The holiday season is known for its festivities, such as attending parties, dinners, and events, spending lots of time with loved ones to a point where you may find yourself traveling to more social events than usual. By engaging in the holiday season, it can lead to disturbed sleeping patterns, rich foods, and indulgences.
As much fun as this period is, your skin can suffer. If you experience breakouts, dullness, dehydration, and an uneven skin tone during this period it can all be an indication of your lifestyle changes. If this sounds like you, why not use the turn of the new year to reset your skincare routine? Here are some tips on resetting without making it complicated.
Assess your skin’s current condition and clear out the old
Before you decide to add any new products or steps into your usual skincare routine lineup. You should firstly review how your skin has behaved over the holidays and see what it is in need of. Keep an eye out for things such as dryness, irritation, breakouts, uneven skin tone, or an overall lack of glow.
Complete an audit of your products, too. Skincare can expire; that’s why it is important to discard any products that are due to expire or that don’t work for your skin. By doing this, you avoid feeling overwhelmed by all your options, and it can help you to prevent layering many treatments together that are unnecessary and pairing products that don’t work together.
Simplify – focus on essentials first
Going back to basics is a great place to start when resetting your skin’s routine. Firstly, start by using a gentle cleanser, which can get rid of any impurities in the skin, such as pollution, dead skin cells, and oil buildup.
Next, you’ll need an appropriate moisturizer. It is often better to opt for a lighter formula in the morning and a richer type for the evening. Make sure to tailor your choices based on your skin type and the season. Finally, daily sun protection is a must always, even on cloudy or overcast days.
By implementing these steps into your routine, you’re setting the foundation for your skincare routine to give your skin what it truly needs to thrive in the new year.
Reintroduce actives thoughtfully
Once your skin feels stable again, you can reintroduce active ingredients in your skincare routine. Think about what skincare issues you need to address first. If you suffer with hydration, opt for a hydrating serum that has hyaluronic acid or if you want to brighten your skin if you deal with dullness in the winter, products containing vitamin C or niacinamide are ideal. If you are unsure, professional skincare can give you a tailored plan that is specific to you and your skin.
Introduce new products very carefully. Ideally, introducing products one at a time can be effective and leave roughly 6 weeks for your skin to adapt to the new products. The timeframe allows you to notice any issues with the new product, as well as for results to show, as this is how long a full cell turnover takes.
Rebuild a healthy lifestyle and support routines
Although resetting your skincare can work wonders, your lifestyle needs to support those changes. Stress, poor sleep, poor diet, and dehydration can all become apparent on your skin.
With the new year comes restoring healthy habits. Having a good sleep schedule, for example, relies heavily upon having good sleep hygiene. Skincare is often a relaxation technique in the evening, so surround it with other relaxing habits to ensure you go to sleep easily.
You can also support your skin routine with small habits. Cleaning makeup brushes, regularly checking expiry dates of skincare and makeup, and keeping an eye on your skin’s health will all help keep your skin looking healthy.
