The Bare Minimum

     There's a minimum level of effort you need to put into your skin. Period. There are some people (you might be one of them) who never wash their face. They just kind of rinse it off in the shower and that's about it. Their skin is always flawless, not a breakout or blemish in sight. Lucky! But that doesn't mean that their skin is healthy. I liken it to people who are able to eat whatever they like, we're talking carbs, sugars, sodas, all of it, and never workout, but still manage to slide into size 2 skinny jeans. It's hard not to hate them! But just because they're thin, doesn't mean they're healthy. These days we use weight as the number one criteria for health, and for skin we use number of breakouts/blemishes as the rubric. These are good indicators for each, but it's not definitive. You can have a perfect BMI and have any number of chronic health conditions. You can have clear skin, but it's so dehydrated and sun-damaged that you're well on your way to Saggy Town and Wrinkle Ville. On the Express Train, no less. Have fun looking like you qualify for AARP before you even hit 40. Don't fool yourself into thinking that you don't need to make an effort with your skin because you don't get breakouts. That's ignorant and it's time to expand your horizons.

     

     You MUST wash your face twice a day. Always. Without fail. Unless you're actually having an emergency, i.e. in the hospital. You need to wash sweat, dead cells, bacteria, and oil, off your skin in the morning, and you need to get rid of all the environmental pollutants, makeup, oil, dead cells, and SPF on your face at the end of the day. NEVER use wipes as your only cleansing step. In fact, I'd use wipes sparingly (actually, I only use wipes to clean up my hands at makeup artist jobs). Those will NOT cut it! Use a cleanser or oil, warm water, and a washcloth (or Clarisonic if you need it). Take your time and do a second cleanse in the evening if you wear heavy makeup or high SPF. If you're using a gentle cleanser this will not dehydrate or irritate your skin. 

     You should probably use a chemical exfoliant next, but some people just aren't going to do that. I get it. If you've got zero skin issues just move on to a treatment. 

     If you're rocking that clear skin, choose an antioxidant serum that will "feed" your skin. It needs to be full of ceramides, vitamins, and cell-communicating ingredients that keep your skin functioning at its healthiest. Top with a moisturizer and make sure to apply an SPF during the day. Done! Now, keep it up. Again, do your steps morning and evening so your skin stays healthy. This is the bare minimum. If you're blessed with clear and even skin, this is likely all you'll ever need. For those of us blessed (burdened?) with more difficult skin, we're going to have to put a little more elbow grease into the routine. That's just life, folks. But we WILL make things work, by you know, actually working. 

     Stay tuned for my next post where I lay out my current skincare routine.