I could honestly talk about skin care all day.

That’s why I’m following up on my post from a few weeks ago with more skincare tips. After writing “Skin Care, as a Hobby,” a bunch of related thoughts and ideas kept coming to mind. So, instead of going back and editing the first blog, I’m gonna list all the miscellaneous skincare tips that have occurred to me over the last couple of weeks.

These tips are in no particular order, but each is valuable, so read to the end. Here goes.

1. Bring your regular skincare products with you when you travel.

These days, my morning and nighttime skincare routines are pretty fine-tuned. I take time to research the products I use, including the active ingredients, and the ones I select are very intentional. For those who have a dedicated routine, I believe in sticking to your regular skincare products even when you’re on the road.

I’ve had a Birchbox subscription for like, six years now, so I hoard sample-size beauty products. While it’s tempting to pack these when I travel, I’m happier when I just bring my go-to lineup. Sure, the bottles are bigger, but it’s easy to find little travel containers. Plus, traveling is hard enough on your skin. Throwing a new product on it will only add fuel to the fire.

2. Wear SPF every day of the year.

Yes, even in the dead of winter. Yes, even if you don’t live in a sunny climate. Yep, even if you spend the whole day inside.

I probably don’t need to tell you to wear sunscreen in the summer, but if you don’t use SPF year-round, you’re really doing yourself a disservice. During the winter, apply SPF to your face, neck, hands, and any other area that’s not covered with clothes. Your skin is exposed to UV rays through windows, including in your car, your place of work, and your home. All this exposure adds up over time!

As Charlotte Cho explains in The Little Book of Skin Care: Korean Beauty Secrets for Healthy, Glowing Skin, the thing about SPF, when compared to other beauty products, is that it’s not going to make your skin look better. This is likely one of the main reasons a lot of people are reluctant to wear it regularly.

And yet, while sun protection won’t make you look better or younger, it’ll allow you to keep looking the same. SPF is actually the best anti-aging skincare product on the market. Plus, although most people don’t die from skin cancer, I’ve read that it can be a major pain in the ass to deal with and really negatively impact your quality of life.

Oh, and don’t forget your eyelids! Eyelids are often missed with SPF application, and unsurprisingly, it’s a common spot for melanoma.

3. Be skeptical, but be a believer.

I think it’s definitely good to be skeptical of the beauty, wellness, and skincare industries. That’s why I research everything, cross-check the ingredients lists on dupe products, and generally don’t trust a product with less than a couple hundred reviews on a given site.

That being said, I also think you have to believe in the products you use. Let me explain. In Jean Godfrey-June’s 2006 book, Free Gift with Purchase: My Improbable Career in Magazines and Makeup, she talks about the “hope in a jar” concept. With skin care, we typically don’t really know for sure how effective products really are. But we have hope, and that’s why we use them.

She compares the act of optimistically using miracle-promising skincare products to Pascal’s wager, the philosophical argument that people should believe in God just in case God exists. If God doesn’t exist, then no harm, no foul. But if God does exist, your faith will serve as a get-out-of-Hell-free card.

Of course, the argument is flawed because it assumes people can choose whether to believe. However, the theory can be applied to many scenarios, like the use of lotions and potions that are marketed as actual magic. While you can’t necessarily choose to believe skincare products work, you can choose to use them every day for an extended period. If they don’t work, no sweat! If they do work, you’ll be glad you were a “believer.”

(Jean Godfrey-June is now the beauty editor at Goop, so it’s kind of her job to believe in some airy-fairy beauty and wellness treatments.)

4. You can use different products on different areas of your face.

If your nose and forehead are oily and blackhead-prone, but your cheeks and chin are more like a desert, go ahead and use different products for each area. This could mean multiple face washes, moisturizers, or even serums.

I’ve seen some YouTubers use a salicylic face wash only on their noses to combat blackheads. It might seem like a chore to use different products, but if that’s what’ll give you the best results, it’s worth a shot. Also, I know minimalism is cool and all, but don’t be afraid to keep a ton of shit in your medicine cabinet if you use it.

On that note, pimple patches (little medicated stickers for your zits) are having a moment. The idea behind them makes a lot of sense to me. You don’t need to dry out your entire face just because you have one or two blemishes. Not only that, but with a patch, you’ll keep your paws off your pimples while they run their course.

