Ladies and gentlemen, this is a PSA: Taking care of your skin is important! True, there is nothing more daunting that walking into a store like Sephora or Lush and seeing endless vials of lotions and potions, but it doesn’t have to be that way! With a little online research and a DIY home remedy here and there, your skin will be thanking you as it glows back from your—let’s face it, probably dirty—dorm room mirror.

Where Do I Start?

Finding the products that work best for your skin type is key to building a skin care routine that keeps you glowing. Start first by identifying your skin type. If you are having trouble, making an appointment with an esthetician (a skin care professional) is a great start.

Too expensive and time consuming? Stopping by a skin care counter at the mall—a Clinique counter at Macy’s for example—or asking an employee in Ulta or Sephora can be extremely helpful. Once you know your skin type, researching products becomes so much easier. For example, dry skin can sometimes react poorly to powders, oily skin doesn’t always do well with certain cleansers and combination skin can be difficult to manage with just one product.

The internet is your best resource for finding the right moisturizer, cleanser and other skin care products. Diving straight into a store without doing any research beforehand can not only be extremely daunting, but you can also end up with a product that does more harm than good! Again, if you need a little extra help, a beauty store employee can generally help point you in the right direction as they are familiar with the supply of products.

From here, start off slow by building up your routine. With skin care being as popular as it is, many celebrities and beauty gurus have extremely intricate, multi-step and multi-product routines. Begin your skin care journey with the right cleanser and moisturizer. Cleansers remove makeup and dirt that can lead to acne and blackheads, and moisturizers keep your skin from becoming dry and flaky. It’s a great place to start but don’t forget, depending on your skin type, a two-step process may be exactly what you need or not enough.

SPF All-Day Everyday:

Aside from the short-term prevention of unwanted acne and blackheads, taking good care of your skin can be extremely beneficial to your overall health in the long-term. Unlike the rest of the body, the skin on your face is constantly exposed to the elements, and the biting cold in the winter and blistering heat of the summer sun can do a lot of damage. Dry, peeling skin is just one of the many negative side-effects.

Sun damage is cumulative, meaning it adds up over time and the inflicted damage most likely won’t show until later on in life, according to an April 2016 Teen Vogue article. Without proper protection, the sun’s harmful UV Rays can result in deep-set wrinkles and dark sunspots, not to mention the fact that the cause of skin cancer has been traced to sun damage.

Give your skin some love and protection by putting on sunscreen every day. Many sunscreens are oily and fragranced, which can be an issue depending on your skin type or if you plan on layering makeup over it. Never fear! Special formula facial sunscreens are produced for these exact reasons. One great sunscreen is the Neutrogena Clear Face Liquid Lotion Sunscreen. This sunscreen is not only “ultra-light,” according to the product description, but is oil free and advertised to not cause breakouts. For makeup layering, Mario Badescu Skin Care Oil Free Moisturizer is engineered for troubled skin types and has a low but protective level of SPF.

Trends and DIY Skin Treats!:

Skin care trends are not for everyone, especially if you have your routine down pat, but they can definitely be fun to try out. Korean skin care has been huge recently, as it has become known for resulting in clear, almost flawless skin. There are a total of ten steps to the K-beauty routine, but if that’s too much commitment for you, give your skin an affordable and quick treat with a TONYMOLY sheet mask which you can get for under $5 at Ulta.

LUSH Fresh Handmade Cosmetics has also become very popular recently with stores popping up in malls nationwide. Originating in the UK, LUSH specializes in fresh, handmade, vegan and cruelty free beauty products. The Oatifix Fresh Face Mask is made from ground oatmeal and organic banana and costs about $10. It is great for dry skin and leaves your face feeling fresh and rejuvenated.

Want to treat your skin but don’t have the money to spend? Take to the web and search for DIY face masks! Pinterest in particular has a lot of great mask recipes that you can make with all natural and fresh products.

Whatever method you choose, make sure your skin care routine is right for you. While cheap and affordable may sound good now, splurging a little on the products that will preserve and protect your skin will only help you in the long run. Your future self will thank you.