For most of my early twenties, a makeup wipe counted as washing my face (and some nights, not even that). I'm not proud of it, and my skin made sure I knew.
What changed my skin was the same thing that changes a body in the gym: small, boring habits repeated until they run on autopilot. None of what follows is a miracle product. I'm a strength coach, not a dermatologist, so treat this as the routine that worked for me, and take anything stubborn, painful or sudden to a derm.
1. Take care of your skin from the inside out
What you eat is part of what your skin is built from, so start at the plate before you start at the sink. Load up on plants (leafy greens and berries are a great start), get protein in at your meals, and protect your sleep the way you'd protect a training session, since overnight is when your body does a lot of its repair work. Skin, hair and nails are made from protein, and the same meals that help you recover from training (around 30g of protein each) give your body the raw material for the rest.
Pay attention to how your skin responds to what you eat, too. If certain foods seem to show up on your face, a derm or a registered dietitian can help you sort out what's what.
2. Wash twice a day, and double up at night
A morning wash clears off whatever your pillow left behind. At night, one wash lifts what you can see and a second one gets the rest. Start with a cleansing oil or balm to dissolve sunscreen, makeup and the day, then follow with a gentle cleanser. Think of it like a car wash, where the first rinse knocks off the mud and the premium pass is where it gets clean (and shiny).
A soft washcloth helps you get every last bit without stripping your skin's natural oils. Pat dry with a clean towel, and if the towel picks up makeup, go one more round.
Your pillowcase is part of this too. Swap it once or twice a week, more often if you sleep warm or use a lot of hair product, since it spends all night pressed against your face.
3. Exfoliate once or twice a week
I skipped this for years because my skin runs combination with a few dry patches, and I assumed exfoliating would make it worse. Kept to once or twice a week, it did the opposite, helping with evenness and texture and letting the rest of my routine soak in better.
There are 2 ways to do it. Physical exfoliants (a gentle scrub or a cloth) work on the surface. Chemical exfoliants dissolve buildup a little deeper and tend to be stronger, so patch test first, start slow, and back off if your skin turns red, tight or stingy. If your skin runs sensitive, go extra easy, and resist the urge to do it more often.
4. Add an AHA or BHA, and wear your sunscreen
If you go the chemical route in step 3, this is how to pick. Stay with me, because if you haven't tried either yet, it might blow your mind. Both are chemical exfoliants: AHA is alpha-hydroxy acid and BHA is beta-hydroxy acid. A friend of mine who's an esthetician (hi, Maddie) gave me a simple way to remember the difference. AHA is for above, meaning the surface, the texture and the dullness. BHA is for beneath, down into the pore.
You'll find them in cleansers, toners, serums, moisturizers and pads, and you don't need all of them. Pick the one product that matches what your skin is doing, use it once or twice a week (counting it as your exfoliation, not on top of it), and build up slowly. Both can make your skin more sensitive to the sun, AHAs especially, so on any week you're using one, sunscreen is the step that protects all the progress you're making (cloudy days included). Keep one by the front door and one in your gym bag so it stops being a decision.
5. Moisturize, hydrate, and add collagen if you like it
This is probably my favorite step in my own routine. Collagen is a protein, and adding it has been good for more than my skin (hello, nails and hair). It's an extra, not a requirement. I'm partial to liquid collagen, which tends to cost more, so if you're trying it for the first time or watching your budget, a scoop of powder in your morning coffee, tea or smoothie is an easy place to start. Follow your cleanse with a moisturizer that suits your skin type, morning and night.
Then the water. Dull, tight skin is sometimes thirst in disguise. A guideline you'll hear a lot is half your body weight in ounces of water a day (treat it as a ballpark), plus a little extra for every coffee. A bottle with the time stamps printed on the side is a little corny, and it works. Plus, you're keeping single-use plastic out of the trash (the planet says thanks).
Pick one of these this week, not all 5. The habit you repeat will do more for your skin than the 5 you try once.
If the protein part is the one you keep missing, my free High Protein Recipe Guide does the math for you, with most recipes over 30g a serving.
____________
Written by Rachel Keller, a NASM and Lagree-certified coach training women in person in Los Angeles and online through RK Method.
