Guest Post | Simplifying Your Daily Skincare Routine In 10 Minutes

This article was written by Amanda, who is a writer for SkincareHQ.org which recently featured an article on the Best Foundation For Oily Skin. Aside from writing about makeup, Amanda enjoys yoga and walking with her dog around the lakes of Minneapolis. If you have any questions for Amanda, feel free to connect with her @Skincare_HQ on Twitter!

(image: weheartit)

Women are busy individuals who simply don't have hours to spare for their skincare routine. That doesn't mean your skin has to suffer the consequences though! There are a few things that you can do in order to keep your skincare simple, like taking good care of your skin for starters. There is also no need to go overboard either! A once a day fix first thing in the morning or last thing at night is really all your skin needs to look it's most beautiful. We've got the answers, and so, without further ado, here is how you can simplify your daily skincare routine in just ten minutes.

Step One: Always Take Care of Your Skin

Making sure that your skin is always taken care of will save you a lot of time in the long run. It may seem obvious, but this is often overlooked. Besides keeping your skin healthy, clean, and sticking to your short routine every day, here are a few other things you can do in order to take the best possible care of your skin:

• Avoid getting a sunburn! Sunburn's are terrible for your skin- not to mention they hurt horribly! Use sunscreen or at least a hat in order to shield your face from the sun's damaging rays. A little sun is alright, but too much is never a good idea!
• Eat your vegetables! Eating your vegetables like you're supposed to will allow your skin to get all of the nutrients it needs in order to stay healthy.
• Don't smoke! Smoking is terrible for your skin, as well as your health.
• Always make sure you take off your make up at the end of the day! Otherwise, you may wake up to unsightly blemishes!
• Drink plenty of water! You need to drink at least eight glasses of water every day in order to stay hydrated. If you are dehydrated, your skin dries out. Staying hydrated is an easy way to keep your face soft, smooth, and healthy.

Step Two: Clean Your Skin

Clean your skin last thing at night, just before you go to bed with a gentle acne wash. Make sure that all of your make up is removed, and don't overdo it on the cleansing. A once over with a dab of acne soap is perfect. Some people think you need globs of acne wash, or that you need to wash your face over and over again throughout the day. This isn't true at all. Over washing can dry out your skin! One thing to keep in mind is that you should try to find a wash that is good for your skin type. Most washes will say whether they are good for dry, oily, or combination skin, or whether they are good for all skin types. Remember: just wash your face once a day, right before bed. It's not necessary to do it anymore.

Washing your skin should take you only two to three minutes. The proper way to do this is to dampen your face, work the acne wash into a nice lather, rinse, and pat your face dry. Never scrub your face dry with a towel, as that can be damaging to your skin.

(image: weheartit)

Step Three: Moisturize

Even people with oily skin need to moisturize. Just always make sure- like with the wash- that you choose a moisturizer that is good for your particular skin type. This is especially important if you do have oily skin, because you really don't want to choose something thick and extra-oily like those with dry skin might. A tiny bit of moisturizer will go a long way, so don't overdo it. Make sure the cream you are using has been completely absorbed into your skin also. It won't do you any good just sitting there on top of your skin, so rub it in well!

Apply your favorite moisturizer should only take another two to three minutes out of your day. Do this right after you wash and pat dry your skin so you can add back any oils that washing may have taken out. It's important to always keep your skin properly balanced

Step Four: Exfoliate Once A Week

Even though you definitely should do this every day, you do need to exfoliate once a week. Pick a day that you know you aren't as busy as you usually are so you can be sure you'll have time every week to do this. A gentle exfoliation will remove all of the dead skin cells and help to remove excess oils. Like everything we've mentioned here, it is very important not to overdo it. Too much exfoliating can dry out your skin.

A Few Extra Tips

Now that we've given you the best way to simplify your daily skincare routine, here are a few more tricks to keeping your skin healthy, and your routine simple:

• Keep your hair out of your face, even when you are sleeping. Having your hair hanging in your face all of the time can make your skin really oily.
• Stay away from lip gloss if you are especially acne prone. Lip gloss is slippery, so it slips right off your lips and onto the skin surrounding them, which can cause lots of blemishes to pop up.
• Keep your make up light.
• Always stick to your skincare routine, no matter how tired or busy you are. It takes ten minutes or less every day to do this simple routine, and skipping a day can throw your skin out of balance.
• Keep your hands off. As much as you want to touch, pick at, or rub your face, limit yourself! Constantly touching your face can make it greasy.

That's it! That's all you need to do or know in order to simplify your daily skincare routine in just ten easy minutes. What do you think? Do you think that you can manage this routine every day? Have you been using this same simple routine and want to tell us how it has worked out for you? Let us know in the comments below! Don't be shy! We're just dying to hear what you have to say!

Interested in being a guest blogger? Please let me know!