Lockdown Skincare: How to Keep Your Skin Glowing Indoors
Now that we are indoors almost all the time, it isn’t an excuse to ditch good skin habits. Sure, it’s easy to get lazy with your skincare and give up on the little things that make a huge difference, like slathering on your vitamin C serum and nourishing your skin with face masks. Ironically, there’s no better time to pamper your skin than now – when we have so much more time on our hands and endless opportunities for self-care.
Here are some tips for keeping your complexion healthy and glowing while in lockdown. In fact, with a little TLC, you may just step into 2021 with stunning skin.
Go Bare-Faced
Do you usually wear a face full of makeup for work? Now that you’re working from home, how about ditching the makeup and embracing natural beauty to give your skin a breather. The benefits of doing so for your skin could appear in as little as a week!
“Typically when people stop wearing makeup, especially if the makeup they were wearing was occlusive or comedogenic, they notice after a week that their skin looks a lot better,” says consultant dermatologist, Dr Ophelia Veraitch.
She explains, “A skin cycle is typically around 28 days and so if you can avoid wearing makeup for at least 28 days, your body will be in a much better position to be able to regulate your skin’s temperature, its oil control, its hydration, and its natural exfoliation process.”
And if you absolutely cannot bear the thought of going au natural, only wear products that are non-comedogenic and are as lightweight as possible, so not to burden the skin.
Switch Soap for a Gentle Cleanser
If you’re the kind of person who uses your bar of soap to wash your face every morning and night, it’s time to reconsider that habit. Instead, use a good face wash to cleanse your skin.
The problem with regular soap is it’s way too harsh and can mess up the pH levels of your skin, causing dryness and possibly even breakouts. Always use a gentle cleanser formulated with high-performing ingredients to keep your face fresh, like Truly’s Vegan Collagen Facial Cleanser.
Keep Your Skin Moisturized
Regardless of where you’re working, there’s always various conditions and temperatures to consider. Now that you’re spending more time indoors, you’ve probably got the central heating blaring all day long. As cozy as that sounds, it’s not such an ideal situation for your skin, which is why keeping your skin hydrated is essential.
Slather on a rich moisturizer after cleansing to keep your skin hydrated throughout the day. If you have particularly dry skin, you might want to keep a bottle handy so you can reapply it throughout the day.
Truly’s Flower Child Face Cream is a great universal moisturizer for lifting, tightening, and hydrating the skin. Thanks to its hyaluronic acid content, it will keep your skin baby soft all day long.
Ditch the Face Wipes
Yes, we know they’re super convenient but according to the experts they’re not that super for the skin. No, seriously.
“I would always advise against using face wipes as essentially, they just move dirt and oil around on the face,” says Dr. Veraitch. “The skin around your eyes is also extremely delicate, the rubbing motion alone will drag the skin and could cause premature ageing.”
You also need to remember that moist environments are breeding grounds for bacteria. In other words, face wipes need to contain a high amount of preservatives to keep them germ-free – something that can be extremely irritating to the skin.
Wash Your Face Regularly
Sitting at home doesn’t let you off the hook. You still need to wash your face regularly to keep it clean and pimple-free. Aim for twice a day.
On the other hand, don’t over-do it with the cleansing. Over-cleansing can actually do more harm than good, as the skin has to compensate for the lost moisture, creating more oil which could lead to breakouts and excessive oiliness.
Get Plenty of Zzz
You’d think people would be getting more sleep under lockdown, but in fact, it’s often the opposite. Whether it’s working extra late and not knowing when to shut down the laptop or watching Netflix shows’ until 2am, it’s easy to miss out on your forty winks. However, if you want gorgeous, glowing skin you’re going to need to prioritize it.
Aim for at least 8 to 10 hours every night to wake up with a clearer head and youthful skin.
Wash Your Makeup Brushes
If you do decide to put on some makeup for the occasional Zoom call, make sure you’re keeping your makeup brushes clean. Even if you’re using them a lot less regularly now, they still harbor a lot of bacteria which could quickly result in blemishes and breakouts when used on the face.
Wash your makeup brushes thoroughly once a week with shampoo or hand soap. Rinse them well and leave them to dry before using them.
Protect Your Skin from Blue Light
Blue light is emitted from the sun and from all our devices – mobiles, laptops, iPads, TVs, etc. And it’s slowly but surely ruining our skin.
“Blue light can worsen underlying pigmentation, so if you have lots of sunspots, it helps to reduce your exposure,” says dermatologist Dr Teo Wan Lin.
To keep your skin protected while you type away at your laptop or PC, slather on Truly’s Blueberry Hemp Oil – an antioxidant-rich formula that acts as a natural shield against blue light.
Always Apply Sunscreen
Even when you’re staying home, remember to make sunscreen a daily skincare essential. Unless you have UV filters on your windows, you can still be vulnerable to sun damage.
“My advice is to continue to wear sunscreen even when you’re indoors,” says Dr Teo. “To believe that you are completely not getting harmful UVA and UVB rays is not true.”
