Finding The Right Beauty Routine
Noemi Iniguez
So now that you have a basic idea of what your skin type and skin tone is, now is the perfect time to find the right beauty routine for your skin. Not only is knowing your skin type going to help your skin but customizing your routine to your skin tone and age will help you maintain radiant skin for a very long time!
The Basic Foundations to a Beauty Routine First thing’s first, you’re going to want to nail down the basics of your beauty routine. If you read our previous article on Skin Types & Skin Tones, you should already know some information on how your skin reacts to your environment, and how to prevent it from causing irritation, wrinkles or discolorations. But how are you going to keep maintaining your flawless skin if you don’t have the basics down? Clear Essence has three basic steps to go by: Cleanse Treat Moisturize
Simple, right? You’re probably wondering “What about my acne treatments, and serums, and masks, etc.!?” We’ll get to that in a moment, but for now, when you start a beauty routine, these are the essential steps you need. When you go shopping, you need to get these products and base it off your skin type. If you have acne/oily skin, then for treatments you would use an acne treatment, or a serum such as the Clear Essence Platinum Line Skin Lightening Serum. For dry skin, a treatment to use would be the Clear Essence Medicated Fade Crème, which helps fade dark spots. So you see, getting to know your skin before you go out shopping is a necessity in order to ensure you get the proper results you want to see, and also choosing the right product. YouTube Beauty Guru, Michelle Phan states, “Read labels so that you don’t end up with a cleanser containing a drying ingredient like isopropyl alcohol for already dry skin, or adding excessive oil to oily skin, etc. The products out there can be overwhelming, so start with daily cleansers and moisturizers, and work your way to products that address specific concerns when needed.” In other words, when you start your routine, try going for generic products, and then focus on the specifics after you find the right products for the basics. The basics will include a daily routine, and once you have that down, then focus on your weekly routines, which may be treatments that may be required once or twice a week.
Beauty Basics Set, Now Work in the Details Although there is no Fountain of Youth, there are many ways to look young—at a high expense. If you wish to prevent wrinkles or signs of aging, it really starts with your beauty regimen. As we age, not only do we see change in our body and life, but we also see changes in our skin requirements. Take the time to learn about what you should incorporate into your beauty regimen, based by your age.
20s
Don’t Stress Over Stress—Sleep it Off According to Refinery29, Lack of sleep “can cause stress that's reflected on the skin via acne flare-ups. A lot of consistent stress can even lead to a general worsening of your overall skin health. Not getting enough sleep causes the adrenal glands to overproduce cortisol, a steroid, which makes sebaceous glands produce more oil.” So although you may have more energy to stay up late or even pull “all-nighters” remember that your body needs rest, otherwise it begins to react, by creating acne, or even dark circles. Look Into Anti-Aging Products, But Don’t Overdo It Using Anti-Aging products at this age may be helpful in preventing lines on your face, but Refinery29 has a fair warning: certain anti-aging products may carry ingredients such as retinol, which may cause irritation of certain skin types, such as oily or combination. The irritation occurs due to the fact that retinol works as a method to sustain and keep collagen in the body, which in your 20s you technically don’t really have to worry about, since your skin is still active. Rain or Shine, Sunscreen Is a Must So if you’re not interested in using Anti-Aging products, or you’re not sure what to use, always start with sunscreen. Using sunscreen is not only going to help you from sunburns, but it can prevent sun damage to your skin such as dark spots, or hyperpigmentation, from the excess melanin that is attempting to protect your skin from the harsh UVA/UVB rays. Treat Your Dark Spots NOW, not Later Haven’t been using sunscreen? It’s okay, now you know that sunscreen is needed to prevent skin damage. If you do have dark spots, treat them now by using the Clear Essence Medicated Fade Crème with SPF 15. Not only is this going to help you fade dark spots from the sun, but it’s going to leave you with an even toned skin complexion (not to mention it has an SPF 15 built formula). Correcting your dark spots now rather than later is going to help your skin heal a lot faster because later on, your skin’s “metabolism” slows down, making it more difficult to treat your skin. FOOD—Eat Foods That Will Help Your Skin Certain foods cause your skin to react by breaking out, so remember what POPSUGAR says, “The A in antiaging stands for antioxidants.” In other words, eat foods or snacks that will help your skin grab the anti-oxidants it needs such as berries, dark chocolate, and pay close attention to find out what makes you break out.
