5 Top Tips for Glowing Skin
For me, the year never truly begins until the kids have returned to the fun and happy environment (ha!) of school – usually with drawn faces and lots of whinging of course! Until that point, the Mum in me feels like I can never fully invest in my next work chapter - my brain is just simply not fully switched-on until then. I’m not sure whether it’s the distraction of laughter, the screaming kids that seem to endlessly stream through our doors, or the long Summer days calling my name; all I know is that I’ve learnt to roll with it, or possibly more accurately, embrace it!
In addition to a noticeably more generous midriff thanks to a never-ending festive season, the Summer holidays for me always provide a time of personal and business reflection; a time to ponder what worked well over the last year, what our true successes were, what we could have done better and how we can improve those who we serve. It offers a time of consolidation and considered planning, without which, I know the year would simply flit away…
So, with this in mind, I thought it appropriate to share some of my ever-growing wisdom on both the skin and skincare, so that you may take away some easy-to-implement tips to help improve your own skincare routine – hopefully so you achieve your best, most glowing skin yet.
Enough fluff, let’s get started, shall we?!
Tip #1: Undoubtedly, my holy grail of skincare advice to set your skin up for success is to double-cleanse every evening (see our blog post on Double Cleansing for more detail).
It goes without saying that simply having a routine that incorporates a decent cleanse is a great start, but using a cleanser which contains oil, followed by a water-based cleanser is the bomb!
The Double Cleansing method hinges on the science-backed principle that oil-based cleansers effectively remove excess oil residue from the skin as well as oil-based products such as makeup and sunscreen, whilst water-based cleansers rid the skin of any pore-clogging dirt that remains, to reveal beautifully clean skin, ready to receive the plethora of goodies tucked away in each and every Indira product such as our restorative Rich Repair Oil.
Double Cleansing is most certainly worth your while, so check out our range of oil and water based cleansers here.
Tip #2: Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!
Clearly, I can not emphasise the importance of hydrating your skin enough, because I want to be clear: without proper hydration, your skin simply won’t function to it’s full capacity, nor appear at it’s best.
Often the importance of hydrated skin is underrated, but I’m here to tell you that hydrated skin allows for the penetration of products through to the lower levels of your epidermis, helps maintain a healthy skin barrier, introduces plumpness and glow, will feel soft and smooth, and can noticeably help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Yeehah, Grandma! I mean, what more could you want?!
All of our cream-based products are bursting with aloe vera, which helps to boost hydration, and of course our highly effective Hydration Serum is specifically designed to increase hydration by 130% in as little as 30 days, so check it out.
Tip #3: Regular exfoliation is a game changer and a sure way to healthy, glowing skin.
Our stratum corneum, which sits as our outer layer of skin and has the important role of physical protection from the environment, is replaced every two weeks however as we age this process slows, which can lead to clogged pores, dull skin, wrinkles and often breakouts. Mmmm-mmmmmm awesome!
The difference exfoliation can make to your skin is quite simply astounding: by regularly exfoliating your skin, not only are you removing dead skin build up to reveal a smoother canvas below, but your skin is set up for success to allow the penetration of skin goodies, in particular the actives in serums.
It must be said that there is most certainly a place for both chemical and manual exfoliants, which is worth exploring however at this stage we offer a highly effective and popular manual Exfoliating Cream (check it out here), which contains a combination of sustainable bamboo and jojoba beads to beautifully and ever-so-gently buff.
Whether you exfoliate chemically or manually, like most fantastic things in life, exfoliation is all about balance where exfoliating too often can severely compromise your skin leaving it sensitised, raw, shiny and thin, whilst on the other hand, not exfoliating enough can leave the skin dull and congested – neither option is great really!
We recommend exfoliating your skin at least twice a week as part of your weekly skincare routine, but you may find that every second day may bring on even more noticeably great results. For more info check out our blog post on exfoliating.
Tip #4: Lock it in with a moisturiser that provides a light but effective barrier.
There is an excellent reason that moisturisers are so popular, and that’s because they are truly the bread and butter of any skincare routine. Thus, my fourth top tip is to moisturise during the day once you have applied your chosen toner and or serum/s.
Essentially, moisturisers are a very effective way to help minimise trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL), by creating an important barrier between your skin and the environment, thereby helping to keep your skin barrier healthy.
Moisturising not only locks in the goodies from the products applied beforehand, but a good quality moisturiser provides well balanced ratios of oil and added extras such as botanical extracts to help boost skin function, reduce the appearance of fine lines, sooth and repair.
Leaving the house without moisturiser is pretty much like leaving the house without pants (or a skirt!), so get into the good habit of applying every day, even if you think you may not need it! Our Medium Revitalising Moisturiser provides an excellent layer of protection with some fantastic age-defying ingredients such a Green Tea extract and Neroli hydrosol.
Tip #5: Let your skin breath, and simply use an oil at night.
Much to the shock of most people who quiz me on my own routine, I have used ONLY an oil night (yes, no moisturiser) for the better part of a decade now, and for good reason!
The skin undergoes significant repair and cell turnover when you sleep. Due to the nature of moisturisers containing emulsifiers and other ingredients such as preservatives, the natural skin cell turnover may be hindered by using a moisturiser whilst you sleep, so why bother with one?
We advocate the ritual of giving your skin room to breath, and instead of laying your skin with multiple products, I urge you to instead try using a nourishing, antioxidant-rich plant oil, such as our Rich Repair Oil. Our oils support your natural skin microbiome and help build and maintain the skin barrier to a healthy state – pretty amazing huh?!
So hopefully that helps you sharpen your routine for the year ahead, simple and effective, but the benefits will be dramatic, I promise!