Back to basics: 6 simple ways to look after your skin

We are consumed by beauty products but these six simple methods will help you to achieve glowing skin all year round.

With a staggering amount of beauty products available on the market, caring for our skin can become an overwhelming task. But let’s go back to basics before we start considering expensive products in the hope that they will deliver flawless skin. Beauty starts from within and so does great skin, and these six methods can help you to achieve a gorgeous glow without having to break the bank.

Drink water

Drinking water has numerous benefits and it can really help your skin to look and feel great. Water keeps your skin hydrated and reduces wrinkles by plumping the skin. Adequate water intake helps to make your skin brighter, can minimise pores and reduce outbreaks.

Sleep

If you are not getting enough sleep this can have a serious affect on how your skin looks. One of the most obvious signs of a lack of sleep is dark circles beneath the eyes. It can also cause the moisture levels in your skin to decrease making it dry and dull.

When we are tired this can add extra stress to the body which can speed up the aging process. The recommended hours of sleep per night is eight so do your best to get as much beauty sleep as you can.

Exercise

If you are prone to acne working up a sweat can help to relieve and improve break outs, making skin appear clearer. Your pores will open up during your workout and oil and dirt will be released. Exercise improves your blood flow helping you to achieve that beautiful, natural glow.

Top tip: cleanse your face after exercising so that oils and dirt are not absorbed back into your skin.

Remove makeup before bed

When we are home late removing makeup before bed is one of the tasks we dread but it should never be avoided. If you have foundation on your skin when you are sleeping, your skin can become dehydrated, your eyes can become puffy and you will be more prone to spots.

We all want glowing skin but by choosing to go to bed with makeup on we are ensuring that our dreams do not become a reality and we end up searching the market for the best moisturisers and eye creams when all we have to do is take 10 or 15 minutes before bed and cleanse properly. By doing this we are allowing our skin to breathe and repair during the night.

Top tip: don’t use face wipes as they dehydrate the skin and can cause breakouts.

Wear sunscreen

It is a well-known fact that sun exposure ages the skin and while we may be enduring the colder seasons, on a chilly day when the sun is shining it is just as important to shade your skin from strong rays as they are just as harmful in winter as they are in summer. While many of us will not want the hassle of applying sunscreen on a daily basis, being aware, staying in the shade or wearing a big hat can help protect your skin.

Cut down on alcohol

We’re approaching party season but be aware, alcohol consumption impacts your skin and as we get older the consequences are much more severe as our bodies and our organs (our skin being the largest organ) cannot recover as quickly. Drinking causes dehydration, puffiness, redness and breakouts. It can also impact the ageing process and affect our hormones.