Your 20s are the best time to bring about changes in various aspects of your lives. As you are busy deciding your career path and making great friends and possibly meeting the one *wink*, do not forget that how you present your body is how you present your mind. It’s true what they say- A healthy body leads to a healthy mind. Discovering a skin care guide that is suitable for your skin is crucial in your 20s. After all, the way you treat your skin in your 20s reflects well into your 30s and 40s and makes all the difference in your prolonged youthfulness.

But we get it, ruling the world from your Instagram and hustling in your career leaves little to no time for research. To get you started, we’ve rounded-up a list of 11 things you need to include in your skin care guide for early 20s.

1. Swap Your Ordinary Cleanser With a Grown-up Cleanser

Cleansing is a great way of removing impurities like dirt, oil and debris remains from your skin. Whichever cleanser you’ve been using till now, you need to swap it with a new cleanser as becoming an adult brings changes to your skin as you leave puberty behind. Try including a milky or creamy cleanser in your skin care guide that helps in removing all the remaining make-up and pollution from all day if you have dry skin. For oily skin types, a cleanser with a gel consistency or a toner that suits your skin is recommended. A toner will also bring your skin’s pH level back to normal as it contains ingredients like ethanol, lactic acid or alpha-hydroxy acid that will help in exfoliating, leaving a smooth textured skin.

2. Get Serious About Nourishing Your Skin

Sometimes cold weather and dry winds might affect your skin by robbing it of the required amount of moisture, leaving it dull and underfed. As a result, you’ll want to perform hydration and provide rich nourishment to your skin as a part of your skin care guide, especially in winter and fall. Make sure that you check the ingredients list before buying a moisturizer because you do not want toxic chemicals being absorbed into your skin.

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3. Skip Rigorous Scrubbing

Sure scrubs were fun at the seventh-grade slumber parties but they do not have much importance right after your graduation. According to the top dermatologists, you will benefit later on if you exfoliate less during your early 20s. This is truer in case you possess a dry skin. As an alternative, you can try the greek yogurt mask which contains lactic acid and probiotics and is enough exfoliation for a majority of us.  

4. Get Serious About Your Diet – Drink Plenty of Water

It’s no secret that what you eat reflects directly on your skin. Twenties is the time you must include antioxidant-rich foods in your diet to help restore youthfulness. Did you know that bunnies are pretty smart to eat carrots? Carrots contain beta-carotene which aids in preventing breakouts and protecting your skin from harmful sun rays. Turmeric, the secret ingredient of our ancestors due to its healing powers, is a powerful antioxidant that helps you de-tan and lighten scars and spots. Drinking a lot of water eliminates toxins and wastes from the body while keeping the skin hydrated. It also postpones the arrival of wrinkles by restoring your skin tissue.

5. Address Acne – Adult Style

In your 20s, you’ll finally realize that what they say about pimples only occurring during puberty is a lie. Complete myth. How unfair is that? You will constantly face clogged pores, hormonal imbalances, and hyperactive bacteria. Our period, for instance, always comes bearing zits. You might not have paid attention in chemistry class, but products that contain lactic acid, benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid help in killing the bacteria that causes pimples. Be sure to use the right amount for your skin, or it might cause burning irritation that you do not wanna cross paths with. Furthermore, since your hands touch a number of things daily, make sure you keep them away from your face in order to avoid breakouts.

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6. Spot Treat As Required

Whenever you’re sure to encounter breakouts and zits, use acne correctors on the part of your skin that is likely to suffer the most. This can be helpful right before your period. Dealing with acne correctors only for a short span of the month can be a useful trick if you experience less or no acne during the rest of the month comparatively, so you can control the intensity of the chemicals in the products you use in your skin care guide.

7. Never Sleep With Your Makeup On

Let’s accept it: we’ve all committed the cardinal sin of sleeping with our makeup on because we were too tired from the 9-to-5 or a TGIF party. Not only does it cause clogged pores, but it also builds up bacteria in your skin and fast forwards the aging process. Foundations are the worst product you can sleep in, they will cause acne flare-ups, wrinkles, the breakdown of collagen which is responsible for skin strength and elasticity. Trust me, you must include makeup removal as an imperative action in your skin care guide. You do not want to learn this lesson the hard way.

8. Always Wear Your SPF

While you’re excited to get a tan in the warm sunlight, remember that exposure to sunlight can cause spots on the skin and premature aging. You need protection from UVA and UVB rays penetrating in your skin especially in India where summer is too harsh. Wear sunscreen with SPF 40+ as a part of your skin care guide to avoid burns, pigmentation, and permanent scarring. Besides, sunscreen also reduces the risk of skin cancer.

9. Don’t Underestimate the Power of Retinol

Retinol is a well-known anti-aging ingredient, but it also has capabilities to drive acne away. The benefits include increased skin cell regeneration, fading dark spots and blemishes and reduced fine lines. If you possess oily skin, you can also consider using retinol peels that clean your skin by penetrating deeper. Your 20s are the best time to start using retinol-based products as they will help in retaining your youthful glow.

10. Get Your Dose of Antioxidants – Internally And Externally

Antioxidants are seriously underrated. They help in preventing damage to skin cells, improve the appearance of your skin and make it look healthy, reduce signs of aging, soothe irritated skin, tighten and firm your skin. You can get your dose of antioxidants from foods like green tea, turmeric, dark chocolate or even buy products that contain antioxidants in their ingredients. They can be huge life-savers in your skin care guide.

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11. Kick Start Your Anti-Ageing Regime – But Don’t Overdo It

It always pays to plan ahead in time. Kick starting your anti-aging routine is all about rejuvenating and re-embellishing your skin. You can look for signs like dark circles and little wrinkles around your eyes and start correcting them as you see them. Use peel-off or clay masks that help avoid sagging of the skin. But meanwhile, do not forget your usual toning and moisturizing routine that you developed for your 20s, as the full-blown anti-aging routine is still waiting for you in your future.

So what are you waiting for? You’re ready to design your own skin care guide that involves saying goodbye to your old routines, the inclusion of thoughtful products in your new routine, a new diet plan and a lot of sleep that will help you achieve glowing and youthful skin.