Ryan Dimaguiba

"Proper skin care isn’t something that should be left to chance. It requires daily attention and maintenance. It requires a routine. And, yes, this may seem like a drag, but the results can be young-looking, vibrant skin at any age. So what do you choose to put into your daily skincare routine and what do you leave out? This checklist of mine shows you the essential practices that should be in everyone’s beauty routine."


1. DRINK WATER


Water does wonders for your skin. It keeps your skin hydrated and healthy. But after a good night’s sleep, we can actually be on the verge of dehydration. So start your beauty routine first thing in the morning by getting out of bed, going to the kitchen, and drinking 12 ounces of water.

Throughout the day, continue to consume clean, clear water (coffee, tea, and soda don’t count!) but don’t overdo it. The latest medical research suggests that you drink 0.5 ounce to 1 ounce of water per pound of bodyweight.

If you weigh 130 pounds, you should consume between 65 and 130 ounces of water every day. To put that in a more familiar measurement, 8 ounces is equivalent to 1 measuring cup. So for our 130-pound example above, you would need to drink between 8 and 16 measuring cups of water every day.

2. SKIP THE MORNING FACE WASH


Instead of using a low-quality facial cleanser in the morning, consider simply rinsing your face with warm water. If you’ve properly washed your face before bed, your skin will still be clean in the morning. Therefore, there’s no need to wash with a cleanser again. In fact, overusing facial cleansers can dry your skin which can lead to an increased production in oil. So whether you rinse your face in the shower or at the sink, skip low-quality cleansers in the morning and go with warm water instead.

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3. EXFOLIATE ONCE PER WEEK


Our body continuously produces new skin cells. The old ones are sloughed off over the course of the day. Those dead skin cells sometimes don’t slough off as quickly as we’d like and can actually clog pores and leave your skin looking older than it actually is.

According to Dr. Frank Lipman, expert in integrative and functional medicine and bestselling health and wellness author, “In order to maintain healthy, youthful, glowing skin, we need to remove old, dead skin cells and encourage proper cellular turn over. Exfoliating both removes the old dead skin cells and speeds up cell renewal enabling new healthy skin cells to grow.”

As important as exfoliation is, it’s easy to overdo it. Exfoliation, by nature, removes the top layer of dead skin cells and exposes the more delicate, sensitive skin underneath. This can be good for the skin’s appearance but can also make it more susceptible to sun damage. Instead of exfoliating every day, restrict this step to once a week to protect your skin from the ravages of the sun and to keep it looking smooth and healthy.

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4. MOISTURIZE


Regardless of your age and skin type, your skin needs moisture to look and feel healthy. That’s why a moisturizer should be the next step in your daily beauty routine. New York dermatologist Debra Jaliman suggests that you use a moisturizer every day after washing or rinsing. So after your morning warm-water rinse, apply a moisturizer to help keep your skin looking young. If you are battling acne or oily skin, choose a moisturizer that is lightweight and oil-free.

And don’t forget to moisturize your décolleté (neck and chest). These parts of your body are just as susceptible to wrinkles that can make you look years older. Choose a quality moisturizer to rejuvenate and protect this sensitive skin.

5. APPLY SUNSCREEN


Sunscreen should always be the next step in your beauty routine checklist. Yes, your moisturizer may contain sunscreen but it’s always a good idea to apply a standalone sunscreen. It’s important because even just a few minutes of sunlight on unprotected skin can result in the formation of wrinkles. Make sure to choose one that works against UVA and UVB rays. Also, be sure your sunscreen of choice has an SPF of 30 or more. To be extra safe, make it a point to apply sunscreen every day (and reapply every two hours) whether it’s sunny and warm or cloudy and cold.

Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.

6. WASH YOUR FACE BEFORE BED


Get rid of the dirt and makeup on your face by washing with a cleanser or gentle soap before bed. By washing with a cleanser once a day, you can avoid over-washing which causes dry skin. That said, if you exercise during the day, it’s a good idea to wash your face immediately after so that sweat doesn’t clog your pores and cause acne. It’s also important not to neglect your neck and chest during this part of your beauty routine. The skin of the neck and chest responds to makeup, sweat, and sun just like your face does.

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