evening, you should have the same routine but have a night cream that aids your skin’s repairing during sleep.
Clean And Change Makeup Brushes Occasionally
A lot of us may avoid cleaning our makeup brushes because it takes time that some of us don’t have. But it’s very important we do so because the amount of bacteria that can build upon our brushes is certainly worrying, especially when we’re reapplying it back onto our skin. So it’s worth cleaning makeup brushes every few days or at least once a week. This can be done using soap and water, shampoo is also a good alternative as that lathers, and deep cleans the brush hairs.
It’s also good to change your makeup brushes and sponges occasionally. Sometimes, regular usage can end up damaging or wearing out the applicator, making it unusable. So change your tools when needed.
Use At Home Treatments
With so many beauty products and procedures out there, there are more treatments that you can do from the comfort of your own home. Skin tightening treatments you can do at home are becoming more and more popular. A few at home remedies include:
- Coconut oil is a great antioxidant that is popular in the beauty community and used in a variety of ways. It hydrates and moisturizes your skin which prevents sagging. Opt for coconut oil or products that have a high concentration of oil in it and massage into the skin before bed. Leaving this oil on overnight will work alongside your body’s recovery and repair.
- A coffee scrub can wake up the skin just like your morning coffee does. Coffee contains antioxidants that slow the signs of skin aging. Using it as an all over body scrub mixed with other ingredients like cinnamon, brown sugar and coconut oil, exfoliates and firms your skin.
- Epsom salt soaks have long been used to reduce swelling in the feet, and ankles and is a popular thing to add into the bath after a particularly hard session at the gym. Epsom salt pulls excess water from the body and that tightens and improves circulation, which all helps to prevent sagging skin.
Keep A Balanced Diet
It’s important that you recognize what’s going into your body. Therefore a balanced diet is key to maintaining healthy skin. Too much bad food can cause dulling of the skin, so get lots of fruit and vegetables into your diet. Cut out as much junk food as possible and reduce your alcohol intake when you can. Exercise regularly so that your skin has the best chance to keep fit and healthy.
Looking after your skin doesn’t have to come with a hefty price tag. A lot of skincare is cheap and cheerful, with some not even costing a penny. So give these a go and see what difference it can make to the skin.
These are some really great tips….I personally believe that what you eat plays a major role in skincare!
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I always look forward to your write ups about skin care regime and suggestions…great write up !
Using silk to sleep on is not only good for skin but it also helps to keep hair soft and healthy. You have written great tips here.
A very informative and basic essentials of skin care !