How to Maintain Your Skin in Your 30s: 10 Best Tips

Your skin and who you were at 20 are not the same.

We always consider turning 30 to be a milestone, no matter what stage of life we’re in. Most people our age will face certain inescapable challenges, we aren’t talking about getting married or purchasing a home. As you reach your thirties, your skin will likely lose some of its suppleness and elasticity, as well as becoming slightly drier as ageing begins to take its toll. 

How do you keep your skin glowing? Clearly, you need the best skincare routine now that you’re thirty! 

What is the importance of skincare in your thirties?

However, figuring out the perfect skincare regimen during your 30s is can be somewhat difficult. Aside from that, wrinkles, dry skin, and a dull complexion are appearing more quickly than you think, primarily due to a slower rate of skin cell renewal brought about by both genetics and environmental factors.

When you factor in recent stress levels, along with an increase in job responsibilities or hormonal changes, there is no surprise that your appearance may have changed.

However, simply altering your skincare routine can make significant differences. How can we improve our skincare routine? Let’s take a look at what beauty routine you should follow when you’re 30.

Which skincare routine is best during your 30s?

As mentioned, it’s a jungle out there. There are plenty of skin care products claiming to be the best for 30-something skin texture, but what does that actually mean?

As someone who has spent years perfecting a routine to use in my 30s, I’ve put together a few pointers that have helped me maintain a youthful glow at this age. As you’ll see from what follows, it’s all about creating and maintaining a healthy moisture balance. So read on if you want to learn how I do it!

1) Exfoliate every day

In your 20s, exfoliating once or twice per week would have done the trick. But at this age we need to amp up our exfoliation game. Don’t know when or how often to exfoliate? I recommend doing it in the shower every morning (and evening if you can manage it). 

This helps cut down on pores clogging up with dead skin cells and all those nasty toxins we pick up throughout our day (think pollution and cigarette smoke). And don’t forget about using a cleanser with exfoliating acids in the evening to get rid of all that dirt, oil and make-up you’ve accumulated over the day.

2) Use a clay mask once a week

Clay masks are particularly great for opening up pores, unclogging them and getting rid of toxins. They’re also great for drawing out impurities and removing blockages in your skin. So if you have dry or dehydrated skin, clay masks are an absolute must-have in your skincare routine. 

3) Use a hydrating toner every day

This is an absolute no-brainer at any age, but it’s especially important to keep skin hydrated in your 30s because this is when it starts to react more strongly to dehydration (hello fine lines!). 

What I recommend is using a hydrating toner daily – ideally one with aloe vera or chamomile for its soothing properties, perfect for an uneven skin tone. I like something with witch hazel as well – this helps tighten pores and lock moisture into the skin. 

4) Moisturise morning and night

This might seem obvious but it’s worth saying that moisturising morning and night is imperative for keeping your skin barrier hydrated, healthy and glowing at this age. 

At night I like to use a heavier night cream, with a rich consistency. Try to choose one that’s oil-free and designed for dehydrated skin – this will help lock in moisture. For daytime, I recommend using a moisturiser with SPF and lighter consistency.

5) Use eye cream twice per day

Okay, so you might be thinking that eye creams are only for people in their 40s or 50s but the truth is that we need to start taking care of our eyes from an early age! In your 30s it’s particularly important because the skin around your eyes starts to thin out and lose elasticity. As a result, it becomes more prone to wrinkling and sagging – something which can be prevented by using an eye cream every morning and evening (and if you’re going out at night, reapply). 

6) Consider adding retinol into your skincare routine

I’m talking about adding retinol for a good skincare routine (not necessarily as part of your daily routine). This is something I started doing in my 30s after reading up on how effective it was at reducing wrinkles, improving collagen production, boosting cell turnover and increasing healthy skin cell growth. It’s such a powerful anti-ageing ingredient that I have no doubt it’s one of the reasons why my sensitive skin looks so good for my age.

7) Don’t forget your lips

The skin around your lips is extremely thin and delicate, so in your 30s it’s important to start taking care of this area in particular. If you have dry or chapped lips, consider using a lip balm with SPF every day. Otherwise, you could use an overnight lip mask a couple of times per week – this will help lock moisture into the skin and plump up fine lines and wrinkles.

8) Get enough sleep (for good skin)

This is definitely something I had to learn the hard way! One thing that really helps me when I’m lacking sleep is using an eye antioxidant serum – this helps reduce dark circles and puffiness under the eyes, so if you’re looking for a quick fix on those days where you’ve not slept well then give one a try. 

9) Drink lots of water (for glowing skin)

I know it sounds like common sense, but drinking lots of water every day really does make a big difference to your skin health. Dehydration makes your skin look duller, more tired and older so it’s important to stay hydrated. I drink at least two litres of water every day and I notice a real difference if I don’t.

10) Protect your skin from the UV rays

The sun exposure causes wrinkles, dark spots, freckles and all sorts of other damage to the skin – this is definitely something we should all be protecting ourselves from! If you’re going out in the sun make sure you use an SPF moisturiser with an appropriate sun protection factor (SPF). The higher the SPF the better, but anything above 50 isn’t really any more effective than SPF 30. 

What is your anti-ageing skin care routine for your 30s? Share them with me.