It's very easy to keep to your skincare habits, you know your routine works for you, and you’re comfortable with that. But we’re also all guilty of sleeping in our make-up from time to time, neglecting our brushes, and failing to find the time to give our skin some real TLC.
This is the year of change. It’s time to give your skincare routine a real makeover. Follow these five tips and your skin will be thanking you far beyond the New Year.
#1 Clean your make-up brushes
Ideally your powder make-up brushes should be washed once a month, and every week for any brushes you use to apply liquid products. Brushes collect lots of bacteria, germs, oil, dead skin cells, and dust that are on our faces every day, so without regular cleaning your brush will be spreading gems and bacteria back onto your face during application.
This is a recipe for disaster so this year, put in the time to regularly clean your brushes. See the impact yourself as your skin thanks you with a clear and healthy complexion.
To kick off your skincare resolutions, follow Lauren Conrad’s simple steps to cleaning your brushes or check out these innovative tools that make this beauty chore a little easier.
#2 Keep your hands away from your face
Let’s be honest, our hands are full of germs and bacteria. We use our hands for pretty much everything. It’s a very common habit to touch our face throughout the day but this seriously threatens a glowy and healthy complexion.
Keeping your hands away from your face is the best way to prevent bacteria spreading around your skin. Less bacteria means less pimples, and ultimately much healthier and happier skin.
But breaking a habit is easier said than done, especially if we’re unaware of it, or it is trigged by boredom or stress. To avoid this, keep a note on your phone, car and at your desk reminding you to stop touching your face. Carry some anti-bac with you to clean your hands throughout the day, and also give a second thought to the surfaces you’ve touched so your awareness of the habit is at the forefront of your mind.
#3 Remember to cleanse your neck
Having a daily skincare routine is all well and good to maintain a clear complexion, but it is equally important to look after your neck. Many people forget to look after their neck, as they do their face, leaving the skin on our neck looking dull and dry.
Foundation, bronzer, highlighter, perfume, as well as dirt all build up on our neck just like our face. It is important to cleanse your neck to remove any unwanted bacteria that has settled there during the day.
If you feel like you neck could use some extra TLC, when you cleanse, tone, exfoliate and moisturise your face, do the same to you neck too. Follow Garnier’s three steps to correctly cleansing your neck and you’ll never neglect your neck again.
#4 Moisturise after showering
Moisturiser helps to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, as well as helping to balance the oils in your skin. So, this year set yourself a goal to get the most out of your moisturiser.
A hot shower or steamy bath are two of life’s wonderful luxuries, but they strip the moisture out of your skin. This leaves the skin unbalanced, sensitive, and not fit for the winter months. To avoid this, make sure you moisturise while you’re still in the bathroom. Your pores are still open from the heat and it means you can replenish all of the lost moisture before you’ve even left the bathroom.
For some extra care and attention, add a weekly body exfoliation to your shower routine then moisturise afterwards. This will help the moisturiser to soak deeply into the skin, locking in all of the natural goodness and oil that are key for skin repairs.
#5 Don’t neglect your exfoliator
Adult skin cells can take up to 28 days to replenish, meaning your skin cells have a long time to dry out and loosen up. This leaves your skin appearing dry and dull at the surface. Exfoliating regularly can jump-start the renewal process by carefully removing any skin cells that are holding to the surface of the skin.
As well as helping out many skin problems, exfoliating also increases blood circulation which helps to achieve a healthy glow and complexion! However, some exfoliators can be very harsh on your skin so it is best to start with a gentle face scrub to avoid any irritation. Your dermatologist is the best expert to speak to as they understand your specific skin type and needs.
As a start point, check out this blog post by InStyle which outlines the best exfoliation techniques for each skin type.
Incorporate these tips into your skincare routine and you’ll be carrying a healthy glow right through winter and straight into spring. Once you see results these resolutions may stick with you for a lifetime.