The new year is the perfect time to revaluate your skincare routine and reassess how your habits may be helping or harming your skin. That said, resolutions are easy to make on January 1st, but difficult to sustain throughout the year. It’s difficult to alter behaviour, especially when it comes to your health.
To make the process easier, break down your goals into small steps that are easy to tackle. This will allow you to get some wins under your belt and feel progress towards your resolution. While long term change is not easy, but consistency is key – especially with skincare. Regular use of high-quality skin care will make a difference in the long term, but don’t expect any miracles overnight. So, any resolution you make now, plan to stick with through the year for best results.
To that end, here are some skincare resolutions that you should commit to in the new year.
5 Skincare Resolutions To Follow This New Year
Eat Right
After the indulgence of the holiday season, we are bound to be tired and a little sallow. Increase your antioxidant intake by eating bright, fresh fruits and vegetables. This will work deep inside your skin layers to boost collagen and protect it from UV rays and environmental factors like pollution. Remember, the darker in colour the fruit or vegetable, the richer in antioxidants it will be.
Pay additional attention to your intake of good fats – like Omega 3 and protein. Look out for cashew nuts, flaxseed oil and algae extracted Omega 3. Hydration is key for glowing skin as well. You could add cucumber, lemon, strawberries, or mint to your water to make it more interesting.
Simplify Your Skincare Routine
The most effective skincare routine is a simple one, with well thought out active ingredients. All too often we overcompensate, with over-masking and over-peeling in the pursuit of a glowing complexion. Too many active ingredients, mismanaged and used in tandem, at different steps of your routine can disrupt the skin barrier, worsen redness and increase sensitivity.
The way to go is to simplify your skincare routine in the new year and ditch your multistep regime. More is definitely not better in this case and can just lead to irritation. Over scrubbing, over exfoliating, and over applying products is not necessarily any better than sticking to a simple, effective skincare routine. A good rule of thumb is to stick to simple products that will make a difference: a sunscreen, a cleanser, a moisturiser and active ingredients.
Consistency Is Key
Your skin loves consistency. While it might be tempting to switch up your routine from time to time, getting into the groove with a simple routine that works is worth its weight in gold. Cleanse twice daily, if you wear makeup and sunscreen do a double cleanse with micellar water or a balm as the first cleanse. Follow it up with Vitamin C and SPF in the morning and a Retinol and moisturiser at night. Use actives based on what your skin is telling you. For example, Azelaic acid is a great addition for skin that’s prone to redness and arbutin is great to tackle pigmentation.
Apply Sunscreen Every Day, No Matter The Season
While applying sunscreen may seem basic, it is actually one of the powerful skincare tools in your arsenal. Committing to daily sun protection is the most important crucial resolution you need to make. It’s been proven that consistent use of sunscreen has the greatest impact in preventing accelerated ageing and skin cancers. Wearing a broad-spectrum sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher will guard you against the harmful effects of UVA, which cause premature skin aging, and UVB rays, which cause sunburn.
If you’ve made it thus far and believe you’re exempt because you’re not really out in the sun too much, think again. Studies have shown that even blue light generated from our computers and electronic devices have a negative impact on the skin.
Incorporate A Good Vitamin C And Retinol In Your Regime
Vitamin is a great ingredient for brightening and glow-boosting effects. When formulated correctly, it is a potent antioxidant and works perfectly layered under your morning sunscreen. It helps with environmental stress, ageing and oxidizing processes. Layering it under your sunscreen doubles up as a protective layer and reduces the appearance of sunspots or pigmentation.
Using sources of Vitamin C present in fruits can be an effective way of combatting dullness and blemishes. All you need to do is sun dry orange peels for two days and then grind it to make a powder. Add a little honey, curd, turmeric and rose water to make a DIY face mask and pack it on for 15 minutes to reveal naturally glowing skin.
Retinoids are powerhouse actives and fight early signs of ageing, acne and hyperpigmentation. But the challenge is to continue using them when they cause initial irritation and redness.
Using a natural source of Vitamin A for the skin eliminates these problems and reveals smoother, more youthful skin. A source rich in Vitamin A, as we all know, is Carrots. Try this creamy face mask on to reap advantage of its benefits for the skin. Boil one carrot and blend it in a blender to make a puree. Add some honey and plain yogurt to get a creamy consistency. Apply it to your face for about 10 minutes and follow with a moisturiser to seal in its benefits. You can even take your pick from this list of organically formulated serums to meet your skincare goals.
Every year we make resolutions for our health, our careers and even our relationships but what about the skin you live in? Great skin isn’t a magical moment under the skies but a long-term commitment that begins now.
Read more: TRMxISR Presents #LoveYourPlanet: Sustainability Begins With Mindfulness
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