Every direction you turn, you’ll get wildly different skin care advice to keep facial aging at bay. One person tells you it’s all about a particular essential oil, while another person tells you that same oil will make it worse.
One person swears by steam facials while someone else says it’s all about using an iced roller. If it weren’t so frustrating, it would actually be amusing.
Now is the time you can put all those rumors to rest, because we’ve got your go-to skin care routine to curb aging, laid out step by step.
Your Anti-Aging Morning Skin Care Routine
Good morning, sunshine! Time to bring out your youthful beauty for the day! Keep your morning routine simple with this five-step morning skin care routine.
Cleanser
Every beautiful painting begins with a clean canvas, and your skin is no exception. Kick off your day by using a reliable and gentle cleanser like Obagi’s Nu-Derm Gentle Cleanser. That word “gentle” is important. When skin is red and irritated, it makes wrinkles look more prominent.
Harsh cleansers also tend to dry out the skin. Our skin tends to be naturally more dry as we get older, so make sure your cleanser isn’t stripping away the essential moisture you need.
Toner
Remember that bit about inflamed skin looking older and more wrinkled? Using a toner is another way you can steer clear of that problem. Your skin is meant to be slightly acidic, having a low pH, and cleansers typically raise the pH of your skin in the process of clearing away all the excess oils and debris.
A balancing toner will get that pH back on track and reduce redness and irritation.
Anti-Aging Serum
Serums are often the most powerful part of a skin care routine because of what makes them serums: the especially small size of the particles within them. The small particle size allows serums to sink deeper into your skin and make more of an impact.
An anti-aging serum like the Obagi Professional-C Peptide Complex Serum can stimulate your natural collagen production, leading to firmer, smoother skin with fewer wrinkles.
Moisturizer
Hydrating your skin is crucial at any age, but if you’re trying to maintain a younger look as the years go by, it becomes even more important. Not only do most people experience drier skin as they get older because their bodies are producing less oil, but dry skin shows wrinkles and lines much more prominently.
So, naturally, a hydrating moisturizer should always be part of your morning skin care routine.
Sunscreen
Did you know that sun damage accelerates the aging process…a lot? Not only is sun exposure the reason age spots appear (they actually have nothing to do with age and are only the result of sun damage), but sun exposure breaks down collagen too, making your skin thinner and more prone to lines, wrinkles, and sagging.
And that sun damage doesn’t just come from tanning beds or spending all afternoon laying out. It accumulates over time, so even small bits of exposure you get through your vehicle’s windows and from walking around will add up. That’s why sunscreen is a must every morning, not just on beach days.
Anti Aging Skin Care Products
Your Anti-Aging Nighttime Skin Care Routine
Time to turn in? Before you hit the pillow, do yourself a favor and take a few minutes to invest in yourself and your confidence by taking care of your skin with this nighttime skin care routine.
Cleanser
Your skin has been through a lot today, and it’s carrying the evidence with it in the form of dirt, debris, residue from air pollution, extra facial oils, and so on. After you take off any makeup you’re wearing, grab the same cleanser you used in the morning and get your skin squeaky clean.
Toner
Just like you did in the morning, follow your cleanser with a toner to rebalance your skin’s pH. By the way, when there are skin care routine steps that you follow both in the morning and at night, it’s usually best to use the same product for both parts of the day.
Why? Because the more products you use, the higher the risk that an ingredient in one of those products will irritate your skin. If you’ve found a cleanser or toner that works well with your skin, stand by it.
Exfoliating
Your skin is constantly producing new cells and shedding old cells, but sometimes those old cells on the surface don’t slough off like we want them to, and they leave a dull and textured surface on your skin.
Using an exfoliant is a way to get rid of that surface debris and give your skin that amazing softness we all want. Plus, it helps your other skin care products work better because they aren’t blocked by surface debris. Just don’t overdo it: you should only exfoliate about twice per week.
Retinol
When it comes to anti-aging skin care, retinol is the golden child. Retinol improves your cell turnover, which means that damaged surface cells are replaced with brand new, younger cells more often, so you get a brighter and younger complexion. A product like Obagi 360 Retinol 0.5 should be a mainstay of your skin care routine.
A few notes, though: first, only use retinol products at night because they make your skin more sensitive to the sun. Second, retinol can dry your skin, especially if you overuse it. Ease into it by using it once a week, then building up to using it as often as the product’s instructions indicate. And always follow up your retinol with moisturizer.
Moisturizer
No surprise – it’s time to reach for this staple in your skin care routine again. It’s generally best to use the same moisturizer in the morning as you do in the evening. The only exception is if you’re using a moisturizer that contains retinol as a way to combine these two steps in your routine.
Eye Cream
Last but not least, you need to give some special attention to those peepers. The area around your eyes tends to age more quickly than other areas because the skin is naturally thinner, and with skin, thinner = more prone to wrinkles. Use an eye treatment like Obagi Elastiderm Eye Cream to add a special restoration to this age-sensitive zone.
Building Your Dream Skin Care Routine for Aging Skin
Some people look young for their age because they spend thousands on expensive skin treatments, but the fact is that many of them just look great because they’ve been taking care of their skin properly.
The power of a well-curated and well-maintained skin care routine is undeniable, and the steps above make it all straightforward. Give it a try and after a month or two, you’ll see the difference for yourself!
