24 Things People With Beautiful, Clear Skin Do Every Day
A clear, glowing face isn't a pipe dream. In fact, sometimes all it takes is a little diligence—and finding the routine that works for you. Here, we've rounded up 24 habits from people who not only look great but feel great about their skin because they make it a point to take care of it.
Go day-to-day.
"I'm all about assessing what my skin needs on a day-to-day basis as opposed to sticking to a strict, rigid routine. There are some mornings when I will wake up feeling super dehydrated, and my skin reflects that. When that's the case, I will lather on some cream and let it soak in. If I'm breaking out, I might use some toner. And if I am feeling really normal, I'll just wash with water (about 20 to 30 splashes) and pat dry. In other words, in the morning it's important to look in the mirror and see what your skin needs, not just blindly apply the same products all the time." —Adina Grigore, founder of S.W. Basics, and author of Skin Cleanse: The Simple, All-Natural Program for Clear, Calm, Happy Skin and Just the Essentials: How Essential Oils Can Heal Your Skin, Improve Your Health, and Detox Your Life
Weekly face massages.
"I give myself a thorough facial massage at least once a week. This helps to release tension, increase circulation, and encourage lymph drainage for skin detox!" —Britta Plug, holistic esthetician
Stick to skin-healthy foods.
"I start every day with a mug of bone broth. It's loaded with the building blocks of collagen, so it's like a dose of liquid Botox... In the evening, I snack on blueberries, which are loaded with anthocyanins that strengthen the skin's collagen matrix." —Kellyann Petrucci, M.S., N.D., nutritionist and healthy aging expert
Keep it simple.
"While you sleep your skin does so much regeneration on its own (I prefer not to get in the way of that process). Usually it's just rosewater spray and a lavender hydrosol, both of which are like skin comfort food at the end of a long day. They help refresh, tone, cleanse, and hydrate the skin; plus they've got some aromatherapy benefits, too (good for budding insomniacs like me). But that's it—I'm not into coating products on that feel excessive and don't offer obvious results." —Adina Grigore
Take a skin-supporting supplement.*
"I never used to take supplements, until mindbodygreen's nr+.The main active is nicotinamide riboside (NR): It's basically this sci-fi-sounding ingredient that helps make this molecule called NAD+ when it's in your body.* That little molecule, NAD+, does wonders to help repair and restore cellular function.* The adaptogen rhodiola fights oxidative stress.* There's the antioxidant astaxanthin to give you that dewy, fresh radiance.* And there's phytoceramides, which keep your skin feeling ultra-hydrated to fight signs of aging like wrinkles by replenishing naturally occurring ceramides in skin:* You know when models are like "Oh, I just drink a lot of water and my skin just looks like this"? Taking this supplement feels sort of like that." —Alexandra Engler, mbg senior beauty and lifestyle editor
Stay hydrated.
"I can't talk about having good skin without adding how important it is to drink filtered water, coconut water, and green and herbal tea. I also put a scoop of organic wheatgrass in my breakfast shake every morning, which is chock-full of chlorophyll, an ingredient known to help slow down the aging process1." —Britanie Faith, natural beauty advocate and makeup artist
Embrace your natural oils.
"I never wash my face with soap in the mornings. Having cleansed the evening before, I'm not worried about accumulation of dirt, and I simply use a warm washcloth (a fresh one every morning!), and gently cleanse my skin in the shower using circular motions. Doing this enables me to retain the necessary natural oils that my skin generates as it recovers overnight, and to prevent overdrying (and sub-surface cracks) that can significantly add to skin damage during the day." —Shrankhla Holecek, founder of Uma Oils
Oil goes on last.
"I always apply oil on my face after cleansing and moisturizing at night. It helps to create a moisture barrier by sealing in the moisturizer. My skin is so soft when I wake up in the morning!" —Erika Yamaguchi, esthetician and founder of Erika Yamaguchi Skin
Layer on at night.
"Think of the nighttime as the time to use products. I use a gentle cleanser every night, and if I'm using masks or gentle exfoliants, night is the time to do it." —Antonia Balfour, skin acupuncturist and herbalist
Use rosewater.
"I swear by rosewater. I spray it on my face first thing in the morning and right after I wash my face in the evening. It is hydrating, nourishing, refreshing, uplifting, and rejuvenating." —Kate Eckman, model and motivational speaker
DIY in the kitchen.