30s
Exfoliate Your skin isn’t as “active” as it was in your 20s, so at this age, your routine should start incorporating products that will help you get rid of dead skin cells. Use an exfoliant that’s going to help you get rid of dead skin cells not only from the outer layer from your skin, but from deep within it too! Are You Still Applying Sunscreen? You should continue applying sunscreen Every. Single. Day. Even if it’s raining, you never know when the sun might just peek out to say hi. Also, since your skin cells are slowing down, you want to make sure your skin doesn’t get dark spots at this age, because it becomes more complicated to help them fade away, but, it can be done (it just takes more time)! Make Anti-Aging Products Your Best Friends If you weren’t already doing so, start using anti-aging products such as The Clear Essence Anti-Aging Complexion Soap with AHA. The Alpha Hydroxy Acid (AHA) helps accelerate skin regeneration and helps to clear dead skin cells quicker. Use eye creams that help the skin under your eyes, which is a thin and sensitive skin layer. According to Refinery29, “Apply eye cream with the ring finger, the weakest finger, morning and evening to the orbital bone around the eyes. Use gentle patting motions and make sure to avoid rubbing and tugging. It is also important not to apply eye cream too close to the lash line as the product can travel into your eyes and be picked up by your eyelashes, causing irritation or unnecessary puffiness.” Lastly, begin using night creams that are different from day creams that help keep your skin hydrated and moisturized. Drink Water—Like Right Now Keeping your skin hydrated and moisturized means not only using creams, but also drinking plenty of water. Your skin’s elasticity relies heavily on water, so keeping yourself hydrated, will help you prevent wrinkles!
40s
You might notice a pattern here for certain tips (sunscreen), but in your 40s, things get a bit more interesting with your skin, and though it may be frustrating, just remember that caring for your skin is not only to look radiant, but to help your body stay protected from bacteria. Fuzzy Hairs—EVERYWHERE You may have noticed that your skin has developed more facial hair, but not to worry. According to Refinery29, “With hormonal changes in the 40s, many will find their faces getting fuzzier. Most people don't appreciate this extra hair and turn to waxing, dermaplaning, or threading services to keep visible hair less noticeable.” Though hormone changings are causing facial hair to come out, know that the facial hair is meant to protect your skin, but you can get it removed. Just remember that if your skin is sensitive, you might want to research which hair removal method will accommodate your skin type. Treat Your Neck If you applied sunscreen correctly in your 20s and 30s, you’ll notice that your neck may have stayed firm. Your neck often times gets ignored however, that area most often exposed to the sun, so don’t forget to apply sunscreen! Use an Acne Treatment, NOT an Acne Beauty Routine Around this time, your skin may break out occasionally because of hormones or cystic acne. But rather than switching your entire routine, opt for a dark spot treatment or acne treatment that’s going to help you with the problematic areas. Switching to an acne routine, may cause your skin to dry which makes it more difficult for anti-aging goals. Products With Retinol Should Be Your Best Friend Renee Rouleau from Refinery29 states “Retinol is a key ingredient in repairing, refining, and smoothing the skin. A product with retinol can address concerns such as sun damage, skin texture and tone, wrinkles, and large pores, as well as other signs of aging.” In other words, Retinol is basically a superhero, but you also want to watch out for “villainous” ingredients. You want to read every label for every product your skin touches, because certain products may either cause irritation, or simply do not help your skin at all.
50s+
Keep Your Routine Minimal At this point in time, your skin may start having more hormonal reactions because of menopause, so keep your routine basic, such as the one AARP.org offers: Cleanse, Protect, Smooth. Try cleansing with the Clear Essence Anti-Aging Complexion Soap with AHA, or use a natural product such as the My Natural Beauty Olive Oil Soap. Continue to use AHA products that help remove dead skin cells. But still continue to protect your skin with sunscreen. Around this time you may start noticing moles will appear because of long term sun damage, so don’t be afraid to see a dermatologist if you’re unsure about a mole’s appearance . Antioxidants Continue to eat foods that carry antioxidants or use antioxidant serums that will help your skin absorb the vitamins it needs to maintain its hydrated glow. Avoid Fragrancess Your skin becomes more sensitive as you age, so try to avoid scented products that may cause irritation or an allergic reaction. Embrace It No matter how many products you use, or how many wrinkles you see—embrace it. Let the real you shine through and don’t be afraid to smile because of wrinkles!
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