Skincare is a perennial challenge most young adults and even seniors have to deal with in their lives. For the most part, caring for our skin is becoming more and more complicated, not because of all the products that are available for that purpose, but actually because life is getting more and more stressful. Add that to the fact that there's so much air pollution present, especially if you're living in an urban community, it really takes a toll on our skin's health.

Furthermore, as students and fresh graduates, we often lack the budget for food, let alone for a proper skin care regimen. So in this article, I'd like to share with you some budget-friendly tips to take care of our beloved skin. 

Watch what you eat and drink

Whatever we put inside our bodies will have an effect on our overall disposition and health. So it's not surprising that eating unhealthily aka eating too many oily foods and junk food will just make our skin look ugly. To remedy this, choose what you eat wisely. Add more greens.

The same is true for our drinks. If you gulp down too much soda, then it would also have a bad effect on your skin. But if you drink quality and nutritional juices, then, of course, that would reflect on your glowing skin!

Stay hydrated

Speaking of drinking, the most important liquid we must put into our system isn't booze or coffee, it's cheap and almost free... water! Water alone can do wonders for our skin. And I'm not just talking about rinsing or taking a bath, but water intake. 

While the 8 glasses of water rule is already a bit overrated, it's still important to drink enough water that our bodies need. How is that possible? Well, just simply learn to listen to your body. Oftentimes, hunger pains or cravings are actually a result of being thirsty. So before you grab your second donut for the day, try drinking water first to see if the craving disappears. If not, then you're really hungry.

Prioritize good sleep habits

You might not notice this, but our skin actually looks the worst when we don't get a good night's sleep. This is because our body needs sleep to rebuild collagen and repair skin damage that is brought by exposure to the sun.Therefore, when we don't sleep or when we clock in fewer hours of sleep than what we actually need, our bodies are robbed of its chance to undo wrinkles and age spots.

So if you're looking for an easy hack to have healthier skin, just start sleeping better. 

Know your skin type 

Different skin types require different products and levels of care, so make sure you know your exact skin type before investing a lot of money in products that may or may not work for you. For example, you might be wasting your money and effort buying oil control products only to find out that your skin might be suffering from a severe lack of oils after all! It is likewise important to know if you have sensitive skin or not, so you can avoid products that are harsh on the skin.

Keep a simple skin care routine with the bare essentials

Nowadays, skin care regimens that have more than 10 steps are very popular. While these 'fads' might work for some people, it is better to start with a simpler skin care routine. Why? Because if you go for a 10-step routine and your skin develops a negative reaction, you might not be able to point out which of the products are not good for you.

Stick first to the basic toner-moisturizer-sunscreen combo, then if you want to add more products to your routine, do it one at a time so you can easily identify which product works well and which ones don't. This is also a more financially sound plan since we're talking budget-friendly tips.

Buy multi-purpose makeup

Having to buy several skincare products on top of the makeup you use for school or work is truly financially draining, so why not buy makeup products that also have skin care qualities? For example, there are a lot of foundation sticks that also double as sunscreens. Some lipsticks also function as lip moisturizers, while some concealers double as spot treatments. This is one way to be creative with your routine without having to break the bank.

Now you have what it takes to take care of your skin without going out of budget. Whether you want that Korean glass skin, or that golden beach glow, or you just want your skin to look healthier, these budget skin care tips can help you get there.