via Shay Mitchell

1.  Making sure the skin is actually clear of makeup, excess oil, or dirt by double cleansing or using a toner. If you don’t wear any form of makeup, double cleansing might not be totally necessary but in my honest opinion, making sure your skin is completely clean is better than not being sure at all. Double cleansing works by breaking down makeup, pollutants, grime, etc and further cleanses the skin by getting deeper into the pores. You can do this by using a micellar water or an oil based cleanser first followed up by a regular cleanser.

If you prefer to keep things simple and traditional, a toner essentially does the same thing except you wipe it across the skin with a cotton pad after you finish cleansing. My favorite type is one that is alcohol free so my skin doesn’t dry out.

 

2. Applying products that address any issues during the regenerating process. The skin is most receptive at night as you’re sleeping since that is when the regenerating, recovery process occurs. Since cell production tends to double or triple between 11pm and 4am (give or take a few hours), it’s best to apply potent products such as a night cream or brightening serum so your skin can fully absorb them.

 

3. Please, please, please exfoliate! Your skin naturally goes through cycles every 28-30 days where it sheds to make room for new cells and sometimes these stubborn cells don’t completely shed. So basically, if you don’t exfoliate, you might just have dead skin cells hanging out on your face. This can make the skin look dull, dry, or dirty and on top of that, it will be a bit hard for other products to fully do their job. I’d recommend manually exfoliating at least once a week at the bare minimum. If you notice your skin can handle the process, I’d up it to twice a week. If you’d prefer a gentle chemical exfoliating cleanser, it can be used everyday. Some prefer to use it every other day, but I’ve noticed the best results with daily usage. You can read more on the difference between chemical and manual exfoliating here.

 

4. Lastly, don’t forget to pay attention to your neck. We focus so much on making sure our face is clear and free of the typical issues such as acne, redness, etc. that we forget to take care of our neck. I’m obsessed with making sure my neck is always moisturized because the skin on the neck is way more fragile than the skin on our face and body. It surprisingly shows signs of aging way faster than anything else, so applying anti-aging products and products designed to improve moisture is the best way to make sure the area stays youthful and compliments all the work you’ve put into the skin on your face.

I personally use the same night cream I use on my face or a thick lotion followed up by an essential oil. My favorite oils to use are vitamin e or rosehip seed although there are plenty others to choose from. Check out my post on essential oils for ideas!

 

If you have more to add to the list of things you don’t think should be skipped, drop a comment and let us know in the comment section below ♥