I don’t know about you, but over the last year I started really paying attention to the amount of money I was spending on beauty products. Once you hit your 30’s, your skin suddenly becomes your baby. The baby you neglected a bit too much in your younger years. (guilty!)
I decided to stop searching for a magic potion, save some money and start paying closer attention to the factors in my daily life. And by doing this, many of my skincare woes improved greatly, if not went away completely. Follow my lead here guys, and take a look at what may be affecting your skin as well.
Your Shower Temp
I truthfully had always kinda heard about this. Using extremely hot water strips the skin of the moisture it needs. In the midwest where I live, the winters are COLD! I would be lying if I said I took cold showers, but easing up on the heat did allow me to notice an improvement in my skin’s moisture. (It helped my hair too!)
Soap Choice
Speaking of showers, the type of soap you are using while you’re in it also makes a big difference. I always prioritized my face more than my body. I guess this is due to the fact that it’s the first thing I see in the mirror each day. But once I invested a tiny bit in a quality, organic body wash and or organic soap, I noticed more moisturized skin and less annoying skin flare ups on the body. Just be careful with those chemical soaps, harsh chemicals can strip your skin especially if they're being used on a daily basis.
Your Moisturizer
Looking back on it, laziness and poor ingredients made my moisturizing process basically pointless. As much as I loved the pretty smelling moisturizers I found at my local drugstore, I needed something free of all that product “fluff”. I went organic and scent free, which allowed me to scale back on other products I was using to resolve the issues they were actually creating. (who’d a thought!) Also, moisturizing immediately after your shower, is like night and day compared to moisturizing later in the day.
Your Cell Phone
Gross, I know. But think about it, we are obsessed with our devices. We’re constantly in touch with the world, which is both a blessing and a curse. There are constantly new germs passed onto our phones and yes, even if you are a clean freak about it. Aside from cleaning your phone more often, consider using bluetooth or headphones if you are constantly having it pressed to your face. That’s just a recipe for breakouts.
Sunshine
The obvious culprit here is that sun exposure can be drying and damaging to your skin, thus leading to all sorts of annoyances. Wrinkles, sun spots, flaky skin etc. OBVIOUSLY, use sunscreen to help if you aren’t already. Reapply often! I also noticed that the kind of sunscreen I was using also was impacting breakouts as well. It may be worth looking into if you are noticing some yourself. Vitamin D plays a major role in our skin's health.
Your Diet
You knew this was coming at some point. Water intake and eating clean is such a game changer for skin. I feel it’s one of the biggest changes I made, and it allowed my skin to glow much more naturally when I was consistent. (Did I mention my physical improvements such as bloat, headaches etc?!)
Work/ Life Balance
The pressure we are all under to be on top of our game, and productive 24-7 is honestly not natural. I recently had to do a serious evaluation of what was actually working for me in life. Money is important, yes, but often it's just the flow of our day and prioritizing some slow down time for ourselves. I decided to make some tweaks because I underestimated how much stress I was putting on myself. When I decreased that stress, my skin’s appearance improved. Less breakouts and a healthier glow without the dull/tired appearance.
Allergies
This is a big one. Allergies within your environment both indoor and out, can cause a huge variety of problems.This can be everything from product ingredients, dryer sheets, pet dander and more. For a more thorough look into this topic, click here. The point here being, think outside the box and look beyond what you apply directly to your skin. Other factors can be contributing to acne, eczema, psoriasis and more.
Amount of Sleep
7-9 hours is generally what we all need. Determine where you fall within that range by experimenting and seeing what makes YOU feel and look your absolute best. I don’t know about you, but I basically look awful when I do not get my beauty rest. My face looks puffy, tired and gray. I’ll fall victim to dark circles and truthfully appear much older. Prioritizing my sleep makes literally every other part of my life better. Netflix can wait till tomorrow. :)
Sleeping Environment
While we are chatting about sleep. Are you actively washing your sheets and pillowcases? You may think you are being thorough with your face washing or general cleanliness and you may very well be. But there will always be some left over, and this can build up on your sheets quickly. Make sure you keep them clean and don’t cause unnecessary breakouts due to this.
There ya have it guys. Each and every one of these had an affect on my skin. It’s crazy how blind I was to what was right in front of me. Remember, it’s important to be consistent with any changes you make. Though we all love a quick fix, it will take time to see many of the noted improvements, and some you might see right away. (Yippee!) Hope this helps! Drop a comment below to let us know what you think.
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Fivesso Team
Be Natural. Feel Natural.
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