Skin care 101 for Beginners: Effective and Affordable Skin Care

I’m on a budget when it comes to taking care of my skin. As such, I have carried out numerous experiments to try toget the most out of a low budget. This includes, for example, changing the frequency of using facial mask weekly or changing skin care products at different price point. Besides, skincare is not the only area that I’m experimenting to achieve the glowing skin that I’m striving for. To get the most with the lowest possible budget, I also must consider what I eat and my lifestyle daily. After all, they are one of the key factors of having healthy glowing skin. When the body is taken care of, naturally the skin will be too! Besides, taking care of your general health might reflect in a lower budget for skin care products as you will be less relying on expensive skincare products to do the heavy lifting.

So, let’s get into the regime that works for me - on a budget!

1. Eating healthy

 The ultimate way to have great skin and prevent it from ageing (i.e. sagging skin, wrinkles, fine lines) is through a healthy eating habit. By healthy eating, it means eating mostly vegetables, fruits and other whole foods such as nuts and legumes and stay away from processed foods, refined carb, sugar and deep fried foods. To consume sufficient amount of vegetables and fruits, which is recommended to have 9 servings a day for a longevity living, I blend them into smoothies everyday. Eating healthy can ensure you to have great skin without have to spend too much on skincare products.

2. Exercise regularly

Though exercise may not have direct effect to great skin, exercise daily also slows down the ageing process and able to maintain your skin’s elasticity by increasing metabolism, which usually slow down after the age of 25. So why not go for a run everyday instead of using expensive anti-aging products?

3. Cleaned and hydrated skin

When it comes to skincare, I learnt that the key is to keep the skin cleaned and hydrated, and I have been trying to achieve that with a low budget. To save on skincare products, you could clean your face with a facial cleanser only once a day during the night time skincare routine. This in fact might be better for the skin. The sebum generated on your skin during the time when you are asleep is good for your skin. It creates a good natural barrier on your skin and helps to moisture and protect your skin. As such, this good sebum should be maintained and shouldn’t be washed away with facial cleansing product especially during the morning, since there’s no dirt or grease on your skin during the night when you are asleep.

To keep the skin hydrated I use moisturising face mask twice a week. This is a sweet spot for me to keep my skin hydrated without spending too much on face mask. On top of that, I keep track the humidity in the room. If the air humidity is below 60, I use humidifier to increase the humidity in the air. No hydrating skincare product is better than the humidity in the air!

Furthermore, the skin is less prone to problem when it is cleaned and hydrated, which means you don’t need different type of serums to tackle different kinds of skin issues such as acne, fine lines or flaky skin.

4. Invest in a good eye cream

I will buy a budget facial cleanser, toner or face mask but when it comes to eye cream, I make sure that I invest on a high quality product. The skin around the eye is very sensitive and thin, which is more prone to fine lines and wrinkles. These are also the sign of ageing and make one look older. As such, I make sure that I keep the skin around the eye area deeply moisturised for a long period of time with high quality product. I also use the eye cream on my laugh lines to prevent the lines from deepening.

5. Sun protection

UV sunlight is one of the most harmful element to the skin. Too much exposure of it will age the skin, meaning sagging skin and wrinkles. Besides, it also develop dark spots and freckles. To prevent from spending on skin care products to tackle those skin issues, a budget way is to prevent them from appearing on your skin by protecting it from the UV sunlight. You could apply sun screen with a good amount of SPF daily. For extra sun protection, use sun glasses and hat when you are out in the sun. Again, this is a more budget way than using a lot of sun protection skincare product!

Are you also looking for a budget way to have beautiful glowing skin? If so, perhaps you could try out these methods or if you are a pro already, I’d love to know your tricks!