Ever wanted to just sleep away all your skin care issues and magically wake up to a clear and radiant skin? It’s not as easy as just wishing for the universe to grant it. Who does not want to look young and fresh nowadays right? Especially with our hectic lifestyle, no one’s got the time to pamper themselves.

But this does not mean that you should readily submit to the fate of having fine lines and wrinkles. Once you reached your thirties, you’d value more about taking care of your skin’s natural state rather than the importance of makeup. While you can be as free as you line when you’re in your twenties, being in your 40s would feel like a competition on who can look the youngest despite their age. This is why your 30s is just the perfect time to finally focus on the ultimate skin care.

Before you lose the firmness and softness of your skin, make a move to protect it from such risks. Here’s a skin care step-by-step guide for your skin.

1. Wet the face with lukewarm water.

This helps open up the pores and remove impurities sticking to the surface of your skin. Hot water is dangerous since it can be scalding and it even strips the skin off of its natural moisture. Cleansing right after the removal of the necessary oil leads to drying.

2. Wash the skin with a gentle cleanser made for your skin type.

Always remember that using the wrong product just spells disaster for your skin. Also, limit to how much you cleanse your face with a product.

Pro Tip: There’s a proper way of cleansing the face. Here’s how.

• Use lukewarm water for wetting the face. And wash your hands. Always.
• Put the right amount of product on palms and create a rich lather. Ten seconds are enough to do this. This is important since it triggers and helps activate the active ingredients. When you apply it on your face, these ingredients are already working.
• Smooth gently all over the face using circular motions. Do this for 30-40 seconds. This time period is the best choice since it effectively removes the dirt on the surface of the skin and impurities that may be clogging the pores.
• For rinsing, use cold water. There’s no truth to the belief that using cold water closes the pores. What it does, however, is help the skin keep its natural moisture which leads to the appearance of smaller pores.
• Pat dry with a soft face towel. DON’T rub.

Expert Hack:  You can use cleansing oils like castor oil.

Castor oil has antibacterial properties that fight germs and bacteria from damaging the skin. Applying castor oil for skin also soothes inflammation, thus, reducing the size of those unsightly puffy eyes and acne. This light oil does not weigh heavily on your skin and you won’t suffer from the greasy texture after!

• To use castor oil for cleansing, you will need to help relax your pores. Do this by preparing a bowl of hot water and a face towel. Next, place your face on top of the bowl, making sure to put the right amount of distance for the steam to reach the skin and to prevent burning your face. Place a towel on top of your head to trap the steam in. It will help open up the pores.
• Next, put a few drops of castor oil on the skin. You can dilute it with a carrier oil or use it alone.
• Then smooth it all over the face. Do this for 45 – 60 seconds. Do it longer if you think that it’s still not done. There’s no need to rinse after. Just let the oil sit on the skin until it dries.
• Use a soft face towel to pat your skin dry if there is any excess oil.

3. Follow it up with a toner.

If you think that toning is optional, here’s where you’re wrong. Toners are your backups when it comes to cleansing. It removes residues not washed off by cleansers. It also restores the balance of pH on your face. For toning the skin, you can use astringent oils like rose oil.

Expert Hack: Use rose oil on skin for toning.

The astringent properties of rose oil help with the appearance of the pores and the texture of the skin. As it tightens the face, it also has the ability to help prep the skin for the further application of formulas. It improves the skin’s ability to absorb the products. Plus, it has one of the highest bactericidal activities among all essential oils. You’ll never go wrong with this one.

• For this step, dilute rose oil on carrier oils. You could also just mix it with water, creating the perfect water toner.
• Put some drops on a cotton and smooth over face. Or spray and pat gently all over to help absorption.

REMEMBER: Only use diluted on the skin. The rosehip oil from Gaia Purity is also a great choice to try this out.

4. Use treatment products after the toner.

Treatment products range from serums to eye creams. The important factor in this step is to put on lighter products first before moving on to heavier formulas. This is to ensure that the products reach the layer of the skin that they are needed in.

The Science Behind This

It is important to remember that the body works twice as much during the night or during sleep. The repairing and healing processes are boosted, and this also applies to skin health. Using treatment products before sleeping boosts their effects. Treatment formulas are much more effective when applied on night. But this only works if you’re getting some rest. So sleep!

5. Moisturize the skin to your heart’s content.

Don’t forget that after applying all the essential skin care products, you now need to replenish the lost hydration and moisture on the skin. Also, you need to pick the right product that suits your skin type. For oily skin, don’t use oil-based formulas, a lightweight moisturizer is the best. Dry skin, on the other hand, needs heavy moisturizing.

Why Moisture is Important

For the skin on its 30s, there will not be enough moisture to support collagen production. As you age, you also lose some of the most important substances and minerals that are necessary for skin health. Collagen is one of them. It is responsible for the elasticity of the skin. Meaning, the loss of collagen is one of the factors for the forming of wrinkles and fine lines.