These are some pretty simple steps for both adults and teens to start taking to get ahead with clear skin and good skin hygiene habits.
As a general rule, we all know that hand hygiene is super important. Probably now so more than ever. You will always want to wash your hands before washing your face. If you think about it, your hands are pretty dirty. Let's prevent whatever dirt and germs that are on our hands from whatever we've previously touched from spreading onto our face.
You're going to want to cleanse your face at least twice a day. Gold star if you double cleanse at night! You might be wondering why it's necessary to cleanse your face in the morning. There are so many reasons. When you sleep, you are in constant contact with your pillow and whatever chemicals you may be using to wash your linens with (e.g., fabric softener). You may not have washed your hair before falling asleep, which is also spread all over your pillows. You may (or may not) sweat in your sleep, again, also on your skin and pillows. Dead skin cells also slough off at night, which is completely normal and natural. I won't get into what a portion of the weight of your pillow may be comprised of, so I'll just go with cleanse twice a day.
Speaking of pillows and laundry, you'll want to check out a recent blog on swaps for laundry detergents and fabric softeners, especially if you have sensitive skin and/or acne.
SPF is extremely important. It should be applied in the morning and reapplied every 2 hours when out in the sun (or near the sun - which can mean in your car, by a window, etc.). Skin cancer is very real and can happen to anyone. Your risk of skin cancer increases after 5 sunburns. So, don't skip the SPF! Additionally, approximately 90% of aging is caused by the sun. Your future self will thank you. SPF will also prevent further hyperpigmentation or scarring if you are dealing with acne or acne scars. (I will write another blog listing our favorites for hyperpigmentation).
Drink your water! Skin is the LARGEST organ. However, it is last in line to receive the benefits of water and absorb hydration. This means if you are not drinking enough water, you may be seeing the results on your skin. Hydrate from the inside and out.
Back to these pillow cases. I promise you will want to wash your pillowcases at least once per week. As mentioned above: the skin sheds at night, we sweat at night, and about 1/3 of the weight of our pillows are from some of these things. Let's replace those pillowcases as often as possible. (For another gold star, clean up your laundry routine).
Cell phones... we are all glued to them. They come with us literally everywhere. They also come with 10 times more bacteria than a toilet seat. So, let's clean those down as often as we can. You wouldn't put your face up against a toilet seat would you? I'm hoping your answer is no, (if it is yes, I'd love to unpack that with you and discuss reasoning), so let's not put our faces against something filled with even more germs. Opt for speakerphone when you can. Carry travel sized alcohol wipes to use. Wipe it down at the end of the day. And wash your hands after touching your phone and before washing your face.