Skin Beauty 101: Simple Steps to beautiful skin

Having beautiful skin is something that we all strive for, but it can often seem like an intimidating endeavour. Knowing what to do with the products, treatments, and regimes can be challenging. But it doesn't have to be complicated.

Skin beauty 101 can give you the knowledge to make informed decisions about your skincare routine. You can achieve beautiful skin without hassle with the right products and simple steps. This guide will provide you with the basics of skin beauty, including what to look for when you hunt for products, the best skincare routine and all the other factors you must consider when caring for your skin.

With this knowledge, you can confidently navigate the wide world of skincare and craft a routine that works for you. So, let's get started on your journey to beautiful skin!

Affiliate Disclosure: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links. We might receive an affiliate commission if you click the link and purchase an item. All of the opinions on this blog are my own.

Let's get real for a minute.

No magic cream or potion will solve the problem of our skin getting old. The truth is, when it comes to looking after your skin, it is a range of factors that you need to consider. We all get older every day, so without the budget for excellent plastic surgeons, you cannot prevent those laugh lines or genetic ageing qualities we inherit. But you can slow it down a little. You can absolutely have fantastic-looking skin at any age. Let's get into it!

STEP 1 – Pick Your Skincare Brand

There are plenty of excellent and economical skincare brands out there. It's essential to understand why I used the word ‘brand' rather than ‘product' because their products are designed to work together. It would be impossible for Olay to test their moisturiser with Weleda or Nivia or the hundreds of other brands today.

If your skincare line isn't delivering the desired results, switch to a new brand with various products. Choosing a skincare line and sticking with their suggested regimen is the best way to achieve optimal results.

Don't forget you must try a brand & routine consistently for three months to ensure it works properly and give your skin time to heal and respond.

STEP 2 – The Best Simple Beauty Routine

Once you have picked the best Brand for your skin type, you need to follow it up with a great Beauty Routine. If you buy the products that correspond to the below steps, you are well on your way to beautiful skin.

Daily Routine

SPF

Sun exposure can lead to wrinkles, age spots and even skin cancer. Make sure you wear sunscreen with broad-spectrum protection that blocks UVA and UVB rays.

once a week – Facial Scrub

Exfoliating your skin is essential to remove the dead, flaky dead skin cells that can leave you looking dull and tired. Exfoliation is also important because it helps ensure that your products can penetrate deep into your pores.

once a month – The Mask

Clay Masks are a “deep” cleanse and suck out impurities, so doing it more often than once a month might harm your skin, but at the same time, they are full of skin-loving minerals and can help your skin look its best.

What are the best essential oils with anti-ageing antioxidants?

Antioxidants are the key to anti-ageing skincare. Antioxidants fight off the free radicals that can lead to wrinkles, fine lines, and other signs of ageing. They also help prevent pre-cancerous cells from becoming cancerous. But Essential Oils are often packed with antioxidants that can help. Here are my top oils to help add the extra nutrients your skin needs:

• Chamomile
• French Lavender
• Frankincense
• Rose Geranium
• Patchouli

STEP 3 – The Best Vitamins (and food) for fantastic looking skin

If you want a more in-depth review of this, I have written about which foods go towards helping your skin look radiant. Below is a summary of the points made in that post.

A note on mental health and Hormones

When stress, depression and high hormone levels manifest, they can adversely affect our health. Not only can these conditions have physical aspects, but they also produce premature skin ageing and unwelcome hair growth.

If you suffer from depression, then always seek professional help. Helping keep your mental state in check is the most important thing you can do for yourself.

Three hormones regulate the condition of our skin, and they contradict each other! It's a delicate tango between Progesterone, Cortisol and Estrogen.

Progesterone

Stimulates sebum production or the skin's oil glands. It can cause the skin to swell, diminishing wrinkles and compressing the look of pores. Too much can make your skin oily, though!

TOP TIP: Keep levels high by increasing your intake of vitamins B and C, and eat more foods with Zinc, like shellfish, as they can control stress levels, and our body releases cortisol instead of progesterone when stressed.

Thought – Is this why people living near the ocean seem more relaxed?

Cortisol

The evil twin to progesterone, this hormone also stimulates the production of the oil glands in the skin. However, too much of it can clog pores and result in acne. Cortisol is a stress response, so constantly increased cortisol levels will hurt your skin health.

TOP TIP: Keep cortisol levels low by getting all the nutrients you need, getting a good night's sleep, and exercising regularly.

Estrogen

Prevents a decrease in skin collagen and elastin. It also helps keep skin moisturised, which is why post-menopausal skin is typically drier. To support proper hormone function, increase your fruit and vegetable intake, and eliminate foods cooked in vegetable or canola oils. Instead, use oils rich in fatty acids and omega-3s, such as olive oil. Avoid highly-processed foods and sugary treats, too.

Suppose you were going to go out today armed with a shopping list of the top 30 skin-boosting ingredients. In that case, this is what your shopping list would look like (apologies to all the vegans and vegetarians out there, I'll work on a separate article for you). This shopping list is animal product heavy. Nevertheless, they are at the top of the list of edible products.

What is the takeaway from all this?

As shown above, to have the best skin that your genes allow, you must eat the right food, drink more water, keep an active lifestyle, and regularly look after your skin and the most critical person in the world, YOU. If you are new to all this skincare stuff, then do it slowly, and make small changes bit by bit.

If you want to find the essential oils mentioned in this article, please head to my shop for inspiration!