When it comes to skincare there is unfortunatley no magic solution or perfect formula to guarantee health skin. There are however lots of habits that we can focus on to help maintane the health of our skin.

No. 1 Routine & Consistency.

First up it is important that you work with a professional skin therapist to develop a home skin care routine that is just right for your skin and that fits in with your lifestyle and budget. Your routine doesn’t need to be complicated  or fussy it can be as basic or as advanced as you want, but it is vital that it is suited to your skin and that you are confident with the results from it.  Once this personalised routine is established it’s vital that you stick to it, consistency is key, morning and evening everyday, repeat, repeat, repeat. Skin care is all about daily habits, so establish that routine and stick to it.

No. 2 Water Intake

Without a doubt the most inexpensve and easiest way to help inprove your skins appearance. Experts recommend aiming to drink 2.5 litres per day. The benefits of increasing your water intake are

• Improved Skin Tone
• Fewer lines and wrinkles
• Reduced puffiness
• Reduced risk of breakouts
• Stronger, healthier skin barrier
• Improved gut health ( which can reflect on the skin)

Once again, consistency is key, its 2.5 litres every day!

No. 3 UV Exposure

We all know by now that UV exposure is the biggest culprit when it comes to premature ageing of our skin. It’s important to remember that it is not just bright, hot summer sun that accelerates skin ageing but any form of daylight exposure.  It can be next to impossible to completely avoid daylight exposure so what we must do is be sensible about it. All the general rules apply which I’m sure you are familar with, wear a minimun of factor 30 every day, reapply every 90-120 mins during prolonged exposure, wear sunglasses with UV filter, stick to the shade as much as possible.

No.4  Sleep.

When we sleep at night our body has a chance to repair and renew itself, the same applies to our skin. During the day our skin is in defense mode, at night it gets a chance to repair. Lack of sufficient sleep can lead to dark circles under the eyes and also dull dehydrated skin. We are also more likely to make bad food choices or reach for more coffee when we are tired.  So remember beauty sleep is not just for Princesses, aim to get between 7 and 9 hours sleep per night.

No.5 Diet

When I was a teen I was constantly being told that my spots where caused by eating too much chocolate ( and had nothing to do with the dreaful routine I had)  While there is some truth in it, the odd Curly Wurly was not  totally to blame for my hormonal breakouts. However a poor diet can be reflected in our skin, excessive sugar consumption can cause premature ageing, for some people dairy can lead to inflamation and breakouts.  A good diet rich in a wide variety of fruit and vegetables is not only good for our health but reflects on the skin. Antioxidents found in fruit and vegetables protect against free radical damage to our skin, oily fish rich in omegas help with skin hydration, again as mentioned before good gut health shows on our face.

No.6  Skin Hygiene

This is not about how thoroughly we clean our skin but more so how clean everything is that comes into contact with your skin.  For example, touching, picking or squeezing our face too much can spread bacteria, especially for our breakout prone skins.  We don’t need to be too obsessive here but just keep in mind that the less we touch our face unnecessarily, the better. I’d also recommend developing a good routine for washing make up brushes, face cloths, sponges, pillow cases and towels too.

No.7 Massage

The majority of us love a good massage purely for the relaxation and a chance to switch off, but one of the main benefits of massage is increased blood flow and lymphatic drainage. Both of these can help restore radiance and reduce puffiness. The good news is you don’t have to wait for your monthly facial for a massage, it is so easy to massage your skin at home, using your serum or night cream for slip you can work your facial muscles with your finger tips, jade roller, ice globe or gua sha stone.

Thanks for reading

Margaret