Every time you go to the drug store, it can feel very overwhelming to see so many options all at once. Looking at the prices, does it really have to be so expensive caring for your skin? You may have been following the skincare golden rules like getting enough sleep, drinking at least eight glasses of water, and washing your face, but you know you’ll have to get items for everything in between.
Fortunately, when it comes to caring for your skin, there’s no need to break the bank. You only have to adopt a few skin-healthy habits, curb your products down to what you really need, and be consistent. Caring for your skin doesn’t have to be so expensive. Here are some low-cost skincare tips:
Wash Your Pillowcases Often and Choose the Right Textile
If you get acne breakouts more frequently, ask yourself if you’ve been washing or changing your pillowcase often. Bacteria, oil, and dirt from the environment, hair, and face usually accumulate in the pillowcase. All these can lead to acne breakout.
Try to wash your pillow cover every week, so have at least more than one set to swap the dirty ones with. Those with severe acne breakouts can significantly benefit from changing their pillowcases even as often as every night.
The best textile to use for a pillowcase is silk since it reduces squishing, especially when you sleep on your side. Washed silk pillowcases make your skin glide more easily, consequently reducing wrinkles and creases. They prevent your hair from getting all tangled up and broken, too. If you want better-looking skin that looks like you’ve had a facial the moment you wake up, switch to using a silk pillowcase.
Sleep the Smart Way
Aside from using silk for pillow covers and cleaning them more often, another way to get clearer, healthier-looking skin is getting adequate sleep with consistent hours and schedules. Get eight hours of sleep every night as much as possible to prevent circulation impairment, resulting in skin that looks pale and tired.
Watch your sleeping position, too. As much as possible, sleep on your back. This way, you avoid squishing your face into the pillows every time you sleep; hence, avoiding wrinkles and fine lines.
The culprit for causing wrinkles next to UV rays’ exposure is getting your face squished into the pillows every night. It’s as if you’re ironing wrinkles into your face when you sleep on your side and smash your face to the pillow cover.
Buy Only What You Really Need
Overdoing skincare with too many products can only damage your skin, leading to clogged pores and breakouts. Don’t layer various products; just use the right ones and what your skin really needs, which includes cleansers, moisturizers, and protection.
In terms of cleansers, choose products with benzoyl peroxide or salicylic gel if you have oily, prone to acne skin. If your skin is dry, choose moisturizing cleansers like milky or glycolic cleansers. Brightening cleansers such as those with alpha hydroxy acid can be an excellent choice for skin with melasma or brown spots.
After cleansing your face, moisturize, preferably after showering and before going to bed. Some dermatologists wouldn’t recommend oil-based moisturizer, claiming it strips the skin of its natural ability to produce oil. You may opt for non-irritating oil- and fragrance-free moisturizers since they work for almost all types of skin.
It’s crucial for moisturizers to have vitamin C, ceramides, and hyaluronic acid. Vitamin C provides skin brightening and antioxidant protection, ceramide strengthens the skin barrier, and hyaluronic acid can restore the skin’s lost hydration; hence, plumping the skin.
Lastly, wear sunscreen at all times, rain or shine. This is your first line of protection from sun-derived wrinkling and skin cancer. There are two major types of sunscreen—mineral and chemical-based sunscreens. You can choose any of the two, but make sure you get sunscreen with an SPF 30 or higher.
Manage Stress
Just like lack of sleep, stress can have a direct impact on your skin, too. Combine both, and you increase the production of the hormone cortisol in your body, leading to more oil or sebum production, then clogged pores. Finally, you get acne breakouts.
Make sure to manage your stress in every way—meditate, exercise, read a book, and do any other activities that can help you destress and unwind.
Have Healthy, Glowing Skin
It helps to have most days in a week makeup-free, too. If you can, apply makeup only on special occasions. But if you can’t go out without makeup, make sure to clean your brushes regularly. Use gentle skin products and hydrate all the time. With these practices, you can keep your skin looking fresh year-round.
