The multiple lockdowns that have been put in place over the last ten months have been a trial for many in a multitude of ways. However, what they have welcomed is a break for our skin. No more early mornings standing on a train station platform, our cheeks exposed to the icy wind. Gone are the days of city pollution clogging our pores as we debate claims of early pregnancy to nab that seat on the tube. Even wearing heavy makeup to hide the blemishes caused by wearing heavy makeup daily has been removed from our locked down lives. So, for the first (and hopefully the last) time our delicate skin is being treated with some care, even if our bank accounts are not thanks to online shopping and food delivery apps as lockdown coping mechanisms.
So why not use this time to really give your skin some TLC? Take advantage of this strange lapse in life’s regular programming and come out the other side with glowing, blemish free skin. As lockdown achievements go, it’s certainly one that others will be envious of and requires a lot less hassle than a 30-day fitness program conducted via IGTV. We’ve come up with a few foolproof ideas that get a few steps closer to naturally fresh and glowy skin. Oh and best of all? They won’t cost you a thing.
CHANGE YOUR PILLOW
Our pillows are not something that we often pay much attention to. They’re simply the thing that provides a soft landing when our head eventually can no longer hold itself up through yet another episode of our late-night Netflix binge. But when you get to thinking about it, you realise just how dirty that thing is. Every night, we rub our delicate skin against the very same fabric that gets up close and personal with our day five hair, and our opened mouth breathing. It also absorbs any of the leftover makeup that our cotton pad didn’t quite reach so inevitably, your skin is going to break out.
It’s quite a big ask to suggest changing your pillow every night, but at least once a week should be more manageable and you’ll soon start to see a change in your skin that makes it worth it. In between changes simply alter the position of the pillow. Turn it upside down and flip it around and your face should be touching a (fairly) fresh and clean surface each and every night. No big investment into a silk pillowcase needed with this little trick.
DON'T FORGET TO MOISTURISE
Usually acne or breakouts are associated with oily skin. This is a bit of myth. Yes, oil prone skin does block your pores and cause blemishes but the same result can occur with dry skin too. The colder months of the year bring their own skin battles as a result of dry air from central heating, rubbing our chins against the same scarf everyday and also a build up of dry skin. Just like the oil produced by our skin, dry areas can also block pores and cause breakouts.
But there is a quick, simple and inexpensive fix to this. Moisturiser! It’s a step that is so easy to forget if we’re in a rush, desperate to get into bed, or if we tell ourselves that we’re putting makeup on anyway, so it doesn’t matter all that much. However, it’s a crucial step in your routine that should never be missed. As well as providing anti-aging benefits, moisturising will prevent any dry skin build up and actually result in less breakouts as a result. So, don’t neglect it and you won’t regret it.
STOP TOUCHING YOUR FACE
Unfortunately, this is a tricky one to do (in my experience anyway). We tend not to notice how often our face comes into contact with our hands. But let me tell you, it’s likely to be a lot. We rub our faces when we’re stressed, we do the same when we’re happy or excited. We rest our chins in our hands when we’re working, reading or just sitting comfortably. If you speak with your hands, you are probably touching your face in some way every time you have a conversation. Even speaking on the phone brings a surface to your cheek which just seconds prior your fingers had been dancing all over.
Though this doesn’t sound like a big deal, it’s important to remember just how dirty our hands are – maybe less so in our new climate of ‘no touching’ and endless supply of hand sanitiser, but the same point still stands. All of the dirt that our hands collect between hand washes ends up transferred onto our very delicate skin and unsurprisingly this causes breakouts and blemishes. So simply stop this transfer by kicking the habit of face touching– or at least try to. It’s almost guaranteed that stopping your skin coming into regular contact with dirt will improve its appearance.
WASH STRAIGHT AFTER A WORKOUT
If home workouts are now part of your routine, then you’ll be more than familiar with the rewarding feeling of a slightly damp forehead and sweaty upper lip. Though these are signs of a fabulous workout, they aren’t so great for your skin – especially when you don’t hit the shower to cleanse fairly soon after you’ve finished your daily sweat sesh. Letting sweat dry on your face for a prolonged period of time is likely to cause dirt and sweat–eating bacteria to settle, ultimately causing blemishes. So, either make showering and cleansing the next step in your daily routine or bridge the gap between workout and wash by using a cotton pad and your makeup remover/micellar water to remove some of the moisture from your face.
DOUBLE CLEANSE
This one is pretty much what it says on the tin. You’d be shocked at how much makeup and residue is left on your face even once you’ve given it a once over with a cleanser and a muslin cloth. Doing it twice really makes sure that there is no trace of the day left on your skin and you can hit your (now beautifully clean and fresh) pillow without worrying about leaving tell-tale tanned streaks behind.
SHOWER FIRST, CLEANSE AFTER
This is something that I only recently started to actively do. Cleansing after being in the shower for a few minutes was something that I probably did 7/10 mornings a week, but after reading this very simple tip in skincare guru Caroline Hiron’s blockbuster hit ‘Skincare’ that came out in April 2020, I now make sure I do every day without fail.
The science behind this is pretty simple – the steam from the shower opens your facial pores, allowing any dirt to more easily be budged by your skincare products. It is also the closest we’re getting to any spa treatment at the moment, so make the most of it and indulge.
DRINK WATER
Cliche is an understatement with this one. However, it really is one of the best things you can do for your skin and your health in general. So, make sure you’re getting enough (and then a glass or two more because everyone who thinks they drink enough water probably doesn’t). Once you start regularly drinking enough water – the Eatwell guide puts this at about 6-8 glasses a day – then you’ll notice a difference in the overall appearance of your skin. And unlike any decent coffee that actually makes your skin look more tired in the long term, it won’t cost you a penny.
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