It’s always difficult establishing a solid skincare routine, especially in college. Our sleep cycles and diets are completely unpredictable, and our skin hates us for it. This is why these 5 tips will hopefully help! We all want perfectly glowing skin, so try following these steps and I’m sure you’ll see results!
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Take off your makeup!
This is definitely something you hear all the time, but it’s true. At the end of a long day, the last thing I want to do is to get up and take my makeup off, but I have ALWAYS regretted it when I skip this step. I wake up feeling particularly gross and I can feel a breakout on its way. If we don’t take our makeup off, dirt and residue build up on our face, which is not what we need or want.
If you are the type of person who finds it nearly impossible to get up and wash your face, an easy tip is to keep makeup wipes by your bed! Even though this isn’t as great as washing your face and doing your whole night routine, it’s better than nothing! Ideally, you take your makeup off, wash your face, brush your teeth, moisturize, etc., but I get it…sometimes you are just too tired to do the whole routine and that’s ok! Just if you can find the ounce of energy to quickly wipe off your face, you’ll thank yourself in the morning.
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Find products that work for you (i.e. your go-to facemask)
Everyone is different, so different products work for different people. It’s important to find things that work for your skin. I’m madly in love with Sephora’s sheet masks and I see results instantly, but friends prefer GlamGlow masks. My Drunk Elephant Vitamin C serum does wonders for my skin, but my friends hate the feeling of putting oil on their face. We are all different and that’s ok. It can be frustrating trying to find your perfect product, but it can also be fun! Try different serums, moisturizers, and masks. Follow and watch different skincare influencers and read reviews. It can be really interesting learning about what each product does and why it may work for your skin!
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Exfoliate, exfoliate, exfoliate!
There is a fine line between exfoliating too much and too little. Introducing exfoliation into your routine is a really good step because it A. takes all of the grossness and dead skin off of your face B. it tells your body to regenerate collagen and basically help your skin out. However, scrubbing too hard, especially around the eyes, is not what we want. This will cancel out all of the benefits of exfoliating in the first place! Scrubbing too hard will strip your skin of all of the good oils that we want to keep and can lead to wrinkles later down the road. We always want to be careful with our skin, so you have to find the happy medium for exfoliating.
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We all need water the morning after a fun night, but so does your skin!
I am a HUGE believer in moisturizer. For one, I’m prone to dry skin and there is no better feeling than covering my entire body in lotion. Secondly, our body needs water to survive, so clearly our skin needs it too! Giving your skin this moisture protects it throughout the day and locks in all of the good stuff that we want to keep around.
Especially during the winter months, my skin turns into a desert, so I have to be extremely careful about keeping my skin moisturized. What I typically do in the morning is wash my face, immediately apply my moisturizer and then put my makeup on. This not only keeps my face feelings hydrated all day, but I sort of think of it as a barrier between my skin and the makeup. At night, I take my makeup off, wash my face, and then moisturize. This way all of the oils and nutrients that I want to soak in overnight get locked in by my moisturizer. Everyone will have a different routine, but I find this works the best for me and my dry skin!
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We all love the occasional binge on MickeyD’s Annie’s Mac & Cheese, but diet impacts your skin!
This isn’t new information – your diet matters. Our body requires nutrients and greens to function properly. Whenever we find ourselves binging on some deliciously greasy food, we probably don’t feel great the next day. After my occasional McFlurry, I feel bloated, tired, and just gross. If my body feels like this, my skin definitely feels it too. Loading our body with junk has a major impact on our skin and many people forget about this.
Foods loaded with Vitamin A and fatty acids should be a staple in your staple. Salmon, broccoli, and almonds all do wonders for your skin. However, sugars and dairy are typically our skin’s worst enemy. Both food groups promote acne, which is definitely not what we want! Try cutting back on the dairy and processed sugars and see how your skin reacts! The worst thing that might happen is that you may miss the occasional McFlurry.