The Best Skincare Tips: How to Actually Have Glowing Skin
In this blog post, you’ll find the skincare tips that helped me go from a skin full of acne to the best it has ever looked.
Growing up, my skin condition had a big influence on the way I felt about myself. I used to look in the mirror and hate my face so much that I ended up crying from time to time. It was also a big insecurity while starting my relationship… I felt like I wasn’t beautiful enough to have such a fantastic man in my life.
Of course, face is not everything, and we should love ourselves the way we are… but that doesn’t mean we can’t change some things we aren’t proud of.
That’s why I started reading blogs, watching YouTube channels, and seeing dermatologists looking for advice. I needed to change, or at least improve, my skin.
So, today I’m going to share with you the skincare tips that helped me go from a skin full of acne to the best it has ever looked. Let’s dive into it!
The Best Skincare Tips You’ll Get
1. Make Some Changes in Your Diet
Reduce sugar and dairy. I’m not saying that you should cut it, I eat chocolate occasionally, and I’m obsessed with cheese so I’ve never stopped eating it. However, try to cut them in the things you know you can have other options (and please, make sure you like them, don’t force yourself to eat/drink something you hate just to have “glowing skin”, it’ll come anyways).
I knew I couldn’t cut cheese from my life, so I started drinking oat and almond milk instead. I knew chocolate cravings would be there during my periods, so I now drink my coffee and juice without sugar. You don’t have to cut everything out, just make little changes. And, don’t try to implement them right away!
And please, give yourself time when trying new things, the first time I tried almond milk I hated it because the brand had added flavors and sugars, and it tasted weird. However, I didn’t give up and I found brands that made me love these drinks! So, be patient with yourself.
2. Use Moisturizer
Okay, not gonna lie, I didn’t use moisturizer because I felt it made my skin more oily than usual. But, not using is what makes this happen!
When we don’t use the right moisturizer (or moisturizer at all), our skin creates natural oils to be “hydrated”. So, instead of cutting your moisturizer out of your skincare routine, try getting the right brand for your skin type!
These are some brands I love, but please note that I only use and recommend cruelty-free products, that’s why you won’t see some famous brands here:
3. Use a Gentle Cleanser
Honey, there’s no need for super deep cleansing products. You might need some extra cleansing if you’re wearing makeup, but if not, gentle cleansers are the way to go.
When you deep cleanse every day (morning and night) you’re destroying your skin barrier, leaving you with more acne and sensitive skin.
For me, what works is only using a cleanser at night, I don’t use it in the morning because I don’t use many products in my morning routine. Also, my dermatologist recommended it because using a cleanser in the morning can destroy the barrier your skin creates during the night. So, you’re not letting your skin do its job!
Here my recommendations <3
4. Don’t Over-Exfoliate
Hear me out, you don’t need to exfoliate all day, every day!! I wouldn’t even recommend exfoliating twice a week. And, if you want to do it this much, at least use a gentle exfoliator.
Like deep cleansing your face, over-exfoliating destroys your skin barrier and washes off all the goods your skin produces. Hear me out: your skin produces oil for a reason, the only thing you need to do is control it!
5. Niacinamide and Hyaluronic Acid are your BFFs
There’s no way I can express how grateful I am for finding these products.
Niacinamide helps you control oil and reduces sebum production on the skin, all the extra oil you see on your face. This makes it the go-to product for oily-skinned girls like us!
On the other hand, Hyaluronic Acid is perfect for hydrating the skin without leaving an oily feeling. It also keeps the skin moisturized and controls sebum production, so using it with Niacinamide will help your skin even more when there’s cold weather.
6. Avoid Your Kitchen Product
Okay, as someone who loves natural stuff, let me tell you something… cooking ingredients belong to the kitchen!
I’m not saying you shouldn’t use natural products, there are many brands out there that use natural and clean ingredients in their products. What I’m saying is, stop using sugar, coffee, honey, lemon, and even baking soda!! Oh, especially lemon and baking soda. Storytime for another day, I almost burnt my face with these last two just to “cure my acne”!!
Trust me, I’ve seen many “natural” face masks, and all they do is irritate my skin (I also have sensitive skin), so please, stop using kitchen products. Thanks.
Here are some clean skincare brands that I recommend:
And the list goes on! So let me know if you’d like a blog post with my favorite skincare brands.
7. It’s Never Too Early to Use Retinol
One of the best skincare tips you’ll ever hear is that using retinol is never too early.
Simply Clinics, which is a blog I’ve been following lately, shared a post called The Secret to Perfect Skin: Starting Retinol in Your 20s, and stated “It’s one of the most effective ingredients for preventing and reducing wrinkles, tightening pores, and brightening dark spots. While retinol is typically marketed for mature skin, it’s most effective when used in your 20s, before signs of aging appear.“
I use it once or twice a week depending on how I feel my skin. However, please note that this is an exfoliating ingredient, so you shouldn’t use it very often if you’re also using an exfoliator.
8. Avoid Alcohol and Fragrance in Your Products
I’m very picky with my ingredients, it doesn’t matter if it’s for my skin, hair, or even food. So, I always try to avoid alcohol and fragrance.
However, if there’s a brand I like or want to try their products, I check if the fragrance is last in the ingredients since (pro tip) they are listed in quantity order. Meaning, that the first ingredient is the most used and the last one the least used.
9. A Silk Pillow Is Your Best Friend
I already mentioned it in the hair care tips post a while ago, silk pillows are your BFFs.
If you use cotton frequently, such as on your pillowcase, it will completely absorb the moisture from your skin because cotton is a drying material. Hence, you’ll have dehydrated skin just because you’re not using the right material.
So, what are you waiting for? Go get your silk pillowcase!!
10. Use Oil-free SPF
Okay, we both know how important SPF is. However, we usually use the wrong ones (I know cause I’ve been there).
I hate the sticky feeling some SPFs leave, and I hate even more how oily my skin gets throughout the day. So, what I do is that I wash my face, at least with water, before retouching my sunscreen.
Here are some of my favorites:
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