Now that it is very safe to say that the lovely summer weather has left us for another year, the colder, damp and dark nights start to creep in way to quickly. You wrap up warm, the heating is on, fires are burning and a nice soak in a hot bath after being outside is bliss. But whilst we are looking after ourselves making sure we stay nice and warm with being cosy in our houses and being wrapped up in our big warm winter jackets when out and about, what steps are you taking to look after your skin? Most people will just continue to use their every day routine they have used all through the summer but sometimes more often than not this usually isn’t enough to keep your skin in a perfect condition. There are some easy steps you can follow to ensure you have gorgeous hydrated, glowing skin this autumn and winter.
1 – Cleansing – Firstly you should always cleanse your face twice daily throughout the year not just in the colder months, you need to cleanse to get rid off all the dirt and make up your skin can collect throughout the day and at night when you are sleeping. To me your cleanser for the colder months should be a soap free cleansing milk or balm. These don’t take as much moisture out of your skin as say a foaming or gel cleanser and they are a little gentler on your skin. Also if you massage your cleanser into your skin using circular movements for 2mins you will start to bring more blood and oxygen to the surface of your skin making it appear instantly brighter and a bit healthier. Always make sure you dry your skin completely by patting your skin with a clean dry towel. Please don’t rub it could damage your skin plus it can hurt too.
2- Facial Scrub – I find that scrubs with finer grains in them work better on skin than ones with slightly larger grains in them. A facial scrub should ideally only be used once a week and after cleansing. Scrubs are good for helping remove dead skin cells and giving your skin back its natural glow but using them to much or scrubbing them to hard into your face can damage your skin and leave it red and sore to the touch. Rub the scrub in circular motions into your face using your 2 ring fingers as they are the most gentle and won’t apply too much pressure.
3 – Add a serum to your skincare if you don’t already use one. This will add an extra layer of hydration to your skin and it will also help build up a protective layer over your skin protecting it from going in from the cold outdoor weather and into the warm indoor heat and vice versa. I have been using one I got in one of my subscription beauty boxes. It’s a radiance serum containing aloe vera & manuka honey by the company Pukka. It works really well with my oily skin and with it being 97.5% organic it is pretty healthy for my skin too.
4 – Moisturising- Moisturising should be done twice daily after cleansing and serum being applied. Your day time moisturiser should be lighter than your night time cream and it should always contain an SPF, You might think the sun’s harmful UV rays aren’t around any-more because it has got cold but they are, so please keep on protecting your skin with an SPF. Your night time moisturiser can be a bit heavier than your day time one so you can properly rehydrate your skin whilst you’re sleeping. You can quite often get a day and night moisturiser set to suit all skin types. Also if you are like me and you don’t feel very comfortable without a little colour to your face through the day you can replace your day time moisturiser for a tinted one or even a beauty balm (bb cream). Most tinted moisturisers and beauty balms contain an SPF.
5 – Lip Scrubs – The cold weather is terrible for bringing out dry, chapped and sore lips, but I prevent this by using a lip scrub every 2nd day. You can either buy one from a shop – I love the peppermint lip scrub from Lush – or you could make a very simple one at home in 2 minutes which is what I do if I run out of my usual one. All you have to do is get a small jar with a lid to keep your scrub in firstly. Then get some solid honey (natural) and granulated sugar. Mix one teaspoon of honey with 2 and half / 3 teaspoons of sugar until a paste is made, place what you have mixed up into your jar and use on your lips as and when you want/need to. Plus you don’t have to worry about any nasty stuff getting into your mouth as it is completely natural, homemade and it tastes pretty yummy as well. I recommend keeping it in a cool dark place and throwing what is left away after one week and make a fresh batch.
6 – Lip Balm – I love lip balms, I own too many of them lol! Lip balms are a good way of keeping your lips hydrated and protected from drying out in the warm and cold air. At night time before I head to my bed I tend to use the Burts Bees Beeswax Lip Balm with Vitamin E and peppermint on my lips. It keeps them hydrated through the night. Throughout the day time I have been finding myself using the Maybelline baby lips more than I normally would, they are so moisturising and the cherry me, pink punch and the peach kiss also have a nice little hint of colour too which means I can get away without putting lippy on all the time.
Also drinking around 8 glasses of water per day and eating foods with those essential fatty acids omega 3,6 and 9 can work wonders for your skin by keeping it hydrated and protected from within. These can be found in foods such as fish, walnuts, almonds, seeds, and certain oils. I take supplements rather than eat fish as I don't like the taste of seafood.
Treat yourself..
Being a busy mum to my constantly on the move 4year old, I look forward to taking one night out of my week once I have my daughter tucked up and sleeping in bed to enjoy a complete mummy pamper night starting off with a relaxing hot bath with a lovely smelling bath bomb from Lush. Face masks are also very relaxing. I buy face masks from the Montagne Jeunesse range, they’re available in shops like boots, superdrug, savers, the supermarkets and they usually only cost 99p per mask (very inexpensive for 20 minutes of relaxation and they’re great for your skin too). Then I like nothing more than to get snuggled up on the couch with a large mug of hot chocolate topped with cream in my onesie/pjs and catch up on my soaps I have missed!
I hope all you busy mummies find this skin care blog useful in helping you get perfectly hydrated and naturally glowing skin over these cold wintery months.
Please feel free to leave comments :)
Lisa xx
