3 Areas to Remember in Your Skincare Routine

Skincare is a booming business; the average person spends about $250 per month on it. Whatever your skincare routine is, don't forget these three areas that are often neglected.

Lips

Your lips really take a beating, especially in extreme weather conditions. Although many people take meticulous care of the rest of their face, lips are often neglected. The skin on your lips is more delicate than your facial skin and deserves extra care.

Not only do dry, cracked lips feel terrible, they don't look very good either. Try a lip scrub to exfoliate the dry skin and then use a high quality lip balm. Remember that you inevitably eat a lot of it so choose one that has no harmful chemicals and tastes great. Your lips will look as beautiful as the rest of your face in no time.

Lip balms can be taken everywhere with you, so there's no excuse for not applying one often, especially one with sunscreen if you're out and about.

Tinted lip balms are a great way to add some color. If it's not enough for you, be sure to apply lipstick over lip balm since lipsticks can be drying.

Neck

Generally, young people forget that their skin does not stop at their jawline. Although you might not give much thought to your neck now, this is the time to start pampering it.

Most people don't worry about how their neck looks until it actually starts to look bad. Just as you haven't waited to get crow's feet or frown lines to treat your face well, you should show your neck some love while it still looks great.

Although you could use your facial moisturizer on your neck (and that would be better than nothing), the neck area requires special ingredients to keep it from sagging and ruining your whole appearance in the process.

Just think about how bad you'll feel if you have to stop wearing necklaces and start covering your neck with scarves and turtlenecks.

Apply neck creams with an upward movement to further discourage sagging.

Hands

The condition of your hands can really give your age away, even if your face is unlined and youthful.

If you wash dishes by hand, choose a gentle dishwashing liquid with a moisturizing ingredient like aloe. Always protect your hands from harsh chemicals by wearing gloves.

When you wash your hands throughout the day, use a gentle soap that leaves your hands feeling good, not stripped of moisture. Be careful with hand sanitizer; its main ingredient is alcohol, which is very drying. Limit its use to when you're away from a sink.

Always wear gloves or mittens in cold weather. If not being able to use your phone makes you feel frantic, look into "touchscreen" gloves with fingertips that let you scroll and type, while still keeping your hands warm.

Whatever you use on your face, let it extend to your hands. Rub extra cleanser, moisturizer or serum into them when you're applying it to your face.

If your hands need a little more care, you might want to try moisturizing gloves that you can wear at night and dispose of in the morning without any mess.

Once your hands start to look and feel great, pay some attention to your nails. By all means, go for weekly manicures if you can afford it. If not, just an hour or so once a week, and your nails will perfect the look of your new, smooth hands.

Invest in some quality nail tools to shape your nails and push back your cuticles. Polish is not necessary if it's not your style, but there are many conditioners that will help keep your nails healthy and also make them look shiny and finished.

Remember to extend the same care to your lips, neck and hands that you do to your face and your future self will thank you.