Many people suffer from spots, blemishes, dry skin, or sun damage. It can affect your daily life as skin blemishes can sometimes be painful, or can give your self-esteem a knock. However, you don’t need to spend hundreds on expensive skincare and make massive changes in order to see a difference in the health of your skin. Making some minor changes to your daily lifestyle can make a world of difference.
PROTECT YOURSELF FROM THE SUN
The sun can be one of the biggest offenders when it comes to ageing and damaging your skin. Not only can over-exposure to the sun cause skin cancers, but rays from the sun can cause your skin to age and wrinkle. This can put a lot of stress on your skin. Make sure that you’re using SPF products that protect your skin from the sun’s rays. Rimmed hats (like baseball caps and bucket hats) that cover your face with shade can also be a really good way to protect your skin from the sun’s rays.
LIMIT THE EFFECTS OF STEAM
While it can be relaxing to sit in a hot bath or go in a sauna/steam room after your workout, it could be doing more damage to your skin than you think. This is because hot water and steam remove a lot of natural oils from your skin. Limit your bath or shower time to make sure that you’re not stripping your skin of the oils that keep it soft- even better, use warm water rather than hot. Avoid using saunas as much as you can- every now and then is fine, but if you’re using them all the time, you can risk drying out your skin.
AVOID STRONG SOAP
Overly strong, highly perfumed soaps can irritate your skin and can cause rashes, spots and blemishes. Strong soap can also strip the natural oils from your skin, similar to hot water and steam. Using mild, unscented cleansers on your skin can be much better for you than using overly strong soaps. It can make sure the natural oils on your skin aren’t removed which helps to protect it and keep it soft. It also makes sure that your skin isn’t getting irritated by chemicals and strong scents.
SHAVE CAREFULLY
For many men, their shaving routine is something they do very often. However, they might find that whenever they shave, their skin becomes irritated. Making sure you are following a good shaving regimen can help to protect your skin. For example, ensure that you’re lubricating your face with moisturising shaving cream, lotion or gel – and make sure you have enough on your face. Using a sharp razor and shaving in the direction the hair grows can further reduce irritation caused to your face by shaving.
MOISTURISE DRY SKIN
Picking a good moisturiser is fundamental to improving your skin. Sometimes, people just pick up a moisturiser without looking closely at its properties and whether it’s optimised for their skin type. Work out which category your skin falls into- dry, oily, normal or combination. Different ingredients are better for different types of skin. For example, dry skin benefits from moisturisers which contain hyaluronic acid, and people with oily skin benefit from alpha-hydroxy acids. If you have sensitive skin, make sure you look for fragrance-free and hypoallergenic moisturisers to make sure the product doesn’t irritate your skin.
EAT A HEALTHY DIET
Never underestimate the power of a good diet on your skin. There are many obvious changes you can make- for example, eating 5 fruits and vegetables a day for vitamin C. Vitamin C is really good for your skin. Making sure you drink plenty of water is good too, as water helps flush toxins from your body which could be causing skincare issues. However, there are some foods which are less obvious- fatty fish is rich in vitamins such as Omega 3 and Vitamin E, which can really improve the look of your skin. Walnuts and green tea have also been proven to really improve a person’s skin health. Adding these to your diet can really help your skin naturally improve.
MANAGE STRESS
If you’re suffering from a lot of stress, this can affect your skin massively. Stress can cause acne breakouts and premature wrinkles. Try and promote stress relief and relaxation in your everyday routine to combat this. For example, do some exercise, take up a hobby you enjoy and make sure you’re spending time with your friends. Meditation can also really help as a way to relax you and get rid of toxic stress from being held in your body.
IMPROVE YOUR SLEEP
Your sleep is one of the biggest factors when it comes to your skin’s health. If you’re sleeping under the recommended amount, you could start to see that your skin becomes dull and tired. Because sleep helps us deal with stress, you could find that your skin becomes more irritated when you have less sleep. There are many things you can do to improve the amount of sleep you get. Firstly, you can use phone apps to track how much sleep you get, which can help you determine if there’s a reason you’re having less sleep. Secondly, you could improve your bedroom so you fall asleep easier by investing in luxury homeware such as weighted blankets and soft pillowcases. This can work in two ways- these items could make it easier to fall asleep, and buying homeware with soft cotton fabrics could mean your skin becomes less irritated when you sleep. Thirdly, introducing natural herbs such as lavender scents and chamomile tea could make you sleep better naturally.
