We’re all more aware of our skin health than usual while we’re staying at home. There have been lots of changes at once – changes in routine, weather, daily environment, activity levels, and stress. With all that happening, we’ve put together our team’s top five ways to improve your skin’s health.
1. Don’t overdo your skincare
Time might be moving more slowly for you, so be careful not to apply too much of your favourites to your skin. Too much moisturiser, for example, can lead to breakouts. Cleansing too frequently can cause irritation and dryness, like we’ve seen on our hands.
Stick to a set routine and if you find yourself repeatedly reaching for extra skincare to help break up the day, try to replace it with a different habit.
2. Fresh air and sunlight
These help in all sorts of ways. Your skin will thank you for the natural light by creating more Vitamin D for the health of your bones and teeth. Being outdoors also helps reduce stress levels – more on that in a moment.
The good news is that you don’t need glaring cloudless sunlight to get the benefits. Walking round the block for half an hour on an overcast day is good enough. If it’s warm enough to wear short sleeves or a skirt, even better.
3. Healthy diet
A good idea at the best of times, but if you’re finding that extra chocolate and alcohol are causing your skin condition to go downhill, then you know what to do: more fresh fruit and veg, and plenty of water.
There are so many nutrients in fruit and vegetables that are hard to get from other food groups. The good news is you don’t need to overthink it – buy whatever’s available and as long as you’re getting a good variety of different foods, you and your skin will get the benefits.
4. Reduce stress
Several skin conditions can be flared up by the changes in your immune system that happen when your cortisol stress hormone levels are too high. Exercise if you can, try to eat and sleep healthily, and talk to people about how you feel.
There’s also lots of online support through individual counsellors and therapists, and through fantastic mental health organisations like Mind and The Samaritans.
5. Add antioxidants to your skincare
Products containing Vitamin C and E are great for improving skin tone and texture. You could also consider Vitamin A (Retinol) at night. Once we’re open again, we can recommend some of our favourites to you!
But we’ve put skincare products last for a reason. Some of them are incredibly effective but even they will struggle to overcome the effects of the four sections we’ve already covered. In other words, a good antioxidant serum will do wonders for your skin if you’re also getting enough water, sleep and sunlight.
We hope you picked up some useful tips and encouragement from this piece. Have you got lockdown skincare questions that we haven’t answered yet? Hit the comment box below and one of our team will answer them.
Great read of advice it is very helpful. Thank you for sharing this.