It’s no secret that having clear, healthy, glowing skin is a dream for many people. However, achieving it isn’t always easy. You can spend hundreds of dollars on fancy skincare products and research beauty secrets for hours and hours and get nowhere. But what if it was simpler than we thought? What if to get the skin you want it was more about those little healthy habits you make along the way?
We will walk you through 12 super simple steps that you can include in your every day routine to give your skin the best chance of thriving, glowing and looking it’s best naturally.
If you want to be free from the time and money constraints of expensive treatments and products, all you need is a few simple habits with consistency that will soon help your skin to glow. I experienced this myself, when I rolled back my skin care routine to something much more basic with great results.
Sometimes, the answer you’re looking for is the easy one, but it seems so simple you look past it. When it comes to your skin, it might not be from choosing the wrong products or genetics that is causing your acne, pimples, or imperfections, but how you treat your skin and your body overall.
Your skin is your largest organ, and it’s worth investing in.
Here are 12 healthy habits you can add to your daily routine that just might improve the health and appearance of your skin.
1. Wash Your Face Daily
One of the best things you can do for your skin is to wash it! Far too many people look past the importance of not just washing your face, but washing it properly. Here are some tips for washing your face:
Wash it twice a day – You really need to wash your face twice a day. In the morning to splash water on your face and remove any bacteria, then in the evening to remove your makeup and basically wash the day away.
Double Cleanse – If you’re using heavy make up, or SPF protection on your skin during the day it can really help to double cleanse to make sure this is all thoroughly washed away, without traces left on your skin leading to blocked pores. What does double cleanse mean? It just means wash your face twice. Wash it once – and then do the same again right away.
Use lukewarm water – Always rinse your face with lukewarm water. Avoid hot water, and have it closer to the cold side than warm.
Use a gentle cleanser – The cleanser that you choose should be appropriate for your skin type, whether your face is dry, oily, or a combination type. But regardless, it’s best to go for a gentle cleanser without alcohol.
Don’t harshly scrub or rub – Remember that the skin on your face is very gentle. This skin needs to be treated with love and care. While cleansing your face, resist the temptation to rub it too vigorously, even if you are using an exfoliating cleanser. When drying your face, pat it dry with a soft towel; don’t rub your skin dry.
2. Have Different Morning and Nighttime Routines
As well as washing your face twice a day, you will also want to adjust your skincare routines depending on what time of day it is. You do not need to have an identical routine in the morning and at night. Switch it up according to the time.
Morning – In the morning, it is more about splashing your face with water and preparing it for makeup if you wear it, or your moisturizer and sunscreen. This is when you typically use a gentler cleanser and don’t need to double cleanse.
Night – Nighttime is best for double cleansing as you are washing off all of the dirt and products from the day. The first cleanse is to remove any makeup or products from your skin like sunscreen. Then, the second cleanse is to remove any remaining bacteria from your pores.
3. Change Your Skincare Based on the Seasons
As the weather changes, your skin’s needs will change too. Make sure to adjust your skincare routine accordingly.
Consider that in the spring and summer months, you are caring for your skin based on the hot weather and possibly humidity if you live somewhere that gets humid in summer. In the fall and winter, you pay more care to your lips that might get chapped, and care for dry skin that tends to occur in the wintertime.
In the summer, you might need more sunscreen, especially if you will be outside a lot on extremely hot days. SPF is important to protect your skin and guard against sun damage even on over cast days. The sun’s UV rays can cause a lot of damage not just on sunny days, but also during overcast ones. SPF is the only way to protect your skin from this damage.
Although sunlight has lots of benefits too like vitamin D, the sun’s rays can also cause a variety of health problems. These include premature aging, wrinkles, actinic keratosis, melasma, and skin cancer – so it makes sense to take care!
In the winter, you might need more moisturizer to care for your dry skin.
Winter is a tough time for people with dry skin. The cold, dry air can cause your skin to become even drier and more susceptible to cracking and flaking. Prevent this by using a moisturizer that’s right for you! Whether you use an oil-based or water-based moisturizer, the key is to find what works best for your skin type. Oil-based moisturizers are great for those with more dry skin, but they may clog pores on those with acne-prone skin. Many oils also contain vitamins and fatty acids that impart anti-aging benefits.
4. Focus on Nourishing Your Body
In many ways, the way your body looks on the outside comes down to how you treat it on the inside, and this includes your skin. Your skin is an extension of all the goodness that’s happening inside. It’s not just about acne or wrinkles; it’s also about overall health, vitality, and appearance.
Your gut can affect so many things, including how you look and feel. But proper nutrition is also about the vitamins and minerals you get. I know that the moment I start paying more attention to my nutrition and diet, I see the difference in my skin as well as in the way that I feel. And vice versa when I let my diet slip up, very soon the effects will be shown in my face.
Your skin needs all of those vitamins too! You might apply products with vitamin C and vitamin E to your skin, but what about inside your body? You can get these and other important nutrients directly from your food first.
An easy way to ensure you are getting proper nourishment for your skin is to eat a diet rich with all the colors of the rainbow, this comes easily from including a lot of fruit and vegetables.
Try to get as many colors as you can, from red and orange bell peppers, to yellow lemons, whole grains and potatoes for your beige and lighter colors, spinach or kale for your greens, bright berries for your purples, reds, and blues, and apples for your reds. The more colors you have at each meal, the more variety of different nutrients that meal will have – and your skin will feel the benefits.
If you need ideas and inspiration, check out our selection of healthy nourishing recipes to see you through breakfast, lunch and dinner.
5. Reduce Stress in Your Life
Having emotional stress can be very hard on both your mental and physical health, and your skin tends to show signs of stress before the rest of your body. Stress impacts your body and skin a lot more than people think. Not sure where the rosacea flare-up is from? Do you keep getting breakouts with no other cause? It could very well be from stress.
