Daily Skincare Routine

My mother always taught me to take good care of my skin while I’m young. The best remedy for wrinkles, dark spots, etc is years of prevention. I wanted to share with you my skincare routine and some tips so that you can put your best face forward!

Keep in mind when I talk about my “face” in this post, I am talking about the area from my hairline to my cleavage. It’s important to take as good of care of your neck and chest as you do your face because these areas will show your age faster than anything.

Note: I like to keep my skincare routine pretty simple for the sake of my skin and my wallet. All these products you can get for around or under $10.

Morning Routine:

I start every morning by brushing my teeth. I find that if I brush my teeth after I take care of my skin, the products I put around my lips get washed off.

Wash!

I start by wetting my face with warm (NOT HOT) water a few times to open my pores. Then, I use a small amount of my favorite facewash and start applying in gentle circular motions. This helps to stimulate blood flow in your face. Do this for about a minute, being careful not to tug at your face, especially around the eyes.

Here’s the face wash that I love!

Rinse! 

Begin rinsing your face thoroughly with splashes of water until all the soap has been removed. Be sure not to leave any residue that could cause a reaction.

ACV Time!

This one is smelly, but keep a bottle of apple cider vinegar in your fridge for your skincare routine. With a cotton ball, dab the ACV on any problem areas, acne, or dark spots. This acts as an astringent and helps the overall appearance of skin.

Ice Rinse!

I don’t like to leave the ACV on my skin, so next I rinse my face a few times with SUPER cold water. I especially focus on my eye area to get the blood flowing and to help get rid of those dark circles that come when you’re up with a newborn all night. You can take this a step further by giving yourself an ice facial – basically rubbing ice cubes all over your face to stimulate blood flow.

Pat your skin dry using a clean towel. DO NOT rub your face.

I feel like after this step, I can see a dramatic improvement in my skin.

Moisturize!

Using a light moisturizer, I massage my skin in circular motions. It’s important to moisturize every day to keep your skin supple and to keep it from drying out.

Here’s the moisturizer I use every day:

AND BAM! You are ready to put on make up, do your hair, and go about your day!

 

Night Routine:

I do my best to NEVER skip my night time skin routine. It’s important to get all the gross stuff off your face that has accumulated over the day. Remember to never sleep with makeup on as it can clog your pores and cause infection in your eye.

I also like to brush my teeth before my skincare at night.

Remove Makeup!

I cannot stress how important it is to remove your makeup before bed. I typically only wear eye make up, so I use coconut oil infused with drops of lavender and cedarwood to remove my make up. You can try removing face make up with coconut oil, but depending on your skin, this may clog your pores.

Wash!

I wash my face the same way I do in the morning – starting with wetting my face with warm (NOT HOT) water a few times to open my pores. I use the same face wash and start applying in gentle circular motions for about a minute. Remember to be careful not to tug at your face, especially around the eyes.

Rinse! 

Begin rinsing your face thoroughly with splashes of water until all the soap has been removed. Be sure not to leave any residue that could cause a reaction.

Pat your skin dry using a clean towel. DO NOT rub your face.

Moisturize!

I use a heavier moisturizer at night to help repair my skin with a vitamin E base. I will usually mix this moisturizer with aloe vera gel to help tighten my skin.  I massage my skin in circular motions and start the next step before my moisturizer has dried.

Here’s the moisturizer combo I use every night:

Jade Rolling!

I got this baby off of Amazon a while back and I love it! It’s called a Jade roller and it helps increase blood flow to your face. Think of the vessels in your face like a system of pipes. Rolling your face each night helps to move and drain these pipes to keep your skin healthy. I feel like this has helped me to improve my skin, fight wrinkles, and to help my sinuses feel better.

Using upward motions, roll the jade roller gently across your skin. I like to think of the “drain” around the area of my temples and my ears. All my strokes focus on pushing the blood there.

Here’s the jade roller I use:

Lip Care

This one is easy. I just slather on some chapstick before bed and I am good to go!

Other Tips & Essentials:

Sunscreen

I grew up in Las Vegas, and I used to bask in my glorious summer tan. While tans may look great, they can cause dark spots, aging and wrinkles, peeling, dryness, and – worst of all – cancer. I now opt for a lot of sunscreen and self-tanners when summer hits.

Exercise

Exercise has a million benefits, but it can also help with the appearance of your face. Exercise gets your blood flowing and improves your overall health. I also struggle with a very wide and somewhat chubby face, so exercise helps me to slim down my face so that my cheekbones can be seen.

Weekly Face Masks

I like to TREAT MYSELF to a simple face mask once a week. I focus on a mask that helps to moisturize my skin rather than a peel. I only do this once a week because if I do it too frequently, it starts to mess with my skin and make me break out.

Keep Dirt Away

I only wash my hair every 4-5 days, so I have to be careful about how my dirty hair could affect my skin. When your hair is on the dirtier side, choose hairstyles that keep your hair and bangs out of your face. Your hands and fingers can also transfer dirt to your skin that clogs your pores and causes breakouts. Keep your hands and fingernails clean and keep them off your face!

Water

Water sustains life and it sustains your skin! If you notice your skin is looking sallow or your a breaking out, check your water intake. It’s recommended that you drink 64 oz of water a day. I like to use an app called Hydrocoach to help me track my water consumption. It even sends me reminders to drink throughout the day!

Don’t Pick

UGH! This one is so hard for me! I can’t help picking at my acne some days, especially when it can be so satisfying. Picking at acne can cause bigger flare-ups and scarring, so just don’t!

Don’t Stress

This one can also be hard, but your stress can be contributing to acne flareups, dark circles, wrinkles, and more. Try meditation, getting enough sleeps, and doing little acts of self-care daily.