5. Moisturize throughout the day.

Most skincare enthusiasts moisturize their faces in the morning and at night. But if you bump it up to three or even four times, you might be pleased with the results. This could involve reapplying SPF or your regular daytime face lotion — or maybe it means using a sheet mask.

To be sure, moisturizing your face throughout the day isn’t really practical if you wear makeup, but you might try a refresher mist, which is intended to go on top. Now, I also realize this tip is easy for me because I work from home. It’s not something you have to do every day — I certainly don’t — but if I remember to apply a cream mid-day, I’m usually happy I did.

6. Let each product marinate between steps.

For both my morning and night routines, I try to let each product sink in for at least a few minutes before moving on to the next. If I’m short on time, I don’t worry about it, but if I can, I think it’s best to let each product do its thing before rubbing something else on top.

The step I’m most adamant about this with is Retin-A. After I wash my face in the evening, I wait at least ten minutes before applying my Retin-A because it can be more irritating on moist skin. Then I allow it to marinate for at least another ten minutes before applying my serum and night cream.

7. “Take it to the tits.”

As blogger, podcaster, and skincare queen Lauryn Evarts says, “Take it to the tits!” What does she mean? What she’s saying is that skin care shouldn’t stop at your face. Any product you use on your money-maker, apply it to your neck and all over your chest, too.

The word décolletage seems to pop up a lot in regard to anti-aging skincare, and I’m pretty sure “Take it to the tits” is a solid method for staying on top of it.

8. Exfoliate daily (or almost daily).

I really believe in exfoliating your face every day. And if not daily, at least every other day. I use to think this was way too hardcore and that it would strip the skin, but I’ve done a 180. I talked about Dr. Dennis Gross’s theory about daily exfoliation in my blog post on his Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel pads, and this concept is what converted me.

Maybe you gently polish your face by hand with a flannel cloth, perhaps you use a grainy exfoliant, or maybe you opt for (my favorite) alpha-hydroxy chemical exfoliation — pick your poison. In any case, I think with daily exfoliation, you can actually buff off some of your fine lines. I know this sounds far-fetched, but seriously, try it for a year and see where you’re at.

9. Don’t neglect your body or your scalp.

If you’re cuckoo for skin care like me, you won’t stop at your face, neck, and chest. Exfoliating and moisturizing your body is just as important. I had to learn this the hard way when I got discoid eczema earlier this year, so now I grease up every time I get out of the shower.

Also, I still use dandruff shampoo on my hair as well as my eyebrows. If I don’t use it, both areas get flaky, which I refuse to tolerate.

Lately, I’ve been using Neutrogena T/Gel. It’s pretty serious stuff— the active ingredient is literally tar — and it doesn’t smell nice. But that’s how you know a beauty product works, right? The really effective, ground-breaking ones can’t be bothered with smelling good.

Speaking of smelling good…

10. Fragrances aren’t helping you.

I’m not talking about perfume — trust me, I love a good smell. No, I’m talking about scented skincare products. They can be really irritating, and honestly, they’re unnecessary.

I didn’t used to have a problem with fragrances in face wash and moisturizers. Yet now I find them to be inflammatory, especially with a Retin-A routine. I do sometimes like a scented body lotion, but even that was pretty irritating during my stint with eczema.

Natural scents from the ingredients of a product (like Vitamin C, green tea, or coconut oil) are OK, but I can’t do the artificial stuff. I’m not usually such a hippie about beauty products — I’m all for using chemicals to reach a desired effect — but in this case, I guess I’m an earth lady.

Final thoughts:

I know that in the age of female empowerment, body-positivity, etc. etc., there’s been some pushback on the term anti-aging. That’s fine and all — I can get on board with it, and there’s nothing wrong with aging. But also, for the record, if you want to anti-age, then go ahead and anti-age.

Vanity can be toxic, but it can also be fun and harmless. I just don’t think people should have to pretend not to be vain if they’re feeling a little vain, you know? Like, why disguise your nutrition plan or your exercise routine as being strictly about your health when they might also be about looking good? No shame! Skin care is a form of self-care, and I’m here for every part of it.