Your guide to good skin care habits

So you’ve managed to stick to your New Year’s resolutions (or at least some of them). But how about picking up some new, healthy skin care habits? It’s never too late to start treating your skin with a bit more TLC. Here's our ultimate guide to the best healthy skin care habits that can revolutionise your skin care routine.

SPF every day

If there’s one skin care habit you should without-a-doubt pick up, it’s wearing SPF - every single day. In fact, SPF is one of the most powerful anti-ageing products in your skin care arsenal.

Ask any dermatologist, and they’ll tell you that wearing sunscreen is the number one thing you can do to prevent premature ageing in the skin, even in the winter. While burn-causing UVB rays may not be present all year round, UVA rays can penetrate through glass and windows to cause photodamage in the skin.

What does photodamage look like? Think hyperpigmentation, fine lines, loss of volume and the breakdown of collagen in your skin. To avoid premature ageing caused by sun damage, use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF rating of at least 30 every day (and no, SPF in your moisturiser or makeup won’t cut the mustard - you need to make this it’s own step). 

Double Cleansing

As well as leaving your skin truly clean, using an oil or balm cleanser is an easy way to inject a little bit of luxury into your night time skin care routine. 

As an added step once or twice a week, extend your nightly cleanse into a hot cloth oil treatment. Massage your favourite oil or cleansing balm into your skin, and wet a freshly laundered face cloth with hot water. Wring out the cloth, and lay it over your face for a few seconds to steam your skin and help trapped pores unclog. 

Moisturising every day

Keeping your skin moisturised - no matter what your skin type is - is one of the main pillars of a good skin care routine (including cleansing, and protecting with SPF). 

Even if you have oily or blemish prone skin, your skin still needs moisture. In fact, dermatologists now believe that excess oil production can be linked directly to dehydration in the skin. So keeping your skin adequately moisturised with the right ingredients can actually help combat excess oil and balance your skin, to reduce breakouts.

 If you have oilier skin, look for gel-creme formulas which will hydrate your skin without clogging pores. Don’t think that you have to avoid oil-based moisturisers entirely - just be smart and make sure you're using the right oils for your skin and skin cells. Just be sure you don't do this if you have dry skin.

Plant oils that are rich in thinner fatty acids like linoleic acid, aka omega-6. This thin fatty acid can help oily skin types that produce too much thicker, sticker fatty acids like oleic acid, which can clog pores. Rosehip oil and sunflower oil are both rich in linoleic acid, to nourish the skin and help reduce breakouts. 

The Regenerating Collagen Moisturiser is formulated with powerful ingredients to stimulate collagen production and keep skin plump, fresh and rejuvenated. This moisturiser uses Matrixyl 3000, a synthetic peptide is known for its ability to fade fine lines and wrinkles by stimulating collagen production.

Getting enough sleep

Getting a good night's rest is one of the most important skincare habits to adopt for glowing, healthy skin.

There’s a reason why it’s called getting your beauty sleep. When you’re asleep, your skin has 8-9 hours to replenish its own oils, which are full of healing nutrients like fatty acids and ceramides. This excess of sebum is why it’s so important to go to sleep with clean, moisturised skin - because although this sebum is beneficial, it can lead to breakouts when mixed with dirt, grime and makeup. 

So what exactly does a ‘good night's sleep’ look like? We’ve all heard how important it is to get a full eight hours, but it turns out this could be a bit of a myth.

One full REM cycle of sleep typically lasts 1.5 hours. So, five separate REM cycles would result in 7.5 hours of good sleep, while an extra REM cycle would end up in 9 hours. 

Aim to give yourself an eight-to-nine hour window to ensure that you’ll get enough rest at bedtime - even if it takes you awhile to actually fall asleep. If you can, avoid scrolling on your phone or falling asleep watching Netflix as this excess of blue light can lead to a less satisfying sleep. 

Don’t forget your neck, chest and hands

Skin care shouldn’t stop at your jawline. Your neck, chest and hands need just as much attention as the skin on your face, as this thinner skin is more prone to signs of ageing than the rest of the skin on your body. 

However, this doesn’t mean you have to be wasteful with your product. When moisturising, pull excess product down to your neck and chest, applying in light upward motions to boost circulation and lymphatic drainage. Then instead of washing the product off your hands, simply massage the excess into the backs of your hands. 

Conclusion

So you should know the very best skin care habits. Don't forget to wash your face daily to make sure you're doing the very best for your skin. Vitamin c should also be researched on if it can help your skin. You should be set for years to come with this guide.