At this time of year, smooth, glowing skin can seem like a bit of a pipe dream. It’s cold and damp, the winds are harsh, and our skin suffers. It’s common to have dry, sore patches and flaky areas. While covering up with makeup is a great quick fix, for healthy, smooth, and glowing skin, you’ll want to make more long-term changes to your routine. Here are eight steps to smooth, glowing skin, whatever the weather.
Deal with Problem Spots
Problem spots are different for all of us. Some of us have acne in specific areas, blackhead concentrations, oily t-zones or even scarring and stretch marks. While there’s nothing wrong with any of these things, if they are affecting your self-confidence, you don’t have to live with them. Look for a customized approach to scarring and other problem spots, as generic treatments are unlikely to make any difference to issues that are personal to you.
Take Your Time with Cleansing
Hopefully, we’re all already cleansing. You should be taking your makeup off at night and cleansing in the morning before applying any products to your skin. But if you are merely wiping a cloth over your skin, or quickly rubbing at your eye makeup with a soaked pad or makeup removing wipe then you might be doing more damage than good.
Cleansing should take time, especially in the evening when you are removing makeup and the pollution and bacteria of the day. Take your time to cleanse, using circular motions to rub a cleanser in before carefully rinsing.
Exfoliate
Even with careful cleansing, some of the dirt and bacteria will infiltrate your pores and create blockages. This can lead to outbreaks, blackheads, and sore spots. Exfoliation is a great way to unclog your pores, but it’s not something that you should do all the time, especially if you have sensitive skin. Try to exfoliate after cleansing once a week, to deep clean pores and boost blood flow.
Hydrate
Hydrating is one of the best things that you can do for your skin at this time of the year. Hydrating boosts circulation, tightens skin, and helps you to maintain a clear, youthful appearance. There are two main ways to hydrate your skin. Firstly, simply by drinking more water. Try to drink a full glass with meals and sip throughout the day. Then add extra moisture to your skin by moisturizing. Use a facial moisturizer morning and night, after cleansing, and moisturize the rest of your body at least once a week.
Rest
Sleep is great for your skin. As long as you cleanse beforehand, a good night’s sleep gives it a chance to rest and heal.
Brighten
As much as we’d like it to be, skin isn’t naturally glowing, so even with the best routines, you might need to give it some help along the way. A brightening serum, primer, or a gentle dusting of highlighter can give the appearance of a natural glow.
Self-Massage
Massaging the face boosts circulation. This increased blood flow to your face gives you a brighter, tighter, and more glowing appearance, but it does more than that. Increased circulation can also speed healing and reduce scarring and other imperfections.
Exercise and Fresh Air
If you want a rosy glow, there’s no better way to achieve it than a walk in the fresh air. Try to exercise and get outdoors every day to smooth and highlight your skin in the most natural way possible.
There are a lot of products out there promising miracles when it comes to skin tone and texture. Some of these will smooth and give you a glowing appearance, but only if you put a little effort in too.