New Year, New Skin Care Regimen

It’s January and you know what that means – New Year’s resolutions. The new year feels like the perfect time start fresh and stick to all your goals. But how often does the excitement of your January goals turn into February frustration? So how about something new this year? Instead of setting unattainable goals for yourself we have a suggestion for a modified resolution. This year, focus on establishing solid, healthy routines that eventually become habits that will help you achieve more long-term goals. The perfect place to start is your skin care routine. Even the most high end beauty products won’t make a difference in your skin unless you can establish a solid skin care routine on a daily basis. Here are few tips to help you develop new skin care habits.

 Pre-Routine Hygiene

Although most people don’t think about this, part of a good routine begins a few steps before you start washing your face. It’s always a good idea to wash your hair and brush your teeth before you start washing your face as some of the toothpaste can drip onto your chin and the shampoo and conditioner can run down your face, reversing any products you’ve put on your face. Be sure to make washing your face the last thing you do in the shower to maximize the effectiveness of your skin care products.

 Remove Makeup Before Bed

This step is like skin care 101, but so many people completely neglect to remove their makeup before going to bed. It really doesn’t take much time and the 5 minutes you spend cleansing your face before bed can save you 5 years in terms of how your skin ages. Leaving heavy makeup products on your skin all night can also led to breakouts due to the makeup clogging your pores. No need for fancy products. A simple makeup removing wipe or micellar water will do the trick.  

 Don’t Forget Your Neck and Chest

Even if you have a rock solid skin care routine, you might be forgetting to show a little love to your neck and chest. These oft forgotten parts of our body are just as visible as your face and are also equally exposed the sun and environmental stress. And just like your face – your neck and chest can quickly show signs of sun damage and age. As you progress through the steps of your skin care routine follow the same steps on your neck and chest – especially remembering to moisturize.

Stop Touching Your Face

No, seriously – stop touching your face! People would be shocked at how many times a day they either touched or picked at their faces if they kept track. Give it a try. Every time you find yourself with your hands on your face, write down a tally mark. At the end of the day add up your tallies and for every mark think of it as an opportunity to introduce bacteria to your skin and clog your pores. That all adds up to one very dirty face which can easily lead to breakouts. If you’re going to focus on a good skin care regimen for 2019 don’t let all your hard work go to waste by constantly touching your face.

Wash Your Makeup Brushes

We’ve spent a lot of time talking about washing your face. However, we can’t forget to mention that washing your makeup brushes is just as crucial. This is very similar to the idea of not touching your face. Although you’re likely applying your makeup to a clean face, your brushes will still pick up the oils from your face as well as the oils from your makeup products. If you go too long without washing your brushes, chances are that you’ll start to notice breakouts. Be sure to take a few minutes once a week to thoroughly clean all your makeup tools. There are lots of products on the market to make this easier for you so that you don’t have to worry about blending bacteria into your skin.

Go Through Your Skin Care Products

Before you begin your 2019 new year, new skin regimen you should first purge all your old or expired facial products. Spring cleaning may be just around the corner but this is a task that can’t wait. As a good rule of thumb – if you haven’t used a product in 6 months of longer, it’s time to get rid of it. You’ll feel better about cleaning out a drawer and your face will feel better with quality products.

We hope these simple steps will help get you started on your journey to the beautiful skin you want and deserve in 2019.