I know that I suffer from acne breakouts when I am extremely stressed or going through hard times, so it can be a prompt for me to take time to slow down and focus on myself a little bit, to try and get my mental health and wellbeing back on track.
Life is hard, and stress is inevitable but taking a few steps to give ourselves time to process our stress and work through it, can definitely help.
Now is a great time to add some daily methods for reducing stress. Here are some things you can do every day which will have a positive impact on your stress levels. You don’t need to do all of them, pick and choose the ones which resonate with you and your own needs.
- Write in a journal
- Take a walk outside
- Get more exercise
- Give yourself rest and breaks
- Get enough sleep
- Try yoga or tai-chi
- Take some time to meditate
- Do something you enjoy
- Diffuse essential oils
6. Drink Your Water
This one is so important!
Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! Your skin needs water and moisture, but not just on the outside. You need to nourish your body with plenty of water to stay hydrated. The more water you drink, the better your skin will start to look. You might not have actual pimples and blemishes, but if your skin just doesn’t look as tight and vibrant as it used to, it might just need a little extra hydration.
7. Use Sun Protection
If you only apply one thing on your face every day, it should be sunscreen. Even on days when it isn’t hot and sunny, when it might be cloudy or even snowing outside, the sun’s UV rays can still damage your skin, as we discussed on the weather section. Even a mild SPF is very helpful and will make a big difference to how your skin ages long term.
Make sure you are applying sunscreen to your face every single day, regardless of how much time you think you will spend outside and what the weather is like. You never know how much sun exposure your skin will get, and it needs protection!
I like to use Charlotte Tilbury light magic cream, which acts as a primer and has SPF included. This way I get my daily SPF, but you can choose whichever product is right for you based on your skin type and price range. I go for the light version because my skin tends towards being more oily.
Remember if you have fair or sensitive skin, you will probably need to apply sunscreen separately even if your moisturizer or makeup contains some SPF. You are prone to sunburns and damage to your skin, so it is extremely important not to skip this step.
A great sunscreen product that we would recommend is the Altruist dermatologist sunscreen, which is an SPF50. This brand is highly recommended by dermatologists!
8. Leave Skin Imperfections Alone
Stop picking your pimples! It may be tempting to pop or squeeze but it is not making them go away or helping them to heal. If anything, this is causing more damage to your skin, prolonging your acne, and might even be leaving behind scars. When you pop these, it can open up that skin to bacteria that could make it worse and give you even more acne.
9. Know How to Layer Skincare Products
Just like you would layer your makeup in a certain way, you also want to layer your skincare products properly. After you have washed your face, that is when you can use skincare products like a toner if you plan to use them. You will then do any skin treatment after the toner, such as using a mask. Following the mask is when you typically apply eye cream, serums, and then moisturizer. Put your sunscreen on top of your moisturizer, but beneath your makeup.
10. Don’t Overdo it
When it comes to skincare, people often try to experiment with all the products they can find, becoming overwhelmed by the advice from others who have successfully cleared their skin. While it is okay to try new things on your journey to better skin, you want to be careful not to overdo it.
It’s important to give your skin care routine time, rather than changing products and routines super regularly so that you become confused.
If you want to try a new product or skincare routine, do so slowly and gradually. Introduce just one product or skincare routine change at a time, then see how your skin reacts to it. Don’t try to do everything, or you are putting your skin through unnecessary steps and might be harming it further, and you won’t know which of the products is helping and which is hindering your clear skin.
11. Keep Your Bedding Clean
Bedding might not be something that immediately comes to mind when you think about your skin health. But, to reduce bacteria on your skin, you need to keep clean bedding, particularly when it comes to your pillow. You lay for 6-8 hours or longer every night on that pillowcase, so imagine what it is doing to your skin if it doesn’t get washed regularly.
Make sure you are washing your pillowcases at least once a week, but more often on nights when you might be sweating a lot such as during the summer time. Use a gentle laundry soap meant for sensitive skin, preferably unscented.
You may also want to wash your other bedding regularly as well, to keep it fresh since it might also come in contact with your face.
12. Care for the Skin You Have
The final habit is one that is really important and people often overlook.
Your skin is unique to you. It might have certain skin conditions, sensitivity to ingredients, or simply not do well with some face masks. You need to care for the individual skin you have, not the skin your friends have, or use all the same products that all of the beauty gurus are using. Pay attention to your skin and get to know what suits you the most in terms of your own skin care routine and products that you do well with.
If you have a condition like rosacea or eczema, you can’t really use all the toners, exfoliants, and serums that other people use who are not affected by these conditions. Talk to a dermatologist about treatments that work for your skin.
I hope that following the tips we have gone through above will help you keep your face and skin clear, healthy and happy!
If you would like to focus on the rest of your body, try our DIY Lavender sugar scrub which is made from all natural ingredients and works so well to exfoliate and leave you feeling refreshed.
Or if you’re considering a spray tan, take a look at our spray tan tips.
We hope these tips helped. Please go ahead and share this article with your friends or Pin to your boards on Pinterest. Thank you!
Anna is a Wales-based writer and graduate from SOAS University of London.
As the voice behind On Your Journey, she empowers women to embrace holistic well-being and spiritual growth through her expert insights into wellness and symbolism.
When she isn't writing thought-provoking articles, you'll find her busy crafting and raising her 4 children.
Some really good tips here, thanks!
Great tips. I’ve found a gentle organic cleanser, not washing my face regularly with water and a vegan diet to be the best for my skin and it has stopped all the spot breakouts and acne I regularly had for 30 years 🙂
Thank you, it’s not until you get older that you realise the importance of looking after your skin.