Aging is a fact of life. And if you’re lucky, you’ll be blessed to do it for many, many years. But let’s be real – most of us want to stay looking young and having that fresh-faced glow. From genetics to lifestyle factors, there are so many elements involved in maintaining younger looking skin. A few key lifestyle factors include daily exercise, not smoking, limiting your alcohol intake, sleeping eight or more hours per night, and keeping your stress levels low.
At 42, I definitely look younger than I am. I am often asked what my secret is to younger looking skin. The above lifestyle factors are definitely important, but some specific nutrition and skin care regime moves really help. In this week’s blog, I will share my favorite anti-aging skin care tricks with you.
Nutrition plays an important role in how your skin looks. Caring for your skin from the inside out. To me, that means few if any refined or processed foods, little to no sugar, little to no meat. Things to add would include eggs, avocados, hemp seeds and coconut oil. Drinking plenty of water to keep you skin hydrated is also really important. Overall, increasing the antioxidants in your diet with fresh fruits and veggies is also key.
Next, the weather elements can wreak havoc on your skin in Canada. Think about how your hands feel on a cold day if you forget your mitts. They feel dried out, sore, and even cracked. The same thing happens to our faces and necks if we don’t cover up. In the summer, the sun can do tons of damage too. Ensuring you use a moisturizer with an SPF of 30 or more is key. Cover up with a hat and high-quality sunglasses, or stay in the shade if you can – the more exposure to the sun the older our skin will look.
In terms of skin care, I try to keep it simple. One of the most important things we can do for our skin is to ensure we wash our faces and remove all of the makeup every single night before we go to bed. I try my best to be chemical free in my home and with my skin care products, so ensuring I use a gentle wash that is glycerin, paraben and sulfate free is important. I also like to read the ingredients to see what is really in there.
Next, I use a gentle exfoliator two to three times per week. In the summer, it is really important to do this at night NOT during the day, as that leaves your skin wide open for more damage. I use ‘Everyone for Every Body Face Exfoliator and Mask’. It’s super affordable and gentle on my skin…I have sensitive skin, so that is important when I am looking for great skincare products. Exfoliating gives your skin a young glow and leaves your face feeling fresh and healthy.
Once my skin is clean, I use Clinique’s Clarifying Lotion. It is a true game changer for great skin. The purpose of this step is to take away flakes and refine pores to showcase a clearer complexion. It removes dead cells from the surface of your skin helping moisturizer immerse deeper into your skin.
Once every week or two, I like to use Brie’s Botanicals Renew Serum. I have oily skin, so my face works best if this is used about every ten days. Her entire skin care line is really terrific, she is a local Winnipeger and a total gem of a human. If you haven’t used any of her products, I would strongly recommend checking them out here.
The final step is moisturizer! I honestly sometimes feel like I have tried the majority of what is in Sephora for this one. I need something that is not going to clog my pores, is anti-aging, has an SPF (daytime), and has little to no chemicals in it. I’m sort of high maintenance! For daytime, I use Origins Plantscription SPF 25 and I absolutely love it. For nighttime, I found this super cool Canadian company called Annanda Chaga Mushrooms. From my many years in the sun and not always protecting my skin, I started getting brown spots on my cheeks in my late 30’s. I wanted to do something about it that wasn’t going to chemically peal my face off! This company has a terrific nighttime moisturizer called Chaga Mushroom Skin Cream. I’m obsessed. Use this code to get 10% off your order if you’re interested in trying them out.
Every person’s skin is different. While we all want to have beautiful, glowing skin, it is also important to remember that we earned every single one of those laugh lines and wrinkles and they are beautiful.
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