"Glow Up" | Rituals That Lead To Radiant Skin

Listen to the song that inspired the title for this post here!

"Glowin' up, glowin' up, glowin' up
We in this b*tch and we glowin' up"

- Glow Up by Meek Mill

While the internet seems to be full of new life hacks at every turn, I'm already in the right direction when it comes to helpful skincare practices. So much in fact, I turned to Instagram to show my journey on the road to healthy, glowing skin is going fabulously! How you might ask? Thanks to advice from actual licensed skin care professionals (I am not one) and aunties that look ageless, I've acquired a plethora of tips and tricks that haven't steered me wrong yet. Here's a few rituals to work into your daily routine to make sure your skin won't go left on you:

protect your hair perimeter

If A-B-C is easy as 1-2-3 like they say, it's essential to remember to Always Be Covering up your edges. Exposing your hair to water without applying some type of conditioner to replenish or something to seal the moisture can lead your hair to dryness, followed by breakage. We can all appreciate lovely, full edges. Make sure to secure the perimeter of your hair by having a scarf, bonnet, spa headband or other protection of choice on when washing your face.

UTILIZING Day AND NIGHT ROUTINEs

Certain skin products are more suitable for the daytime versus the night and vice versa. If you're applying your SPF at nighttime before bed, that's just as wasteful as it is senseless. Those with dry skin might need to apply heavier creams at night, or those looking to use a dark spots treatment are not advised to use in the day due to sun exposure. Here's a few examples of products I use only at night that are not part of my daytime skin regimen:

• Sanitas Skincare Beta Clarifying Cleanser

• The Ordinary "Buffet" Serum

• LANEIGE Lip Sleeping Mask (because, lip care is skin care)

Wash your face for at least 1 minute

If you weren't familiar with LaBeautyologist's #60SecondRule sensation that swept the skin care social media nation, consider this as a reiteration.

The average person that was unaware of this golden rule, will only wash their face for 15-20 seconds. 1 minute of washing your face with your fingertips is the most effective for eliminating dirt and bacteria from your pores and will drastically improve your texture if you've been negligent.

Fingertips are your friends

Don't be fooled by the fancy facial brushes. Our fingertips are our most effective tool when it comes to cleansing your face. Your hands and fingers will warm up your face properly to stimulate blood flow and will be gentle to your skin. Being too rough on your skin and incorporating tools could lead to further damage and disruption.

Stimulate blood flow

Proper blood flow to your skin will encourage nutrients and oxygen to your skin cells. The best way I practice this is by gently massaging my cleanser throughout my face repeatedly, starting from the cheeks, to nose, to forehead to chin and then starting again until completion.

Wash with warm water, rinse with cold water

Starting off with warm water to wash your face is said to open your pores up. This will make it easier to help impurities leave your skin. After throughly cleansing, rinsing with cold water will close the pores in the skin and is the best option to retain moisture.

OPT FOR PAPER TOWELs OVER cloth towels

Pat your face dry once it's clean, but be sure to use a paper towel. While cloth towels might be more environmentally friendly, cloth towels are most likely to be used more than once and can trap in oils and debris that are likely to cause buildup and blemishes in skin. A new fresh paper towel could be the key to eliminating this as you'll be using a new one and discarding after each wash.

Apply serums and creams with upward strokes

Be sure to apply your products after your cleanser in a smooth, soft upward motion throughout the face and neck. This is said to combat wrinkles and sagging as you're not touting and pulling the skin downward by instead encouraging the skin to stay up. This information was taught to me at a young age by my aunts and while they are not research scientists, they seem to specialize in proven results as they do not show any signs of aging.

moisturizer and sunscreen DON'T MIX

DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT MIX YOUR MOISTURIZER AND SUNSCREEN TOGETHER. Although they are both cream or oil based, they should be applied separately. Mixing the two together will dilute the SPF properties.

SPF is essential for a great skin care routine and should be especially emphasized if you're black. SPF has tons of benefits, including helping dark spots fade faster and reducing the possibility of wrinkles. No one likes those.

Lip care is skin care

Your lips contain a layer of skin that's super sensitive and need intensive care. Not only should lip care be incorporated into your daily regimen, but heavily focused on in places with cold weather. Make a note to first exfoliate your lips often with something as simple as a soft bristle toothbrush or a sugar scrub. Follow up with a sealant or moisturizer that keep them kissable, or at the very least not cracked out.