Scrub-a-dub-dub.
Saving your skin doesn’t have to cost a fortune, according to Dr. Mamina Turegano. The triple-board certified dermatologist revealed five free hacks for keeping your skin looking plump and moisturized — and they’re easy to try immediately.
Turegano, who has over one million TikTok followers explained that the way you shower and wash your hands and body can have a major impact on the health of your skin.
However, the first tip might not be a fan favorite. No long, luxurious baths here, Turegano says you shouldn’t linger in the shower.
“Try to avoid hot showers,” the derm explains. “Shoot for warm to lukewarm temperatures. I know it’s not fun but it’s definitely better for your skin.”
Next, she adds, make sure you keep your bathroom door closed, so you lock the humidity into the room after you’ve climbed out.
Tip number two: Apply your moisturizer right after you get out of the shower to damp skin to help lock in the moisture. You can also look for products that include humectants, like glycerin or hyaluronic acid. Humectants draw moisture from the air (a great idea if you’ve just made your bathroom humid!), and help to lock in moisture onto the top of your skin.
For her third tip, the doc shares some potentially controversial advice.
“You don’t have to wash the backs of your hands with soap every single time you wash your hands,” the doc explains. “I can understand of course using soap for your palms, but the backs of your hands don’t really get as dirty or touch things as much.”
Instead, focus on cleansing your palms and let the skin on the backs of your hands catch a break.
The skin expert’s next hack also focuses on using less soap — and actually washing certain body parts less often.
“You don’t have to use soap everyday on areas of your body that don’t get as dirty, like your back or your legs,” Turegano suggests. “I mean, of course, please wash those areas if they get sweaty or dirty, but just something to keep in mind in the shower.”
Although it sounds unconventional, the popular social media doc is hardly the first to suggest you actually don’t need soap — or even a shower — daily. In fact, studies suggest that you’re no healthier if you shower daily, than if you shower a few times per week.
And showering with antibacterial soap and hot water won’t just dry out your skin, it could also kill a lot of the good bacteria that’s living on the surface of your skin. Docs also suggest that the water in which we clean ourselves contains salts, heavy metals, fluoride pesticides and chlorine, all of which could potentially be negatively impacting our skin.
The Tok doc’s final tip: “If you already own a variety of different moisturizers, choose one that is a more ointment or cream-based moisturizer. It’s thicker, as opposed to a lighter, lotion consistency.”
