Things that are bad for your skin:
- [ ] Using water that’s too hot - this is really, really bad. You want to cleanse the dirt off your skin not strip every last vestige of natural oil out of it.
- [ ] Washing too often - for the same reasons as above. Unless you work down a coal mine or have had a terrible accident involving horse shit or molasses, one shower a day is more than enough for most people.
- [ ] Sitting in a bath full of hot soapy water for hours - great for your mental well-being: absolutely terrible for your skin.
- [ ] Swimming pools - nothing will dry out your skin like being submerged in heavily chlorinated water for an hour. Make sure it’s thoroughly washed off when you come out.
- [ ] Using too much soap - it has lots of horribly drying chemicals in it. Most people use about 4 times the amount of soap/shower gel/shampoo/toothpaste they need. You’ll be surprised how little you actually do need - and you’ll save yourself a fortune.
- [ ] Not rinsing off properly - rinse, rinse, and rinse again! Soap left on skin and hair is incredibly drying and leads to flaky patches and dandruff. No one likes dandruff. Don’t be that guy.
- [ ] Being dehydrated - not drinking enough will show on your skin fairly quickly.

Things that are good for your skin:
- [ ] Exfoliating - buffing away all the dry, dead bits makes your skin glow. Do not, repeat DO NOT use chemical peels or exfoliating scrubs (EEK!). While these may smooth your skin temporarily, they will also strip every last shred of goodness out of it and dry it to death. Use facial cleanser and an ordinary face cloth to lightly scrub your face (FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, DO NOT USE BODY PRODUCTS ON YOUR FACE) and a rough towel to vigorously buff your body dry. Using a sponge in the shower is also great. (Honestly, you’re going to thank me for this.)
- [ ] Moisturising - moisturise, moisturise, moisturise, every single time. As soon as possible after washing, slap on something (anything is better than nothing). If your skin is really bad, try layering products. Use a spray oil, let it sink in for 5-10 minutes, then put a cream on top - especially good if left overnight. Also, applying anything to flaky skin is useless - the flaky bits are dead skin: no matter what you do you can’t save it. All it will do is absorb most of the product you’ve just applied and stop it getting to where it really needs to go. (Did someone somewhere mention the benefits of exfoliation..?) If you have any stubborn patches on your body try hand cream, or even foot cream. (That stuff you get for cracked heels is awesome!)