The festivities are over for another year and, as we start January, you may find your skin is looking a little less radiant than you’d like.
Skin Hangover
Although the Christmas party celebrations may be over, we can end up with what I call a “skin hangover” at this time of year. Throughout December, most of us eat and drink more than we need to. Very often, the things we eat are rich, heavily processed, refined carbohydrates (another mince pie anyone?) or laden with sugar or salt, not to mention the alcohol…
Now, I’m not here as the fun police. I fully believe that we should rest and indulge over Christmas. Still, the combination of the food and drink mentioned above can cause low levels of (or, for some people, chronic) inflammation in the gut microbiome, which can affect everything from our mood to our skin. The skin is the body’s largest organ and is a barometer for showing signs of imbalance.
You may find you’re in the middle of a post-Christmas breakout or your skin feels dull and dehydrated. Couple this with more challenging environmental conditions faced by the skin in winter (wind chill and central heating) and it’s no wonder many of us start the new year needing to get our skin back in shape.
Here are my top tips for tackling specific issues:
Supercharge Your Diet
Eating a balanced diet with plenty of fresh fruit, vegetables, fibre, nuts, seeds and healthy oils and fats will provide you with vitamins, minerals, macronutrients and antioxidants. All these will feed and nourish your skin. If you struggle to get these foods into your diet, consider taking supplements. Zinc, magnesium, iron, good quality multivitamins, probiotics and prebiotics can all benefit the skin.
Hero Ingredients
Know your skincare ingredients (and ask me for help if you don’t know where to start)! Whether you want to hydrate with hyaluronic acid, banish the blemishes with prebiotics or niacinamide, brighten with vitamin C and fruit acids or nourish and protect with specific oils, I’m here to help, so get in touch.
Chapped Hands or Lips?
The key to keeping hands and lips soft is to exfoliate regularly with a sugar/salt-based natural scrub and protect with a nourishing balm. Look for butterbased lip balms containing shea butter, and choose a hand cream with natural oils and butters.
Petroleum jelly products form a barrier on the skin to prevent water loss. However, they do little to nourish and sink into the deeper layers of the skin. Finally, wash and dry your hands well this winter and make sure your hand soap doesn’t contain SLS or SLES, both of which can lead to dry skin on hands. Look after yourself and I’ll be back in February with some Valentine’s makeup ideas.
Caroline x
About the Author
Caroline Louise is a professional makeup artist and skincare expert working throughout North Wales, Shropshire and Cheshire. She specialises in bridal, occasion and prom makeup but also gives one-to-one makeup consultations and lessons. For more information, visit caroline-louise.co.uk, email caroline@caroline-louise.co.uk or call 07814 442 041.
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