Washing your face every morning and night may be apart of your normal routine, but do you know there’s more to skin care than just removing makeup?

Skin does a lot for us and, in return, we want to spend a little time taking care of it. With consistent upkeep, you can keep fresh, clean and moisturized skin all year long. Invest in skin care now and watch it pay off in the future.

Moisturize!
Dry skin can be a nightmare. It gets itchy, it can crack and can even complicate applying makeup.

Even if you use a luscious body or face wash with all sorts of exotic sounding ingredients, you can’t count on it to keep you moisturized — your shower itself may be the problem.

If you’re taking your time in the shower and like them extra hot, it may be doing damage to your skin. Unless it’s for a good reason, keep your showers pretty short and keep them from getting too hot. While you may think of clean being tied to a long, hot shower, your skin may be losing a lot of its natural oils.

There is a way to offset that, though. When you get out of the shower, pat yourself dry with a towel and use a lotion or moisturizer as soon as you can. This will keep moisture in and stop your skin from drying out.

The Sun is Not Your (Skin’s) Friend
Sunscreen is not just for the beach. While adding it into your daily routine may seem somewhat strange, there’s an added benefit to protecting your skin every day.

There is no safe amount of time to be in the sun without sunscreen. It may seem like a buzzkill when you’re out trying to tan or have a good time, but the harmful rays can do a number on your skin. Think ahead and apply a moisturizer with sunscreen, that way you can keep soft, moisturized skin and protect it at the same time.

The Problem with Problematic Skin
If a pore gets blocked, bacteria can take over and release enzymes that promote inflammation. If the oil glands get infected with bacteria, this can result in redness (your basic zit) or in a yellow or whitish pus-filled pimple (your basic whitehead). Blackheads occur when the pore gets clogged, and then the top surface gets dark. Zits aren't only found on your face, either. It's not uncommon to have zits on your back and on your chest.

So what do we do to prevent them? First, realize not everyone is the same. Maintaining a consistent schedule of washing your face with an antibacterial soap is a great place to start. If you’re running into zits that just don’t stop and have tried everything under the sun, it might be a problem with something not even related to your skin. Hormones and makeup overload have been linked to the development of acne, so if you are especially concerned with your acne, consult with a trusted adult and a dermatologist to find out which products are best for your skin.

Now that you know the basics about properly taking care of your skin, start incorporating them into your daily routines. Your skin will thank you.