Skin Care Maintenance Every Woman Should Adopt
When it comes to Korean skin care, more is more. (Heard of the exhaustive ten-step routine that Korean women follow daily?) If you don't quite have the time (or money) for this kind of multi-step process, you're in luck. Here are some quick tips that every woman can follow!
Always Follow the 10-Second Rule
After you take a shower, you're supposed to apply your toner within 10 seconds. The faster you can lock in that moisture and keep your skin protected, the better...same goes for moisturizer.
Wear Protective Accessories (Even When You Aren't at the Beach)
Korean women take a preventative approach to aging at a very young age, whereas women in the U.S. tend to wait until they see that first line or wrinkle. Not only should using SPF be ingrained, but you should also take protective measures against the sun year round.
Moisturize Every Day and Night
The best times to moisturize are right after you get out of the shower and right before you go to bed.
Hydrate - in Every Way Possible
Every skin expert emphasizes the importance of hydration. Choose products (cleansing, moisturizing, and anti-aging) that have hydrating formulas. And, of course, drink around eight glasses of water a day. Good luck with that! I am personally now using a bottle that measures out my water intake by the hour!
Exfoliate a Few Times a Week
We lose 50 million skin cells a day, and without a little extra nudge, they may hang around leaving the skin looking dead. To fight this, you should choose a product that is pH neutral so it doesn't dry as it exfoliates. Also you don’t need to use sandpaper to exfoliate, in fact we encourage you not to do thatas it will aggravate those with sensitive skin.
Don’t Just Eat Your Vitamins
A balanced diet is important, but there's more than one way to give your skin vitamins. There are also topical antioxidants, which are serums and creams that contain ingredients that nourish the skin. These can really help to repair the skin from sun damage and they also have natural sunscreen properties. Not sure how to use them? The best time to apply them is right after cleansing, or they can be layered under your sunscreen for added protection.
Sleep Well
It's not just about getting eight hours a night. Getting uninterrupted sleep that’s not alcohol induced isalways a good way to go!
Maintain a Healthy Diet
Your skin has a natural barrier to retain moisture, and essential to that is omega-3 fatty acid. Flax seeds on your salad or even walnuts will be an instant boost to your omega-3, thus increasing your skin's ability to hold onto moisture. And be sure to eat a diet low in foods with a high glycemic index (simple and complex carbohydrates).