It can be tough to keep up with your skincare routine, especially if you’re struggling to find something that works. Are you looking to eliminate puffy eyes? Conceal dark circles? Prevent the appearance of pimples? The likelihood is you’ll want all of this and more so when you find a skincare tip (or trick) that works, you’re going to want to stick to it. Here are some tried and tested ways to keep your skin looking its best.
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Use retinol cream every night
Ask any dermatologist for her favourite skincare product, and there’s a good chance that she’ll say retinol cream. Why? Let us explain. Retinoids are derived from vitamin A and have been proven time after time to boost collagen production, speeding cell turnover and unclogging pores. This means that the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles will be reduced, your skin’s tone will become brighter, and any discolouration will be evened out, and acne will be reduced. Using a small amount of good quality retinol cream every night is strongly recommended for anyone over the age of 25. You should begin to see a difference in about 12 weeks.
Get enough antioxidants
A diet that is rich in anti-oxidants will ensure that your skin can fight the free radicals that cause damage to its cellular structures. Foods that are rich in these important ingredients include salmon, dark leafy greens, blueberries, green tea and even coffee. Antioxidants will not only help to fight the signs of ageing but can brighten dull-looking skin and can work toward calming any skincare issues you might have such as eczema and acne. A lot of natural skincare products, such as those by Tropic Skincare, tend to include some of the antioxidants that our skin craves.
Make a DIY coffee scrub
Instead of chugging your regular cups of coffee, why not whip up a face scrub so that your skin will feel the benefits much quicker. Coffee is a natural exfoliator that helps to scrub away dead, dry skin just as well as those by some of our favourite skincare brands. To create your own coffee scrub (for your face or body – or both!) simply add 3 tablespoons of coffee grounds and 1 tablespoon of brown sugar into 1 tablespoon of natural oil (we recommend coconut or almond). You can change the consistency of your scrub with more or less brown sugar, but make sure that you massage it into your skin gently before rinsing with warm water. The result should be smooth, glowing skin.
Slice raw potatoes
Yes, we know how weird this one sounds but trust us, it works wonders. Raw potato peel is known to be effective in combating all types of skin problems such as acne, blackheads, skin warts and general inflammation. It can also help to clear skin by removing excess oil. All you need to do is grate the raw potato pulp as finely as you can and apply it all over your face as a mask, leaving it for 15-20 minutes and washing off with a solution of water and vinegar. Your skin should feel fresh and vibrant afterwards; clear of all that excess oil, dirt and bacteria it has picked up over the course of the day.
Take a nap
There’s a reason it’s called “beauty sleep”. If you skimp on sleep, your body makes more of the stress hormone cortisol, and this can lead to increased inflammation that will ultimately cause damage to your skin. During a deep sleep, your growth hormones allow damaged cells to repair and recover so without this, the small breakdowns our skin encounters on a daily basis will accumulate rather than being reversed. It is recommended that we get around 6-8 hours of sleep per night, although this largely depends on the person.