The skin represents the first wall of the human body against exterior aggressions such as pollution, dust, cold, or the sun. This is why it is important to take care of your skin daily. And to do this, several solutions are available to you. Cleaning, hydration, exfoliation, sunscreen, makeup remover, sleep, balanced diet: find our 7 tips for healthy skin.

1. Wash your face for healthy skin

To take care of your skin, mainly that of the face, the first reflex is to clean it well, twice a day. This suggestion for taking care of your skin may appear obvious, but it is vital. On a daily basis, your skin is revealed to external elements (pollution, wind, cold, etc.), to makeup, to perspiration, and dead skin accumulates… In short, it is necessary to cleanse your skin thoroughly and in-depth.

To take care of your skin, it is recommended to use mild, soap-free, pH-neutral cleansing products. This way, you reduce excess oil and clogged pores – and therefore the risk of acne – without harming your skin’s natural oils.

It is important to recognize that to take care of your skin, you must cleanse gently. For best results, use a foaming cleanser. You will be able to treat the skin of your face gently while ensuring a deep cleaning.

2. Moisturize your skin every day

Another essential tip for taking care of your skin: moisturize it regularly, at least twice a day. The dermis is made up of 70% water and the epidermis 15%: good hydration is therefore essential to take care of your skin. And this is true in all seasons, summer and winter.

Both cold and heat contribute to the drying of the skin. To take care of your skin, use a rather light moisturizer for so-called combination or oily skin and, conversely, a richer cream if you have dry skin.

Related: How to Choose Organic Moisturizing Cream

To properly hydrate your skin, morning and evening:

• Cleanse your face with a mild cleanser;
• Apply a small dab of moisturizer to your cleansed skin, from the center of the face outwards, using delicate gestures;
• Extend the application of the cream to the neck and décolleté, areas that also require frequent hydration.
• Taking care of your skin with a moisturizer helps strengthen the protective role of the epidermis against external aggressions, and improves the texture and elasticity of your skin.

3. Exfoliate once or twice a week

Taking care of your skin also involves going through the exfoliation box. But what is it exactly? Once or twice a week, it is very good to offer a gentle exfoliation, adapted to your skin. It’s very simple: just apply exfoliant to your fingertips and make small circular movements on the skin. You can opt for a physiological scrub, softer and more respectful of the skin.

Why use exfoliation to take care of your skin? The benefits are many:

• Refine the texture of the skin and smooth it;
• Make the appearance of the skin less dull;
• Eliminate dead cells and skin;
• Unclog pores;
• Facilitate and improve skin hydration.

If exfoliation allows you to take care of the skin, it is advisable to scrupulously follow the advice of practice and, above all, of frequency. Too much exfoliation can cause an overproduction of sebum, and give a shiny appearance, especially to oily skin. Conversely, dry skin would risk being dried out or even irritated by too frequent care. It should also be noted that during exfoliation, it is recommended to avoid the eye area.

4. Protect your skin from the sun

Taking care of your skin also means paying attention to external factors. There is pollution or dust, but also the sun. Ultraviolet (UV) rays are the main culprits of skin aging and the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

To take care of your skin, it is therefore important to protect yourself properly from the sun. And that means daily use of sunscreen. There are several types of creams, classified by SPF, for Sunburn protection factor, or sun protection factor in French:

• SPF 6 to 10: weak protection;
• SPF 15 to 25: medium protection;
• SPF 30 to 50: strong protection;
• SPF 50+: very strong protection.

Related: How to Pick the Right Sunscreen

To take good care of your skin, it is preferable to turn to maximum protection, that is to say, a sunscreen with an SPF 50+ index. For example, an SPF 20 index blocks approximately 92% of UV rays, compared to 95% for an SPF 30 index. If the difference seems minimal, it is nevertheless significant in terms of protection and effects on your skin.

5. Remove makeup before sleeping

As we have expressed, taking care of your skin requires frequent cleansing, especially of the face. In the same vein, it is essential to remove makeup thoroughly every night, before sleeping. After a long day, makeup may have mixed with sebum, perspiration, and outer impurities. It is therefore important to free the skin of the face from all this in order to avoid clogging the pores and to promote acne breakouts.

To remove makeup and take care of your skin, it is advisable to turn to a light oil cleanser, without perfume or alcohol. This product makes it very easy to remove makeup but also other accumulated impurities. Above all, this will remove makeup from your face without drying it out, and while preserving the hydrolipidic film that covers and protects the surface of the epidermis.

In this regard, avoid using gels or soaps, the vast majority are too aggressive for this area of the body where the skin is particularly fragile. On the opposite extreme, using only water, without any product, would not be effective enough to remove makeup and take care of your skin.

Finally, to take care of your skin, avoid removing makeup by rubbing it with a cotton pad. Massage slowly, making circular gestures so as not to attack and damage your skin. For the more sensitive eyes, you must use a specific makeup remover. Place the cotton pad soaked in a product on your eye for a few seconds, then clean gently.

6. Get a good night’s sleep

Taking care of your skin does not always involve cleaning or applying products. Daily routines and lifestyle directly impact your body and therefore your skin. And among these routines, there is an irremediable one: Sleep.

Getting a good night’s sleep and sleeping between 7 and 9 hours a night is an effective way to take care of your skin. With the rhythms of modern life, between work, children, sports, and outings, it often sleeps that is sacrificed. And among all the negative effects that fatigue can have on the body, it causes the skin to age faster and makes all of its effects more visible. Worse, it can be a source of more skin inflammation. And the skin would react more to external elements such as stress, for example.

So even if the day has been intense, to take care of your skin, you have to spend long nights of sleep. You’ll be in better shape and your skin will thank you. Indeed, the night is an important period for it: while you sleep, the cells of the epidermis are activated to heal, renew the skin, increase its appearance as a protective barrier, etc.

To take care of your skin if you have spent a short night, in the morning, apply a tonic lotion. This will stimulate the cells of the epidermis and will limit the effects of fatigue on your skin. Then, apply a moisturizing and nourishing cream on your face, from bottom to top. Perform circular massages, taking care to smooth your skin. Remember to also put on a total screen to increase your skin’s defenses. Good to know During the night, add an extra pillow to elevate your head. This promotes blood circulation and limits the effects of bags under the eyes when waking up.

7. Adopt a healthy and balanced diet

Taking care of your skin is not just about using products, but also about lifestyle. In addition to sleep, a healthy and balanced diet contributes to having beautiful skin. Rest assured, there is no question of starting a painful diet or depriving yourself of all your favorite dishes. You can eat anything, but in reasonable quantities, in moderation.

Try to limit excess products that are too fatty, too sweet, or too rich. For instance, in large quantities, deli meats, red meat, salt, and even milk can harm your skin. It is therefore advisable to eat reasonably and in a balanced way. It is also important to drink plenty of water.

Always in a logic of hydration, ideally, you should drink at least 1.5 liters during the day. This helps to eliminate toxins from the body and take care of your skin. Conversely, you should avoid consuming alcohol, or very sparingly. The effects on the body and the skin are harmful.

Photo: Pexels/ KoolShooters

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