The 5 Steps You Need For Clear and Glowing Skin

Clear and glowing skin start with a solid skincare routine in the AM and the PM, it’s important to manage it daily to keep skin healthy.

To keep skin clear and well maintained, I decided to collate the most important five steps you need to adopt daily in your skincare routine, for clear and glowing skin.

The best way to care for your skin is to focus on five essential processes of skin health, especially if you wear makeup daily, or spend a lot of time outdoors and your skin is impacted by heavy pollutants and environmental impacts, such as the sun, dust and wind. And believe me, anyone can achieve clear and glowing skin.

We all have unique skin on some ways. Some more sensitive than others and some respond to environmental impacts differently. Where some thrive in the sun, others don’t, and so on. So it’s important to develop a healthy skincare routine in the morning and evening, to help manage any issues your skin may be going through.

And yes, five steps in your skincare is super important.

I remember having this conversation with my late mother several years back, where she asked me why I needed to spend so much time on my skin, when all she does is wash and moistures and has done for many years without any issues. My response. Yes, that would seem fine, but the problem is, what is happening deep down inside the skin cells. Your skin might be okay on the outside, but what is happening on the inside.

Our parents and grandparents, were growing up in a world, where pollution was a lot less, hardly anyone had air conditioners and very rarely were they eating bad food either. Skincare was still important, however education on the right type of skincare (unless you had a French background) was minimal. So, although they may have had a less stressed lifestyle of sorts when it came to the environment and other factors which impacted the skin. Generally speaking, most of the older generation probably assumed that a simple wash and moisturise was enough to keep your skin clear and healthy.

But let’s not forget, they were also the generation of hardly wearing sunscreen, and then they did wear it, it was pore clogging and terrible for the skin. Full of nasty chemicals and then some. And let’s not get started on the zinc which was widely popular. Even I succumbed to my mother smothering heavy zinc across my nose in the summer months, and got knows what ingredients were in that.

Our generation however, have grown up learning the importance of wearing sunscreen, and less dense chemically laden ones for sure. We also learned the importance of what sorts of ingredients are being put on our skin and how essential it is to cleanse properly to ensure pores are not clogged and we aren’t absorbing any nasties throughout the day, with thick foundations full of stuff we don’t know.

We know so much more about skincare these days. So with that being said, I have put together a list of the five most important steps to help you achieve clear and glowing skin.

Cleanse:

Cleansing is important to skin health, as it’s the first step to removing any dirt of the day. however, if you are using the wrong type of cleanser, then you could be either stripping all the natural oils from the skin, or increasing the oil too much which will block pores. A simple cleanser designed for your skin type is best.

For example, I have combination skin, which a very oily t-zone. This means, I need to stay away from gel cleansers, as they strip the oil too much and leave my skin to squeaky clean and dry. I use a cream cleanser which doesn’t clog pores and it ideal for combination skin, as it help nourish the dry areas, but also cleanses away the oily areas, without stripping the good oils from the skin.

Tone:

Your skin is in it’s happy place where oil and water meet on the skin surface. This means your skin is well balanced and well hydrated with the right amount of water and oil levels in the skin cells. The best way to manage this and keep skin well balanced is using a good toner. These come in a variety of different types, from spray on mist toners, to ones you use a cotton pad to apply on the skin.

Either way, a good toner will take your skin to the next level of hydration, as all toners are designed to balance the oil and water on the skin service. And toners are often missed from most skincare routines by many people. Use one which contains Witch Hazel, which will not only manage hydration in the skin, it will also keep it clear and glowing too.

Nourish:

Feeding the skin to keep it nourished is vital to optimum skin health, as this is the step that will lock in moisture and keep skin nutritionally healthy by dosing it with vitamins and minerals needed to manage good skin health.

A good serum loaded with antioxidants and other active ingredients like vitamin C are the best to use as they work to brighten pigmentation, lock in moisture and keep the cells well balanced on the skin. They can also work to prevent pores from clogging by killing off bacteria on the skin, preventing the onset of any breakouts too.

Moisturise:

Sure a good serum will lock in moisture and hydrate skin. However, it’s not enough to keep skin well hydrated throughout the day, especially if you are outdoors all day, or stuck in air conditioning for long hours. Moisturiser will ensure your foundation has a pore defending barrier as well, which will prevent it leaking deep into the pores and clogging them.

Look for face creams which contain rich hydrating ingredients like plant-based squalene or rosehip oil which work to keep skin soft and supple throughout the day, even under foundation. Applying a good cream under foundation will also smooth out skin and ensure your foundation goes on smoother as well. Especially if you wear mineral powders.

Protect:

Depending on the type of foundation (if you are wearing any) you use, some do have an added SPF component in them too help protect the skin from the environment. If however, your foundation does not do that, or perhaps you are gong makeup free for the day whilst at the beach or anywhere else, then you will need to wear a good SPF.

Many sunscreen brands now sell a face dedicated product, which is light on the skin and easy to wear under foundation or with any other product you are wearing for that matter. they are designed to not clog the pores and add the right type of protection on the face, without them feeling thick and heavy, or causing breakouts after wearing.

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Don’t buy into quick fix skincare products. Try to use only ones which use the right types of ingredients to manage your skin. Though some wrinkle fillers do work for a temporarily to hide fine lines and wrinkles, they are nest used if you have an event to go. Stick to products which deliver the type of results you want for long-term.

Many products do still work to sooth fine lines and wrinkles, but take a little longer to take effect. And for the record, drinking lots of water, including collagen products (both skincare and digestive ones) into your daily routine, whilst keeping your skin well hydration, all work to helping turn back the clock on fine lines and wrinkles.