7 BEAUTY HABITS YOU NEED TO HAVE FOR BEAUTIFUL, HEALTHY SKIN

7 Beauty habits you need to have for beautiful, healthy skin

It doesn’t matter what age you are, be it 15 or 65, you still need to take care of your skin. Your skin goes through a lot – whether that be holidays in the heat, commuting to work, living in polluted cities or battling through the daily grind – and it’s the first thing people notice about you. Having glowing, dewy skin is something everyone dreams of, but it takes work. If you live a hectic life, your skin is the first place to show it. We’re all busy with work and play, but taking a little bit of time each day to look after your skin will leave you feeling more confident and is SO worth the time. We’re here with some of the best healthy skin tips we could gather to help you look after your skin in the long run and ensure you keep it in tip top condition.

Drink water

Perhaps the MOST common advice when it comes to skincare is to drink water. Tons of it. This advice is solicited time and time again for a really good reason. Water helps your body in myriad ways: it flushes out toxins, hydrates your body, shifts cellulite, reduces bloating and water retention (weirdly) and gives you energy. What’s bad about that?! Drinking 8-10 glasses of water a day will guarantee your skin is moisturised, glowing and healthy, and will help combat acne and dark circles. A really simple but often overlooked tip is to carry a water bottle with you and top it up regularly throughout the day. Leave it on your desk at work and re-fill any time it becomes empty – you’ll soon be reaching your daily quote of water in no time!

Sleep, sleep, sleep

When we snooze, our bodies use the time out to get workin’ on our skin problems. Getting at least eight hours sleep a night gives the body a chance to do some serious repair and regeneration. At night time, our bodies release a hormone known as melatonin, which not only gives you that sleepy ready-for-bed feeling, but also tells your skin it’s time to repair the damage done throughout the day – caused by factors such as UV radiation and pollution. Scrimping on sleep is a sure-fire way to wake up with a dull, lifeless complexion, since the skin boosts the circulation of blood to the skin as you sleep, so make sure you’re setting your alarm clock and heading over to the land of nod good and early!

Start using sun cream as an anti-ageing ritual

An anti-ageing skincare regime may be something you think is reserved for the older generation, but combatting the effects of ageing should be something on your skincare agenda now, too. If you currently have young looking, healthy skin and want it to stay that way, you owe it to yourself to protect and prevent premature ageing NOW. Using an SPF30+ sun cream daily is the best chance you have at preventing premature wrinkles, even though you think your young skin will be able to handle the sun. Choose one that protects your skin against both UVA and UVB rays, as both will contribute to lines, wrinkles and loss of skin elasticity.

Always moisturise

This again seems like a simple step, but us lazy gals can probably all put our hands up and say we’ve skipped this step in favour of an extra five minutes in bed on a rushed morning. Skincare experts say this is no good, as leaving your skin without moisturiser means it is unable to turn over skin cells as quickly as when hydrated – leaving you with a dull, flat, flaky appearance. Moisturiser contains ingredients designed to protect your skin from water loss from things like wind and heat too, so it really is a necessary step if you want healthy skin not just now, but in the future.

Don’t use wipes

You wouldn’t use toilet paper, never wash, and expect your nether regions to be spotless, so why use wipes on your skin and assume it’s giving you a deep down clean? Wipes are great for festivals or long haul flights, where it wouldn’t be possible to lug a big old bag of products with you, but for beautiful skin in the long term, ditch the wipes in favour of a good cleansing cream, oil or wash. Using cleansing wipes daily can play havoc with problem skin, as they leave thin layers of harsh product on the skin which if not washed off, just stays on the surface until you eventually hit the shower. Yuck.

Use a chemical exfoliant

Exfoliating is the KEY to great, glowing skin. Using an exfoliator twice a week sloughs off dead skin cells and leaves only the newest, healthy skin on show. Be wary of using exfoliating scrubs, as they can only really remove what’s on the surface of your skin and the microbeads in the product aren’t biodegradable, so cause havoc to the environment. If you want to achieve a really deep clean and promote healthy cell regeneration, a chemical exfoliant is what you need. They may sound scary – but don’t worry, there are loads available on the high street which are gentle enough to be used regularly. A chemical exfoliator will either include AHA’s (alpha-hydroxy acids) or BHA’s (beta-hydroxy acids). AHA’s penetrate the uppermost layer of the skin to leave it really clean, whilst BHA’s go a little further and can reach right down inside your pores – perfect for those with clogged, acne-prone skin.

Toss your old make-up

Something we’re all probably guilty of is hanging on to our favourite make-up products for longer than we know we should. If your go-to powder or foundation has been living in your make-up bag for more than 6 months, it’s time to re-home at the bottom of the bin! As you can imagine, touching beauty products day in day out causes some serious bacteria build up, (this is also true if you use a brush or beauty blender to apply make-up and then dip the applicator back into the product), and further use means you’re headed for skincare disaster. The bacteria build up on your skin will inevitably cause a range of problems, including spots, clogged pores and even rashes. Clear your make-up bag out on the regular to avoid trouble and use this tip as an excuse to go shopping!

We hope you enjoyed these healthy skin tips. Use them wisely and you’ll be on your way to beautiful skin in no time!

Stay beautiful!