Well, it finally happened – you turned thirty. You’re practically as old as Methuselah now, might as well start referring to teenagers as youngsters, going to bed before 10 pm and complaining about technology. The world as you know it is clearly coming to an end. Or you could, you know, not do any of that and embrace the fact that your thirties are probably going to be the best years of your life and that you’re by no means old in any way. Most women worry about what might happen to their skin, but while our everyday routine does require some updates, the quality of our skin doesn’t degrade if you protect it. Instead of worrying about whether you’ll end up looking like an old hag, simply take these steps to ensure your skin retains its youthful glow.
No more slacking
In your twenties you were probably perfectly capable of drinking booze, partying until 4 am, falling right into bed without taking your makeup off and then waking up with a minimal hangover. But if we keep being lazy with our skin in our thirties, we’ll end up with wrinkles, clogged pores and bad acne breakouts. Taking your makeup off is a five minutes job and you really can’t afford to skip it, no matter how tired you are.
Proper cleansing routine
Washing our face twice a day will ensure it’s always clean and fresh. Find a gentle, everyday cleanser and wash your skin in the morning and in the evening. Once a week you should also use a scrub that will rid you of all the dead skin cells. If you’re not sure what kind of scrub to buy, you can make your own quite easily, and you might also wish to incorporate facial masks into your weekly routine.
Moisturizer for your skin type
You don’t really need to worry about wrinkles too much yet, so no need for thick, aggressive anti-aging creams. Just make sure to moisturize frequently, twice a day, right after you’ve washed your face. Beside a moisturizer, a gentle tonic and a vitamin C serum might give you just the kind of boost you need. Your moisturizer should contain retinoids that will help treat the skin and prevent the breaking down of collagen and appearance of deep wrinkles due to photoaging.
Sunscreen
Sunscreen is something every woman needs to use, especially as she gets older. Do you really need to apply it every day? Yes. Even in winter? Yes. There’s simply no avoiding it because frequent exposure to sun can cause hyperpigmentation, wrinkles and worst of all, cancer. You need a broad-spectrum sunscreen with UVA/UVB protection that will keep your skin young and healthy. You really don’t want to be dealing with melanoma at any point in your life, and if you hate the feel of sunscreen on your face and body, there are some good products out there that won’t give you that greasy sheen.
Clean your makeup brushes
Most women, on average, don’t wash their makeup brushes nearly as often as they should. But even if our skin could deal with all the dirt, sweat and bacteria when it was younger, as we reach our thirties it’s a lot harder for it to repair itself and fend off infections. How often should you wash your brushes? It depends on how often you use them, but as a general rule don’t go more than two weeks without giving them a gentle rinse with warm water and soap. Of course, when it comes to your beauty blender you need to wash it after every use because the wet sponge is the perfect breeding ground for bacteria.
For a lot of women, thirties sound scary and unwanted, and what a shame that is. Instead of worrying about wrinkles, you could be having so much fun. If you update your skincare in addition to doing exercise and having a balanced diet, you’re bound to retain your youthfulness for a long time. So don’t panic just because you’re growing older. Just focus on leading the life you want to lead because things only get better from here.
