Lockdown Skincare Tips

Hiya guys, I hope you’re all well.

Before we get into this article I just wanted to give a little background. While at college and university I worked part-time as a Team Leader in a high-street health and beauty store. While in this role, I developed a passion for skincare products, routines, and for helping those in need of a little tlc.

I’m incredibly lucky to say I’ve always been blessed relatively “good” skin, and have actively tried to keep it that way. However at the start of lockdown , my skin did not want to play and I had to battle a number of blemishes and breakouts. Thankfully after a swift kick up the backside, I’ve slipped back into my routine and things seems to have settled (touch wood). Since my own battle, I’ve seen so many others on social media going through the same problems and looking for advice, hence why I’ve decided to write this article. I know I’m not a “beauty blogger”, but if I can help just one person then it’ll be completely worth it.

In this post I’ll not be discussing any particular products but if you do want any product advice by all means drop me a message and I’ll be happy to help. 

Obvious Ones to Get Out of the Way:
1. Reduce the amount of times you touch your face throughout the day
2. Never go to bed still wearing make-up
3. If the sun has got his hat on, you need your SPF
4. Eat as clean as you possibly can
5. You need to find the right products for your skin – what works for your Sister,            Friend, Cousin, Auntie ect may not necessarily work for you – be patient and be brave enough to try new products

Hit the Reset Button:
So many of us are feeling pressure to achieve, to learn a new skill or to volunteer for anything and everything but we need to remember this isn’t necessary or a requirement. This is the perfect time to reset and it’s perfectly okay to focus on yourself for a while. It’s likely you’ll never have this time again, so instead of worrying about what everyone else is doing on Instagram, why not take some time to look after yourself. You’ll come out of lockdown feeling rejuvenated and ready to take on the world.

I know it’s easy to say “just don’t stress”, but we all know  it doesn’t work like that. We need to be kind to ourselves and for many of us that’ll be a learning process. Remind yourself it’s okay to do nothing at all from time to time, remind yourself you deserve to be cared for, and remind yourself you’re killing it! Once you start putting less pressure on yourself and welcome a new sense of calm, you’ll find your skin will respond.

Less is More:
This is the perfect time to strip back and embrace the fresh face. When letting your skin recover remember, less is always more.
In normal life, I advise people to have at least one day per week where they go make-up free. In lockdown I’m saying to wear nothing as often as you can because:
1. You’re giving your skin and pores a chance to breathe
2. Using less, means replacing less, which means saving money in the long run (yay!)
3. You’ll appreciate the art of doing your make-up so much more once normality resumes
4. You’re beautiful with or without your make-up so why not embrace something new?

Rock an Up-Do: 
While allowing my body to reset I’ve taken hair-care influencer Penny France’s #dirtyhairchallenge. For more information please do check out the gorgeous Penny on Instagram, but the challenge is to reduce the amount you’re washing your hair. This will help to retain hair health and cleanliness in the long run.

While I’m fully embracing my dirty hair, my skin is not loving an oily fringe. On the days where my hair is at it’s grimiest, I’m slapping the fringe back with an Alice-band and rocking the messy bun look.
When your hair is a bit on the grim side, try and keep it as far away from your face as possible to prevent the extra oils from clogging your pores and causing breakouts.

Normalish Routine:
Okay, so if you’re not wearing make-up, you don’t need to remove your make-up at the end of the day right? While this is seems obvious, I would still recommend following your normal skin care routine, just without the removing of make-up.
It’s incredibly important to still ensure you’re cleansing your face before bed, just to rid it of any nasty and unwanted dirt or oils that may have built up throughout the day. My Nan always used to say “While sleeping, you’re healing” and this is so true. Go to bed with a clean face and allow your body to do what it needs to recover from the day.

If your not already in your routine, I would also suggest using a face mask twice a week to give your skin a deeper treatment.  

Washing your Face:
Do not use normal soap on your face. I cannot shout this loudly enough.
While it may remove the dirt and sebum from your face, it also causes a breakdown of the skin’s natural moisture barrier, which results in water passing out of the skin more rapidly, making it severely dry. Instead I suggest using an exfoliating wash 2-3 times a week, and face wash on the other days.
I also suggest washing your face after any and all exercise or activity which has made you sweat. Don’t wait till the end of the day, wash away the sweat as soon as you can and reduce the time it has to sink into your pores.

For anybody who may be interested you can click here to see my full skincare routine.

Drink Plenty of Water:
So this is one we all hear, all of the time. I’m going to be honest with you, I’m one of those weird people who does not like the taste of water, so didn’t drink as much as I should. During lockdown however I’ve set myself the challenge of drinking at least 1.5 litres of water per day, and have drastically seen a change in the well being of my skin.
Drinking the water has helped my digestive system flush out any toxins from my body, and has left me with a clearer complexion, while generally making feel a lot healthier.

Auntie Carol if you’re reading this you’ve finally won the water battle! 

So there we have it. A short list of basic tips to keep your skin looking and feeling healthy during these uncertain times. If you’ve found this at all helpful or would like a little more detail you can give me a Tweet , leave a comment over on my Facebook or you can comment below and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.

I hope you have a wonderful day and enjoy the sunshine!

Chloe xx