Looking for ways to brighten, tighten, and clear your skin? Struggling to find a skincare regimen worth sticking to? If so, you’re in the right place. Taking care of your skin is ESSENTIAL for anti-aging and personal hygiene. After all, who wants clogged pores and acne? No thanks, Debbie! 

We put together a list of ULTIMATE skincare hacks that work for all ages to help you clear your acne and hydrate your skin without the added toxins from conventional products. 

1. Wash your skin for at least 60 seconds

This might sound silly, but the average time someone washes their face is only 20 seconds. Why spend so much money on a conventional face wash that is only going to be on your skin for 20 seconds? By continuously massaging the product in circular motions around your face, you’re giving the product more time to break down the gunk leaving you with a smooth base. Giving yourself that extra time helps you get in all the crevasses and areas you might otherwise forget about. Featured in Cosmopolitain, Nayamka Roberts-Smith of LABeautyologist swears by this rule saying it cleared her skin. 

2. Change your pillowcase every 4 days 

“That's a lot of effort”, yes, we thought that too. Until we started doing it! By changing your pillowcase every 4 days, your exposing your skin to a fresh, new surface to sleep on which prevents the buildup of bacteria. Most of us don’t wash our hair every day, which means there could be excess hair products, oils, or even dirt and bacteria living in our hair that then get transferred to our pillow and ultimately to our skin. Let’s work smarter not harder, ladies.

3. Don’t put skin directly under hot water in the shower

I know it’s a relaxing feeling, but you're doing more damage than you think! Taking a steamy hot shower at the end of the day can open your pores helping you with exfoliation. Although, when you put your skin directly under the hot water when your pores are open, it stretches the pores making them bigger. It also strips your skin of its natural oil. Washing your face with extreme temperatures can cause red patches and irritation if you have sensitive skin. 

4. Always apply SPF under your foundation

All you teens out there, your skin is NOT invincible! It's more important than ever to protect your skin against the sun. By applying your SPF under your makeup, you’re giving your skin a layer of protection against the sun. If you think your foundation works as your SPF, you’re sadly mistaken. Another great tip is to keep some sunscreen in your car and apply it to your hands when you drive. Consistent sun exposure can give you early aging and that’s the LAST thing we want. 

5. Make at-home: NATURAL pore strips

Here are two recipes for making your at-home pore stripes! 

1. Take a mixing bowl and add ¾ cups of distilled water 
2. Add 1tbs of xanthan gum
3. Add 5 drops of eucalyptus essential oil 
4. Mix with an immerson blender
5. Apply the mixture to your skin, and then apply a thin sheet of tissue over your nose
6. Continue to repeat this process 3 times to have a thick layer of tissue over your nose area
7. Leave on for 20-30 minutes and carefully peel off 

Another alternative

1. Take a mixing bowl and ass 1tbs of gelatin powder (unflavored)
2. Add 1tbs milk (can be any type of milk even almond)
3. Heat on stove until it is a thick consistency 
4. Add 5 drops of lavender essential oils 
5. Apply and leave on for 10-15 minutes 

These hacks will leave you with clean pores for DAYS!

6. Get a water bottle with a straw

Reducing plastic waste and helping your skin? Sign me up. You should be drinking a minimum of 8 glasses of water per day. If you really want to keep your skin and body hydrated, we would recommend 10. Drinking more water helps hydrate and plump the skin, so you won’t get those annoying dry patches around your nose anymore. Drinking water out of a straw is easier than gulping it out of a mug or plastic water bottle. So ladies, start chugging! 

7. Keep your skincare in the fridge

This is a new trend that actually works! “Products that will benefit from storing them in cooler temperatures are gel-based moisturizers or masks. When applied to the face, the product will help cool irritated skin, reduce puffiness and redness,” says Dr Preema Vig, medical director of the Dr Preema London Clinic. If anything, keep your eye cream in the fridge! In the morining when you apply it, it will help depuff your eye area from a restless night. 

8. Wash your body LAST in your shower routine

We all have our own shower routines that we do without even thinking about it. Well Clean Beauty Queens, it might be time to change it up. In the shower, we might have 5-10 different products we use on our bodies and hair to get squeaky clean. Although, how many of these products could actually be irritating your skin? If you wash your hair last, that residual shampoo or conditioner could remain on your back and legs. ALWAYS wash your body last to ensure you get rid of all the other residual chemicals that might be making your way out of the shower with you.