Great hydration is the key to getting skin that’s smooth, soft, younger-looking and glowy. Integrating techniques for proper hydration into your daily skin care routine should be one of your top priorities if you’re looking to really treat your skin right. However, there are hundreds of tips out there for keeping your skin hydrated, and finding the right ones can be a challenge.
Fortunately, you can boil these endless tips down to three main points that will help you keep your skin well-hydrated and healthy day in and day out:
1. Pay Attention to Ingredients
Too often, people buy any skincare product on sale without even glancing at the ingredients. After all, it’s a product for skin care designed by professionals so it must work, right? Unfortunately, this isn’t always true. In the case of many cleansers, for example, alcohol is among the first ingredients listed on the package. Alcohol is one of the biggest contributors to dry skin, along with sulfates, parabens and other artificial ingredients included in many big-name brands.
Learn what you want to avoid in products and ensure you’re reading up on the formula before you integrate a cleanser, exfoliator or acne treatment into your routine. Ideally, you want to avoid any products with:
- Sulfates
- Parabens
- Pesticides
- Bleach
- Chlorine
It seems obvious that these are not things that should be used in a face moisturizer for sensitive skin, but this is often the case. Be sure you’re working with a brand known for using pure, natural ingredients that nourish skin rather than dry out and damage it. Check out what buyers have to say about products before you buy, too. Looking at Meltdown reviews and other comments from real users can give you a great idea of what to expect from a product before you buy.
2. Hydrate Every Day
Now that you have the right products in your arsenal, it’s time to make sure you’re using them often enough. Your skin care routine should be precisely that – a routine that you perform each and every day. Doing your routine every few days or once per week isn’t going to get you the well-hydrated, healthy, glowing skin you want. You have to use your hydrating skin care products every day.
This is especially true for your moisturizer. A good, quality moisturizer that locks in hydration and protects your face’s most sensitive skin from everyday threats is a must-have. Apply your moisturizer every day, especially in the morning before you head out to take on your schedule and at night before you go to bed. At certain times of the year – like the winter months – you may even need to apply your moisturizer more often throughout the day. Your skin needs constant access to moisture to stay well-hydrated. It can be a demanding job, but the results are definitely worth it.
3. Change Up Your Diet
Finally, hydrate from the inside out. Not only should you be drinking water throughout the entire day, but you should also incorporate water-rich foods into your everyday diet. These can include:
- Melon
- Cucumbers
- Berries (of all varieties)
- Peaches
- Bell peppers
- Celery
Healthy snacks like these provide your body with a good dose of moisture throughout the day and allow you to hydrate your skin in a more natural, thoughtful way all day long.
Changing your diet, using your products often and being conscious of the ingredients you’re putting on your skin are all great ways to keep your skin hydrated. And even better- they’re easy steps that anyone can take. Start treating your skin right today and get that glowy, healthy look you’ve been missing in no time.
