5 Easy Habits That Will Give You Brighter, Smoother Skin In No Time

Everyone has a different vision of a "good skin day" in their mind. This could mean fewer breakouts, a plumper complexion, less redness, or even just looking like you got loads of sleep. For many, smooth texture and brightness are major factors as well. 

To help you achieve the latter, here are five expert-backed habits to start (or continue) this year. While some of these may take a few weeks (or months) to take full effect, patience is a small price to pay for brighter, softer skin in the long run: 

Let's talk topical products first—the order in which you use your products is essential to maintaining healthy skin. See, if you mix potent actives that aren't formulated to interact or you use one ingredient too often or too little, you won't see maximum benefits from these products. 

One easy solution: Practice skin cycling. This term was coined by board-certified dermatologist Whitney Bowe, M.D., FAAD, a few years back. Think of it like a weekly schedule for your skin care products. The basic cycling method calls for this order of operations: 

Many people think exfoliating the skin every single day is the key to brighter, smoother skin—but that's not true for everyone. In fact, many people who exfoliate every day (especially using potent formulas) may experience more negative reactions than positive ones. 

As mentioned above, recovery nights are essential for keeping your skin smooth. One way to go about recovery night is to "slug" your skin—aka apply an occlusive moisturizer over your go-to face cream.

Some reach for a basic petrolatum jelly, but that's not your only option. While these gels are safe for your skin, even cosmetic-grade options are not so environmentally friendly, which is enough of a reason to avoid its use: "Mineral oil is petrochemical derived, meaning it's environmentally irresponsible to use mineral oil when there are vegetable and fruit oils, like coconut oil, that are more sustainable," says clean cosmetic chemist Krupa Koestline about the ingredient. 

On top of that, balms that swap the petrolatum for other occlusives can make your slugging routine even more effective. Ready to start slugging? Reach for a plant-based balm or one of these mbg-approved face oils for an eco-friendly slug. 

Ceramides are a must in topical moisturizers, but you shouldn't stop there. Like anything that is produced within the body (take collagen, for example), you'll want to work from the inside, too. This means ingesting ceramides and applying them via skin care.

Keep an eye out for skin-identical ceramides that will directly contribute to the ceramide levels in your skin, whether it be from topical products or supplements and food.

To support your natural levels of ceramide production, be sure to commit to a healthy skin care routine, eat a balanced diet packed with skin-loving foods (a few A+ additions here), and protect your skin barrier with moisturizer, SPF, and try your best to avoid over-exfoliation, retinoid reactions, and sunburns.

While we're talking about skin care from the inside out, there's one more ingredient to prioritize: omega-3s. The link between omega-3s and skin health is well documented. In fact, experts routinely recommend increasing fatty-acid intake to help improve and protect the skin.

Bowe even considers salmon her desert-island food pick, as the bounty of omega-3s "keep the skin supple and hydrated."

You also have natural lipids (like ceramides) and fatty acids on the surface of your skin, which help seal in moisture and keep environmental aggressors out. As board-certified dermatologist Joshua Zeichner, M.D., once told mbg: "Natural fats maintain the integrity of the outer skin layer," and when you have a healthy lipid layer, your skin appears supple and dewy.

If fish isn't your protein of choice, don't worry—there are plenty of plant-based foods rich in omega-3s; here are a few to get you started. 

Finally, you'll want to incorporate some kind of facial massage into your routine. This doesn't need to take you 20 minutes (unless you want it to, of course). This ritual doesn't even require tools (a DIY approach here)—though a gua sha or face roller might be a nice addition. 

The reason face massage is so essential: Studies show that massage improves circulation in the face1. "Lymphatic drainage can have a significant impact on the appearance of your skin, especially if you are showing signs of lymphatic buildup," master esthetician Sarah Akram said about lymphatic massage.

As you clear that buildup and encourage circulation, those vital nutrients have a much easier time reaching the skin cells—and nourished, happy skin cells appear way more radiant. 

The takeaway

So, if you're looking to brighten your complexion and smooth texture, you'll want to approach it from the inside and outside. Do what you can to ingest more omega-3 fatty acids as well as phytoceramides.

As for the topical approach, consider adding skin cycling, eco-friendly slugging, and facial massage to your daily routine. But don't worry, there are plenty more steps to pick up should you want to go above and beyond—here are a few more ideas.