6 Affordable Ways to Keep Your Skin Young

Everyone wants to look radiant and young. One way we strive toward this is by trying to keep our skin healthy as possible.

The problem?

There are thousands of products promising to give us a beautiful youthful glow. But unfortunately, very few live up to that promise. This is because most beauty companies focus on the skin’s surface and not what lies beneath.

The real key to keeping your skin young is getting it healthy from the inside out. After all, with the skin being mostly nonporous, most of the moisturizer applied to your dry skin isn’t being absorbed.

That’s not to say moisturizers don’t work– but you certainly can’t rely on them at the expense of other methods. The worst part? The more products you use, the more money you’re spending. Keeping your skin healthy is expensive, but it doesn’t have to be.

6 Budget-Friendly Skincare Tips

Check out Vitality Today's top 6 ways to keep your skin young and healthy– without breaking the bank.

1. Keep Your Skin Hydrated

Every part of your body requires hydration to stay healthy. Your skin is no exception.

However, keeping your skin hydrated is not as simple as drinking 8-12 glasses of water a day. While commonly touted as the number one skincare tip, it’s nothing but a myth. Although your skin does absorb some of the water you drink, almost none of it reaches the top layer.

Instead, use a hydrating toner after cleansing your face. The toner should be free of any SD alcohol 40, denatured alcohol or exfoliating acids. Don’t be afraid to experiment until you find the toner perfect for your specific skin type.

2. Eat Healthily

You might expect us to say greasy foods cause greasy skin, but that’s yet another skincare myth! Of course, that’s not to say greasy foods are healthy – they most certainly aren’t.

And while greasy foods won’t directly impact your skin, they can impact the rest of your body just as negatively.

For this reason, if you want healthy skin, focus on consuming a healthy, balanced diet including omega fatty acids and antioxidants – the more organic, the better. Fresh fruits will also promote healthy, glowing skin, while veggies will help keep the glow alive.

If you’re looking for a food type to avoid, cut your dairy intake drastically. Dairy products can increase your likelihood of cystic acne breakouts.

3. Have a Simple but Regular Skincare Routine

To repeat an earlier sentiment, it’s unlikely you can afford Patrick Bateman’s insane grooming routine (Aside from financial costs – it took him half the morning to get ready). However, you also can’t afford to have a skincare routine.

Here’s how to go about it:

1. Use a basic homemade exfoliation scrub for your cleansing routine
2. After rinsing your face with warm water, immediately apply an alcohol-free toner
3. Finally, apply your moisturizer

4. Use Natural Products

In the previous tip, we added some links to DIY skin care products you can make at home. All of them use natural ingredients and are easy to make at little cost.

There’s a reason for this: natural products work the best. Here are 10 basic (yet useful) ingredients for healthy, youthful skin:

• Honey
• Turmeric
• Oatmeal
• Yogurt
• Coconut oil
• Lemon
• Bell peppers
• Dark chocolate (sugar-free)
• Coffee
• Red wine

5. Stay Safe in the Sun

Sun exposure is one of your skin’s worst enemies. Don’t avoid the sun entirely (that’s also bad for you!), but be smart about how much exposure you get.

Here’s the trick: use a lightweight, SPF 30 sunscreen and apply it often and generously, especially if you’re in the sun often. Most people fall for marketing tricks; thinking the higher the SPF, the better – but anything above SPF 50 offers the same protection.

Don’t ease up on the sunscreen in winter. UVB rays aren’t as common, but UVA rays (which cause wrinkling and skin cancer) are just as strong.

And if your skin is ultra-sensitive or fair, try using baby sunscreen!

6. Look After Your Makeup Brushes

Before we get started on looking after your makeup brushes, let’s dispel one more myth: makeup is bad for your skin.

Makeup is not bad for your skin! Even makeup that doesn’t list any SPF number is helping to protect your skin from the sun, which is important for healthy, young skin. But of course, you do want to wear the right makeup. Read more about makeup and healthy skin here.

As for your makeup brushes and sponge

When you use your brushes and then store them, they gather dirt. The old makeup left on them is especially welcoming to bacteria that will eventually wreak havoc on your skin!

Clean your makeup brushes and sponges regularly using baby shampoo and conditioner. If it’s been a while or someone else has borrowed them, add a drop of antiseptic too.

Have you got any secret, affordable ways to keep your skin young? Tell us about them in the comments below!