6 Things You Should Know About Skincare! (For men and women)

Ever noticed how some celebrities, Royals and occasionally, some elderly people in villages and suburbs look  way younger, with firm and toned skin ? Ever wondered how they achieved it?

Vera Wang, American wedding dress designer at 72! 

Is it just genetic luck? Excess money? Undiluted, non-city air, or some futuristic science?

Asap Rocky's skin and beauty expert girlfriend might be good influence, but this man openly spoke about skincare in recent interviews. And we are proud. 😋😉

Well, it's all these things and more. 

So, how can we mere mortals, non celebs and non royals attain and maintain glowing, young looking skin?

1. Good Food: The importance of a balanced diet to the overall maintenance of the body can not be overemphasized. For most of us (especially Nigerians/Africans), 90% of our meals compose of carbs & starch...yam, rice, garri, spaghetti, bread, beans etc. 

We learnt balanced diet as kids, we need to practice it as adults...

For proper maintenance of your body, incorporate proteins into your meal. Make fruits & vegetables a part of your  meal.  Learn to juice, cut back on soft drinks, learn to eat 1 fruit/vegetable a day, make taking natural teas part of your daily habit. (just check out Asian skin.... And how much tea they drink!)

Eat more of raw fruits & vegetables, they are filled with vitamins, minerals & antioxidants that helps keep you healthy, and  good looking. You are what you eat, and this is stating the obvious (as we know the right thing to do). We need to constantly remind ourselves to be intentional about healthy eating.

2. Water: Most beauticians, fitness coaches, and health conscious people are often seen not with a bottle of juice, but a bottle of water cos they understand the importance of water in their beauty routine. No, it's not show off, or to form Lagos big girl/boy, it's a form of skincare.

An adult should take at least 2.5L of water a day. This keeps you hydrated, it flushes out toxins from your body, protects your organs & tissues etc.

When your body is properly hydrated, your skin is fresher, younger, glowing & dewy. Look at plants;  when they're not watered, they look dry, dull, weak & stunted; give them water and see how they flourish in a few days! It works that way for humans too. Your skincare products are not working? Okay, are you drinking enough water tho?

Dear men, conscious care for your skin doesn't make you less 'straight' or unholy.

3. Skincare: Once you're well fed and watered..lol. Your skincare routine should be  the next important thing on your list.

By skincare, I do not mean makeup, or regular body creams and bathing soap, or organic, whitening or black soaps everyone sells these days (for men and women)

 Skincare has never really been a popular part of African culture. If you're not born to a royal or super wealthy family, your parents probably introduced you to toilet soaps or antiseptic soaps ( Joy, Lux, Irish Springs, Dettol, Premier), popular creams and lotions like Vaseline and cocoa butter. Period. 

When we got to teenage, some of us were introduced to antifungal creams that we put on our face for pimples and looked white the whole of Saturday (probably felt like big boys and girls too. Lol)

Then came the Baby face cleanser (which I only recently learned is a toner. A face cleanser is something totally different, and necessary in your routine.

As adults, some of us have started to pay some attention to our skin, but some still believe that skincare is expensive, and should be dabbled into when you  made some good money. They are not wrong. (See number 7) They are not right either, because just as we have to eat, and drink water, we have to take care of our skin. It is the largest organ of our body after all, and it needs to be properly cared for from the inside, out. 

Skincare is a routine. It's the things you do daily, weekly, monthly to keep your skin looking young & vibrant.

Daily skincare routine should comprise; Cleanse, Tone, Serum, Moisturizer, Sunscreen (Day)/Eye cream(Night).

Weekly routine should comprise; Cleanse, Steam, Exfoliate, Tone, Serum, Eye Cream, Moisturizer. 

If these sound like German to you, then you should hit up a skin care expert for more detailed advice. (These days, everyone knows a skincare expert, but if not, I'll be recommending some at the end of this post)

PS: A skincare expert is not necessarily an organic soap maker/seller.

4.  Exercise; Most people have come to believe they'll only need to exercise when they're overweight.  This is False. Exercising should be a regular part of your daily or weekly routine. The mantra should be keeping fit & not losing weight. Exercise because you love your body, not because you hate how it looks/feels and want to change it.

If you belong to this group, raise your hands, let's get to know ourselves. 😁

Seriously though, the right kind of exercising helps tone your muscles, sharpens your mind, relieves anxiety & stress, firms your skin & keep you internally happy. When you are happy on the inside, you feel lighter, you feel younger & more vibrant. In summary, exercising is anti-aging when done right. 

Anyway, before you pick up a dumbbell, ask a fitness expert what kind of exercise will be best for your body type, and body goal you're trying to achieve.

 5. Sleep: Yes, sleep is important to the overall performance of your health. Appreciate sleeping. You should have at least 6 hours of good sleep. You know some of your skincare products work best when you are sleeping? Your cells renews itself when you are sleeping. Lack of sleep can make you develop unexpected wrinkles, eye bags, look older, feel tired. Sleeping rejuvenates your skin, sharpens your mind, improves your mood. It gets more difficult for busy adults, especially creative minds, but we can do it.  So, practise having a good night rest❤️

 

6. Money: Please, have money. 🌚 When you have money to solve your basic needs of food, housing & clothing; spending money on your skin won't seem like waste of money.

Normalize luxury. Get gadgets that can make you do things easier & faster. No one has ever been given a medal for being the most overworked. You don't have to fix every broken thing in the house yourself. Pay a professional to do that sometimes.

Learn to pamper yourself. Your skin will thank you. 

These are 6 factors I know can make one look younger than their age. How many of them are you practicing already? Please, share with us in the comment section. 

Written by @skincaretools4you and edited by RHD.

PS: Check out these handles for skincare questions and tips @skincaretools4you @theboujeeskinpriest 

You're welcome. 

XoXo: RHD 💜💜💜