Skin Care Do's and Don'ts

Achieving and maintaining healthy skin can be exhausting and a lot of work. The best ways to keep skin clear and healthy is to know what works for your skin and what doesn't. Having a well-formulated list of do's and don'ts for healthy skin can save you a lot of grief and skin irritation. From water intake to coffee facials, all the do's and don'ts you need for proper skincare are easily available.

Do and Don't: Water

H20 is the best defense against a poor complexion and is the simplest skin care aid available. Drinking 64 oz. of water per day flushes out toxins. Toxin-free blood and organs help create a healthy glow, which drinking water can help achieve.

While drinking water is definitely a do, applying water topically too often is a don't. Showering is a good way to get clean, but showering too often leads to drying out the skin. Washing the skin excessively dries it out and leads to irritability and imbalances in your skin's moisture. To prevent over-drying of your skin, limit showers to twice a day max so that your skin has enough moisture to rejuvenate itself. If your skin gets dry, it leaves it vulnerable to damage and cracking, so always moisturize post-shower.

Don't: Layering Facial Moisturizers

Dry skin can get quite porous but even if you're feeling really dry, using too many moisturizers can break your skin out. If your skin is incredibly dry it may be worth it to splurge on a multipurpose moisturizer that meets all of your skins needs. Heavily formulated moisturizers can cause grease buildup, which can lead to acne.

Do and Don't: Coffee

Sure coffee smells and tastes good, but it wreaks havoc on your skin. Too much coffee in your system can dehydrate your already dryness-prone skin. By reducing your coffee intake to 1 cup and skipping sugary extras like whipped cream, you can save your skin. Better yet, switch up your coffee for water and help purify your body and your skin.

Just because drinking coffee is a don't doesn't mean wearing it is. Coffee-derived caffeine soothes redness and tightens the skin. Try adding coffee grounds to your face and body scrubs for a skin-firming boost. Also, coffee can also be used to eliminate under-eye sagging by applying ground coffee beans beneath the eyes. Allow it to sit for 10 minutes and then gently rinse the coffee away.

Do: Exfoliate

Exfoliating removes dead skins cells and smooths the skin. When exfoliating it is important to remember that your skin type plays a factor in how often you should scrub. Oily skin types can handle three or four exfoliating sessions a week. Dry, normal, or combination skin types should not exfoliate more than once a week. Try adding a bit of lemon juice to your current body scrub to help brighten the skin and give it a healthier glow.

Don't: Sunbathing

Hanging out in the sun without sunscreen is pretty risky. Too much sun can cause your skin to age prematurely and give a 28-year-old the appearance of 40-year-old skin. The skin on your body is your largest organ and the slightest tan means you've already damaged it. Your body isn't so vitamin D deficient that you'll need more than 10 minutes of sun exposure to meet your vitamin D requirement. Try fake baking via spray tanning or self-tanners. As long as you exfoliate beforehand there's no reason why a fake tan will look any less authentic than six unsafe hours in the sun.

Do: Take Your Vitamins

Vitamins may be an added burden to your routine, but they can be an aid to problem skin. Omega-3 supplements can help your skin hydrate itself and improve its condition over time. Some natural juices have vitamins in them as well; taking fruits like peaches with lemon and ginger and juicing them can be a sweet treat for your skin. Commercial vitamin juices are only temporary and aren't a good investment for the skin, so stick to tablets like B vitamins and omega-3 vitamins to get a long-term skin boost.

References

• Skin Do's and Don'ts