We all want that 'glow', but how do we achieve it? Well, here are 5 of my top tips of how you can achieve it yourself...
1. Drink water!
Ok, so i know it's pretty obvious but it is so important. You really want to try and get at least 1.5 to 2 litres of liquids in your body every day - this does not include coffee, caffeinated teas, soft drinks and alcohol by the way! This really is about fresh water, herbal teas and fresh green juices.
Water is so so important for our bodies. So important in fact, without it for a short space of time we can die! It is especially important for our skin to give us a beautiful, radiant glow that we need to look young and feel great.
When we consume water however, don't be fooled in thinking that it will go straight through into your skin cells though - because it doesn't! It gets filtered through all our organs in the body and hydrates all the cells that need it first - to be honest, our skin doesn't really get a look in according to dermatologist Katie Rodan
“water doesn’t go straight to the skin,” she says. “It goes through the intestines, gets absorbed into your bloodstream, and is filtered by kidneys. Then it hydrates cells.”
So why are you asking me to drink more if it doesn't hydrate my skin? Well, when your body is hydrated, your organs function better. It allows you to flush out toxins when you go to the toilet and clean that lymphatic system. When your body is hydrated, your eyes sparkle instead of looking sunken, your spots can clear up and everything begins to work so much better. So, this is how you get your glow from water - from the inside out!
2. Avoid harsh face washes
If you're a client of mine you probably know how much I loathe face washes. I don't really mean all of them but a lot of them!
Face washes tend to include ingredients like Sodium Laureth Sulphate which can really dry and irritate the skin. Some also can contain harsh chemicals and soaps which strip the skin, leaving it looking dry and dull - and sometimes flaking!
If you find that your face wash is drying your skin out, why not try an oil cleanser instead. It won't strip your skin, but leave it feeling soft and clean. I developed my cleansing beauty balm because I was sick of face washes that left my skin feeling really tight afterwards. For me (and a lot of other clients - it's probably my best seller!) it works. Oils are great at cleansing the skin as they can really help to dissolve oil that sits in pores and so actually give a deeper clean. Where as some face washes don't actually remove dirt and grime on the skin. This can then lead to blackheads and pimples. Why not try a cleansing oil instead and see the difference it makes for you.
3. Exfoliate Regularly
Let's think about it now, really how is your skin ever going to glow if you have a build up of dead skin cells left on your skin. Well, short answer is, it's not! Exfoliating the skin is super important in achieving that glow. Over time our skin sheds by itself naturally, but sometimes it can need a little help. With all the dirt and grime from the environment, makeup primers (No.1 pore blockers in my opinion!), foundation, creams, serums, oils, sweat (and goodness knows what else), our skin can become really dull and lifeless. Even though nature has designed us to naturally shed dead skin cells, I don't think that it knew that it would have such a battle on it's hands.
Exfoliating is important to keep that glow to your skin, to keep on top of those dead skin cells and make it look radiant. I recommend using either some fine jojoba beads which are round little balls to help lift away dead cells, or use an enzyme based exfoliator (I like to use the Nimue one - photo above). In the clinic I also do glycolic peels to really deepen that exfoliation and massively hydrate the skin. Try and steer clear of face scrubs containing ground peach or apricot kernels as their pointy shapes can really scratch and tear the skin - leaving it damaged, dry and very sensitive (hence you get that red face after using them)
4. Wear a good sun screen
Sun protection is super important to keep your skin glowing and probably the best anti-aging product you can have. Unfortunately though, a lot of products on the market can have poor sun protection levels - especially in BB creams and foundations as they are not always well formulated. You want to make sure that you are using a high factor - at least SPF 40 and above DAILY! Yes, daily! Whether the sun is out or its grey and rainy, you need to protect your skin with a UVA and a UVB SPF. We are still at risk from UVA damage even when we are inside, we can get UVA damage from lighting, blue screens and through the window - so you need to slather it on boys and girls!
5. Have regular facials
I always recommend regular facials - ideally every 3 to 4 weeks to keep your skin looking radiant. our skin naturally sheds every 28 days and so we want to give it a helping hand to get rid of that dullness to bring back radiance and shine.
Facials do so much for the skin, especially mine. I focus on deep cleansing, exfoliating and also massage to really flush out toxins from the skin. Then, I use different masks and serums to rehydrate the skin, draw out impurities and heal and blemishes.
Try and get a good facial at least each month and ideally you want around a 60 minute treatment to really allow your therapist to get to work. You should see a difference in your skin after having regular treatments, yes it should glow and feel fresh and clean afterwards, but long term too you should see a difference. Maybe try booking a course of facials so you know that you won't slip up or miss out on your treatments. I personally would avoid microdermabrasion or anything that is too harsh on the skin. This is obviously only my opinion, but I have seen clients in the past who's skin can really be damaged by it. I prefer a glycolic peel, as I feel that it is gentler on the skin, but can still give a similar 'clean and fresh' look.
I hope this has given you a little bit of an insight in to how to look after your skin and I want to thank you so much for reading this post.
Look after your skin and it will look after you!
Emmaline x