"When I take off my makeup, I rub some avocado oil—a collagen booster—into my skin. I also rub virgin coconut oil on my face because it's rich in the same lauric acid that high-end skin creams contain—without the high price." —Kellyann Petrucci
Use water temperatures to your advantage.
"If I haven't slept well the night before (and my skin and under-eyes are showing the signs), I do alternating cool-water and warm-water splashes (7 to 10 of each). This really invigorates the skin and blood flow to the face, erasing signs of exhaustion. I also ice my face as often as I can in the a.m. It shrinks pores and helps with under-eye darkness." —Shrankhla Holecek
Practice sleep hygiene.
"The later you stay up, the more you risk disrupting circadian rhythms. This interrupts the release of melatonin, and, in turn, produces the stress hormone cortisol."—Naturopathic doctor Nadia Musavvir
Only use clean pillowcases.
"[I] make sure to change [my] pillowcase cover every few days. An unclean pillowcase can lead to bacterial growth and acne. Additionally, the hair products we use can rub off onto our bedding throughout the night, causing even more residue to accumulate." —Eileen Fedyna, naturopathic health consultant
Care for your gut.
"I take probiotics before bed. Bedtime has always seemed like the ideal time for probiotics because that's when my body gets a break from digesting other food. And keeping your gut in great shape is absolutely one of the keys to getting your best skin!" —Jolene Hart, health and beauty coach, author
Improve your mood.
"If you're happy, confident, and smiling, people won't notice or focus on an occasional pimple. Beauty begins from the inside out." —Britanie Faith
Encourage circulation.
"Before bed, I do a little trick: I stand on my head for a few minutes every day (or lying on a bed with your head hanging down over the edge) so I can get a rush of blood to my face; proper circulation to the skin can help skin quality." —Kellyann Petrucci
Always wear SPF.
"You always need an SPF, whether you have melanin in your skin or you don't." —Karamo Brown, cast of Queer Eye and co-founder of MANTL
Be mindful of stress.
"It is important to minimize stress [because] cortisol, the primary stress hormone, has been shown to break down collagen in the skin2. The higher the stress level, the more cortisol is produced, and over time the skin's ability to rebuild the collagen and elastin will decrease." —board-certified dermatologist Hadley King, M.D.
Use vitamin C.
"If you don't have vitamin C, your collagen can't cross-link to lift and tighten skin. It's one of the best products you can use on the surface of your skin, and the younger you start, the better." —Julia T. Hunter, M.D., founder of Wholistic Dermatology in Beverly Hills
Keep makeup light.
"I use just the tiniest bit of coverup for tone, and then spot-treat with concealer as needed. I'm raising a teenage daughter, and I just don't like imagining such young skin covered in thick, heavy makeup, like you see online. I grew up learning that I needed to allow my skin to breathe, and I want her to think the same." —actress Laura Dern
Only use lukewarm water to wash your face.
"If the water's too hot, it will strip and damage skin, and if it's too cold, it won't dissolve the face wash properly, leaving residue. Extreme temps either way can also cause broken capillaries for sensitive- or thin-skinned folks." —holistic esthetician Kimberly Yap Tan
Moisturize every single night.
"At nighttime your skin is trying to repair all the damage that happened in the day. And during the skin's repair cycle is the most important time to hydrate. People don't use night cream because they are tired or whatever reason, but you need that moisture." —board-certified dermatologist Howard Murad, M.D.
Try intermittent fasting.
"Most days I'm fasting for 12 to 16 hours (sometimes called 16:8 intermittent fasting), and I'll start my mornings with locally roasted organic black coffee with a dash of cinnamon. Fasting not only reboots the gut microbiome, which helps reduce systemic inflammation and improve skin health, but it also stimulates autophagy, our cells' self-cleansing process that breaks down and recycles damaged molecules and cellular organelles, which contributes to cell longevity." —board-certified dermatologist Keira Barr, M.D.
Alexandra Engler is the beauty director at mindbodygreen and host of the beauty podcast Clean Beauty School. Previously, she's held beauty roles at Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, SELF, and Cosmopolitan; her byline has appeared in Esquire, Sports Illustrated, and Allure.com. In her current role, she covers all the latest trends in the clean and natural beauty space, as well as lifestyle topics, such as travel. She received her journalism degree from Marquette University, graduating first in the department. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.