A.M. Skin Care

Are you ready to face the day? After a night of sleep (or late parties), your skin needs a boost. Kick-start your day and prepare to take on the world!

Aside from meeting people, your skin will brave environmental pollutants. Smoke, dust, sugar from the food you eat, and even sunlight can all play a role in your skin health. These can clog your skin, damage it or contribute to premature aging.

There are many factors that contribute to skin aging and damage. It is important to fight off these elements with a proper skincare routine.

If washing your face is the only morning skincare routine you know, then you must read these tips to look your best.

Regular exercise contributes to healthy skin. Exercise increases your blood flow and gets your heart to pump blood. Because of this, your skin cells get nourished adequately. It reduces wrinkles by boosting collagen and elastin production. It flushes cellular debris and wastes out of your system. 

Aside from that, the sped up metabolism get you a youthful hue. You get an instant, healthy glow because you are supplying your skin with a nice dose of oxygenated blood. Rosy cheeks au naturel, sans makeup. 

A simple 5 to 15 minutes of cardio workout is enough to get your skin flushed as well as trim unwanted flab. It also gives you more energy and makes you feel less tired.

Drink a glass or two of water first thing in the morning to set you up for a great skin for the rest of the day. Not only that, drinking water in the morning is vital for your overall health and hydration.

You need water to get your body conditioned to do its work. It helps regulate your metabolism as well as provide hydration to your cells.

If you are well hydrated, your skin will look clearer. It's easier for you to excrete bodily wastes. You are also preventing fine lines in getting permanently etched on your face.

Nothing beats water. It is calorie-free and it is an inexpensive way to boost your health. 

It is important to remove your makeup before you hit the sack but let's get real here. Sometimes, we do forget to clean our face thoroughly. We might be too tired or too wasted to remove that mascara or eye makeup that it might still be there the morning after.

After a hard night, you sure want to remove leftover makeup residue in the morning.

Remove your makeup thoroughly with a makeup remover. Wash your face with a gentle facial cleanser based on your skin type. If you have dry skin, go for cream-based facial washes. If you have oily skin, look for foaming gel cleansers that are specially formulated to remove that icky greasy feeling and control oil production.

If you haven't neglected your skin the night before, still go for that morning wash. Natural skin oils may still have accumulated on your skin while you are sleeping. 

Cleansing also wakes up your senses with that splash of water! It is best to use lukewarm water in cleansing. Do not use hot water because it strips your skin with healthy oils that your skin needs. You should wash your face not more than twice a day.

Your skin will look dull when it is blocked with dead skin cells. Your skin will look tired, lifeless and unappealing. Wake your skin up by removing dead skin cells through microdermabrasion.

You can reveal that soft, radiant and glowing skin that will last for days.

You can invest in your very own microdermabrasion machine. Use it once up to three times a week to get glowing and avoid skin that looks dull and lifeless.

Avoid over-exfoliation though! You do not want to damage your skin by exfoliating daily. Also, be aware of the products you are using. Some facial scrubs have AHA or BHA exfoliants combining those with microdermabrasion could be disastrous to your skin. 

After cleansing or exfoliating your skin, do not forget to tone it. Toners are very important to bring back moisture and balance to your skin.

This is very important especially if you have oily or acne-prone skin.

It stops overproducing excessive oils that can clog your pores and lead to breakouts. To avoid drying your skin, use an alcohol-free toner like Rosewater. 

Moisturizing your skin protects and nourishes the skin, improves tone, and masks imperfections. It helps prevent wrinkles. Moisturizers also protect the skin from the sun, wind and other environmental factors.

It doesn't matter if you have oily or dry skin. We need to moisturize our skin daily. 

Apply a lightweight moisturizer for daytime. Choose a moisturizer that sits comfortably on your skin. You can go for gel-like formulas or creamy ones. Massage it over your face and neck. Use an eye cream and massage it around your eyes.

Whether you plan to be outside or not, you never want to skip this step. Sun damage can lead to wrinkles, a dull complexion, sun spots and potential melanoma in the future.

You still get sun exposure when you sit by the windows in your home or through the windows of your car. If you do not have a tinted car, you can compare your left and your right hand. Here's another example of how the sun can cause wrinkles.

Apply creams with SPF 30 or more on your face and neck. Remember that sunscreen is a must for everyone, especially people who are light-skinned. Wear long sleeve tops or if not, lather sunblock on your sun-exposed skin.