5 Ways to Take Care of Your Skin in Your 20s

 

I remember sitting on my parent’s bed as a little girl watching my mom apply her makeup in the mornings and wash away the day at night. Her face was so beautiful with each twist of cream and rub of retinol. I would rest my head in my hands as I thought about how I wanted to be just like her one day. Now, I look at her 20-something years later and still think the same thing! She never missed a day going through her skincare routine and it shows. Her skin looks so youthful and adds to her natural beauty, and that’s not just because she’s of Asian ethnicity.

I’ve seen first hand the benefits of showing your skin some love every day in your 20’s and 30’s. So I thought I’d do a little more research on what the experts suggest you do now to keep your skin looking youthful as the years go by. We may not be able to stop aging, but we can make sure we do it gracefully.

5 Anti-Aging Skin Care Tips to Do in Your 20s

1. Always, always, always remove your make-up and cleanse before bed!

I know, I know — you’ve heard this a thousand times. But it’s worth repeating because it’s so important. Your skin goes through a natural exfoliation process at night and sheds old skin cells. Makeup interferes with this, and it clogs your pores. No bueno!

2. Start using a retinol cream

Retinol is the #1 dermatologist suggested ingredient for a reason — it makes skin smoother, brighter, and firmer. Retinol has been so under the radar because it’s usually super expensive! But time to rejoice, this is no longer the case. Olay has just released its Retinol24 collection that’s affordable. The collection consists of a moisturizer, eye cream, and serum, all made up of a combination of B3 plus Olay’s Retinoid Complex, including two types of retinol.

I’ve been using the Olay Retinol24 moisturizer for four weeks now and have been loving the results. I’ve heard that retinol irritates the skin, and so I was nervous to test it out. I haven’t experienced any irritation at all! In fact, my skin feels smoother than it has in a while 🙌🏻 Plus, the Retinol24 products start to show results in just 24 hours!! That’s just 1 day until you can start seeing improvements in your skin.

3. Exfoliate 1-2 times a week

Exfoliating also helps with giving your skin that youthful glow. I suggest exfoliating at night, as it strips your face of the ickiness from the day to give it a clean slate to absorb the rest of the products in your skincare routine and their nutrients.

1-2 times a week should be plenty! If you over-exfoliate, you could be at risk of stripping your skin of its natural oils.

4. Protect Yourself From the Sun

Sunscreen use should not be limited to the beach. In rain or shine, sun exposure puts you at risk for wrinkles, sun spots, and leathery-looking skin.

When I first think of sunscreen, I imagine the sticky white stuff my mom used to glob all over me and my brother on family vacations. Nowadays, many moisturizers have SPF in them! Look for products with at least SPF 15 to 30. Moisturize your face before your makeup every morning, and you’re good to go.

5. Take care of the areas that are usually forgotten

The face is the most looked at part of a person, it’s no wonder we spend so much time and effort taking care of it. But, don’t neglect the other parts of the body — your neck, legs, eyes. Wrinkles and saggy skin in these areas are tell-tale signs of aging, too. Body moisturizers and under-eye creams firm up and brighten these typically overlooked spots.

So let’s all age like my momma and add these tips into our daily routines! What are your skin care tips? Would love to hear them in the comments below.

Thank you so much Olay for partnering on this post!