5 Essential Skin Care Habits to Prevent Aging

It’s important to take good care of your skin so you can keep it healthy and minimize signs of aging. There are a few essential skin care habits that I follow that can help you keep your skin looking vibrant and younger, including the following five tips:

Wear sunscreen – Apply a facial sunscreen daily, and be sure and protect the rest of your body with sunscreen when you are going to be in the sun for an extended period of time. Don’t forget a big hat to shade your face, neck and chest.

BONUS TIP: Just because you keep the sun off your skin, you don’t have to be pasty white. There is body makeup you can use to make your chest face and neck appear tan. Getting a tan with the sun will make your skin look like crepe paper and discolor it. Too much sun is also one of the first signs of aging. There are ways to reverse this damage such as photo-facials and acid peels.

Moisturize – Keep your skin moisturized with facial and body lotions that keep your skin looking and feeling smooth.

BONUS TIP: Use your face lotion on your neck, chest and hands. Just because it says “face lotion” on the bottle, it doesn’t mean you can’t extend it to other parts of your body that are similar in texture and fragility. I also love Shea butter for under my eyes and for my eyelids.

Stay hydrated – Drinking water helps to keep your skin hydrated. When your skin is dehydrated it can look dry and show more wrinkles.

BONUS TIP: Avoid straws in your drinks because using them creates vertical lines around your mouth, similar to the way a smoker gets wrinkles around their mouth.

Wash your face – You should do this in the morning when you wake up and then again before you go to bed to remove dirt and oil from the day. Be sure to wash off all of your makeup because it can clog pores, which causes acne.

BONUS TIP: Use mineral make up. It’s nutrition for your face and makes skin smooth and covers imperfections such as hyperpigmentation, acne, etc.

Exfoliate – When you exfoliate, you are removing dead skin cells from your skin’s surface. I do my body every day with a salt or sand-based gel and shower gloves. It’s a good idea to use a facial soap that has an exfoliator in it one to two times a week. Your skin should feel softer after you exfoliate.

BONUS TIP: I use 15% glycolic lotion by Vi* on my body and face three or four times per week. It exfoliates face and body for smoother, less crepe paper-looking skin. They also have an awesome peel called Vi Peel for the face, neck and chest. It peels off multiple layers of skin and stimulates collagen for several months.

These five tips are easy and simple to make habits. Your skin will thank you for it!

Do you have any tips I can use?

*My endorsement for VI is not paid, but simply my opinion and preference for this type of lotion and the peel.