Spring is upon us. With temperatures set to reach 17 degrees centigrade this week, it won’t be long till bare legs are a reality. In the spirit of new beginnings, I thought I’d get the ball rolling and help you prepare your skin for better weather by sharing my favourite Spring skincare tips.
So here goes…Dr Justine’s Monday morning Spring skincare tip number 1: If baring your legs also means showing the world an embarrassing display of red razor bumps and ingrown hairs, try the following. Wet your skin with warm water in the bath or shower for 5 minutes before shaving to soften coarse hairs. Apply a dedicated shaving cream or foam rather than reaching for whichever shower gel or hair conditioner happens to be within arm’s reach as this allows the blade to glide over the skin smoothly and reduces nicks and cuts. Ensure the razor is sharp and switch blades every 5-7 shaves. Don’t shave over the same area more than once and avoid areas with bumps until completely settled. Apply a soothing moisturiser to your legs post-shave and smooth in a downward motion, in the same direction as the hair growth. Lotions containing AHAs (e.g. lactic acid) are particularly good if you have razor bumps occupying large areas. Alternatively, if you just have a few localised ingrown hairs, pick up a pot of glycolic or salicylic acid-soaked pads (usually used for reducing oily skin or blackheads on the face/ nose) and wipe over affected areas once a day. Bye bye bumps.
Spring skincare tip number 2: Get your feet sandal ready with the following steps. Soften hard skin on your heels and the soles of your feet by applying generous amounts of a urea-based foot cream, such as Flexitol Heel Balm, before bedtime. Massage it firmly into the skin for a couple of minutes and cover with cotton socks to aid absorption. Ideally do this is after your bath or shower when your skin is a little softer. Use a pumice stone to tackle more stubborn areas. When your feet are silky smooth, you can scale things back and apply the urea cream one or two nights per week for maintenance. Choose a punchy red nail polish and you’re good to go.
Spring skincare tip number 3: The sun is out (thank goodness), but brighter weather means more squinting. Crow’s feet, the creases that form at the corners of our eyes from repeated squinting, are one of the earliest signs of skin ageing. To combat fine lines and wrinkles around the eyes, look for an eye cream that contains a high concentration of antioxidants and peptides. This winning combination helps ward off the collagen-destroying effects of UV rays at the same time as smoothing and plumping fine lines and wrinkles that have already formed. One of my top picks is @isclinical_official @isclinical_uk Youth Eye Complex which also contains hyaluronic acid to soothe dry crepey lids. If you’re in the US, lots of Dermatologists seem to like the @neocutis Lumiere Bio-restorative eye cream. A broad spectrum SPF30+ sun protection moisturiser and a big pair of sunglasses won’t go amiss either!
Spring skincare tip number 4: Get ready to show some skin! Warmer weather means slinky tops, bare shoulders and low backs. Prepare to reveal silky smooth skin by sticking to the following simple routine. Exfoliate your upper arms and back twice weekly in the shower with @ameliorate_skincare Skin Smoothing Body Polish. Cleanse your skin daily with a super gentle and nourishing body wash such as @kiehlsuk Creme de Corps Nurturing Body Washing Cream, or Dermol 200 shower gel if you are prone to bouts of “backne”, and then apply generous amounts of a moisturiser containing urea, lactic acid or glycolic acid. My usual favourites are @ameliorate_skincare Skin Smoothing Body Lotion, @eucerin_uk 10% Intensive Lotion and @neostratauk Ultra Smoothing Lotion. Now you’re ready to impress.
Spring skincare tip number 5: Spring clean your makeup brushes….and keep them clean all year round! Did you know that some of your brushes ought to be cleaned as often as every 1 or 2 weeks? If you’d like to know how to look after your kit properly, makeup artist @bobbibrown shared her top tips with @allure a little while ago but the advice is still spot on. Follow the link for her recommendations and start this Spring as you mean to go on http://www.allure.com/story/how-clean-are-your-makeup-brus
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