25 Ways To Look After Your Skin

Your skin is a wonderfully clever thing. Often taken for granted, it plays many roles in caring for your body. Some of these include removing impurities, regulating temperature and, in some cases, signalling changes in your overall health and wellbeing – think dark circles when you’re tired or feeling under the weather, or breakouts if you’ve eaten something you’ve reacted to.

Maintaining skin health should therefore be part of your daily routine for long lasting natural beauty. Here our ESPA Experts share their reasons why you should look after your skin:

1. Generations of DNA from our ancestors make up our skin. Nobody else in the world has skin exactly like yours. All those little ‘imperfections’ we see in the mirror should be called ‘perfections.’ Looking after your skin is to make it comfortable and keep it healthy, respecting ourselves and this incredible regenerating organ that reflects our lives.
2. Naturally beautiful looking, healthy skin is a lifelong process. There’s no one size fits all quick fix. Although there are products that offer instant results, true skin health is created and sustained through a gentle and specific approach over weeks, months and years for great looking skin at all ages.
3. As the last point, prevention is better than cure. It’s better to get the most out of each and every item you put on your skin or into your body rather than trying to correct something later down the line. This is why a good diet and sun protection all year round is so vital.
4. Great sun protection, environmental damage and stress prevention will help keep the ageing process at bay. But always remember to extend anything you put on your face to your neck and décolleté. Treat your hands as well. Add some facial oil before your hand cream as an anti-ageing treat.
5. All skin is different so choose skincare that’s right for your skin type. The needs of dry skin are completely different to that of oily and combination skin – be sure to visit your local spa or salon where a therapist will be able to tell you what products are most appropriate for you.
6. Cleansing is an incredibly important step and you’ll soon reap the rewards of creating a good regime you can stick to. When you cleanse and hydrate skin before bed, you’re preparing it to regenerate and heal itself overnight – helping you awaken fresh and prepared.
7. Cleansing is very important for the skin, always choose a cleanser which suits your skin type. A good cleanser will clean the pores and impurities thoroughly. And will also remove traces of oil and makeup, leaving your skin soft, fresh and clean.
8. Gentle cleansing everyday with products for your skin type will keep your complexion on an even keel. Over exfoliating or stripping the skin with strong toners can lead to imbalance and sensitivities.
9. The skin around our eyes is 7 times thinner than the rest of your face making it an extremely delicate area. Taking care of your eyes using only gentle natural products and applying them with the lightest, most delicate touches will help keep our eyes clear, bright, soothed and free from deep lines and dark circles.
10. What you fuel your body with has just as much affect as external factors, which is why drinking plenty of water will help body functions (including brain function) and stop skin looking dull, saggy, loose or even appear to have fine lines.
11. As well as hydrating your body from the inside, hydrate on the outside by keeping skin well moisturised, choosing daily skin care products that balance the level of water within your skin. A moisturising mask and regularly spritzing with a toner with also help.
12. Eating healthy fats and foods with antioxidants help fight disease as well as the ageing process. What you eat shows on your skin.
13. Try to introduce nuts into your diet - Brazil nuts are rich in Selenium, which increases skin elasticity, Walnuts are rich with omega-3 fatty acids which help to lower inflammation and Macadamias help give glowing skin.
14. Consuming too much refined sugar can damage collagen and elastin which cause wrinkles, so avoid sugar where possible or cut back. You’ll soon notice the difference in your face.
15. Get a good night’s sleep. It seems funny to say, but getting enough sleep really benefits your skin. This is because skin rejuvenates and repairs itself while we sleep, making good quality sleep for at least 8 hours a must.
16. When we look good, we feel good and a lot of that has to do with our skin. Your face is the first part of you others see, so when skin looks healthy and radiant we’re ready to face the world.
17. Exercise has huge muscular and cardiovascular benefits, but physical activity also helps keep your skin healthy and vibrant by increasing blood flow. Blood carries oxygen and nutrients to working cells throughout the body, including the skin.
18. Regularly body brushing has some amazing benefits for your health and skin. Boosting energy as well as your skin, other benefits include an increase in circulation, the appearance of cellulite improved, muscle tone improved, lymphatic drainage assisted and the nervous system stimulated.
19. Dry and ageing skin benefits from exfoliating as it not only washes away dead cells but also helps in the production of new cells, giving a smoother, brighter skin.
20. Be wary of dairy. Studies have shown that milk contains hormones and other compounds that may contribute to inflammation and acne.
21. Coffee dehydrates the skin, so you should try to limit your intake to no more than two cups a day. Also, try drinking an eight-ounce glass of lemon water beforehand to help neutralize the coffee’s acid.
22. For clear skin it’s important to fully remove all traces of the makeup, and a great way of doing this is by double cleansing.
23. A steamy shower may feel great, but it's one of the worst things you can do for glowing skin. Blood vessels respond by dilating in an effort to cool the skin, causing flushing. When washing skin use warm or cool water.
24. Being aware of your skin type, knowing that it can change depending on the seasons or hormones. You may have oilier or combination skin in the summer, but normal to dry skin in the winter. It’s important to adapt your skincare routine when needed.
25. Skin is our biggest organ, vital for our very survival it allows us sensation of touch, heat, cold and so on. Covering around 20 feet of our bodies – why wouldn’t you want to care for it as you would any other part of your body?