THE SKIN You're IN

1) Maintain a healthy lifestyle. This advice is easier said than done. With school and many other responsibilities, putting aside time to take care of yourself can sound impossible. However, achieving a healthy lifestyle is crucial in keeping your skin healthy. Exercising, eating a balanced diet, getting enough sleep, and staying hydrated are all important factors. Set a goal of practicing one of these habits everyday and slowly add in the others when you’re comfortable. Soon, you’ll be on your way to achieving a healthy lifestyle. Not to mention the reward of happy, healthy skin!

2) Avoid touching your face. Touching your face is a habit that can be hard to leave behind. Whether you have an itch or lean your face on your hand, we all touch our faces many times throughout the day without a second thought. Unfortunately, your hands hold a lot of dirt, oil, and bacteria, which can easily spread on your face and cause breakouts as well as clogged pores. The only time you should really touch your face is when applying skincare products. Still, make sure that your hands are clean during your skincare routine. With the pandemic entwined, wearing face masks at school all day definitely doesn’t help. Your face can get irritated and filth can get trapped. Wash your face at least two times a day- once in the morning and once at night- and change out face masks for clean ones every day to prevent this.

3) Change pillow cases often. When you sleep, dirt, sweat, and your skin's oils are all absorbed into your pillow case. This transfers to your skin, causing breakouts. The simplest solution is to replace or wash your pillowcase every few days. It also helps if you use silk pillowcases rather than cotton ones. Silk pillow cases are less absorbent and provide less friction, meaning that your skin won't be irritated.

4) Wear sunscreen. Perhaps the most important part of skincare is sunscreen. Of course, sunscreen protects your skin from the harmful rays that cause sunburn. But applying sunscreen can also be beneficial in other ways: it can prevent skin aging and reduce your risk of skin cancer. It is recommended to choose a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 and apply it every two hours, even if it's a cloudy day.

Other skincare products can also be used to add additional protections and benefits. Cleansing and moisturizing are basic necessities when it comes to taking care of your skin. Cleansing removes bacteria, dirt, or oil trapped in your skin. Moisturizing is soothing and prevents dry skin. These are the basic products that everyone should use, but additional products could also be needed. Decide whether you need any additional products based on your specific skin type.

5) Limit makeup. Although it might not be bad to wear makeup every day, wearing it for extensive time periods can be harmful. Your pores are more likely to get clogged, preventing your skin from “breathing” and going through its natural phases. This can make you prone to breakouts, drier or more oily skin, and other damaging reactions. You can avoid this by double cleansing and remembering to take your makeup off before you go to bed every night.