All work and no play gives even the healthiest skin a drab, lifeless, and weary appearance. While working from home during the mid-Covid-19 quarantine was intended to be all fun, it has instead led to more screen time and a skewed healthy lifestyle, with jobs still taking first and domestic duties coming in second.
You may be suffering dullness if your skin lacks a healthy glow and seems lustrous and weary. Symptoms that are common include:
We've all had a case with dull skin at some point in our lives. The repercussions of our imbalanced lifestyle, in which we attempt to juggle all responsibilities at once, have begun to show on our faces, making them appear dry with dark under eyes and less luminous or darker-looking skin.
While there is no doubting that “you are what you eat,” our growing up years result in a buildup of dead cells on our faces, which, in addition to eating an unhealthy diet, contribute to the skin looking dry and lifeless.
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However, if you find yourself waking up with dull skin on a daily basis, you may be asking what you can do to enhance your appearance. Well! the good news is that you have a variety of alternatives for empowering your skin:
Eat well to glow well
What you consume determines who you are, on the outside at least. The quality and types of foods you eat have an impact on your skin's health and appearance. Include extra fatty acid-rich foods in your diet, such as fish, walnuts, flaxseed, and so on, they are essential for healthy skin. Consider it as nurturing your skin from the inside out. Antioxidant-rich meals can help to reduce skin irritation and free radical damage. To preserve and revitalise your skin, eat nuts and seeds like walnuts and pumpkin seeds, etc. Dark chocolate is high in antioxidants, and tomatoes help protect your skin from UV damage. Also, make sure your diet is high in probiotics, because a healthy stomach leads to a healthy complexion.
Stay hydrated for glowing skin
The dehydration reduces the amount of blood flow to the skin and makes it look pale and dry. Failure to provide your skin with the necessary hydration can result in long-term damage such as fine lines, sagging skin, and even scales and deep creases so make sure to stay hydrated and remember to drink eight glasses of water everyday.
Cater your skin gently
You want to make sure you've removed all of your makeup and pore-clogging dirt from the day, but go slowly as vigorously washing your face can cause irritation, small tears, redness, stiffness, and flaky skin. This all can be caused by abrasive scrubs and drying soaps. Instead, remove your makeup and sunscreen with a cleaning oil first to avoid removing and harming your skin's top layer. Then, to eliminate the oil, conduct a second wash with a mild cleaner.
Say no to hot water
If you want to be gentle on your skin, avoid using hot water or strong soaps. It is often said that hot water can remove natural oils, causing dryness and irritation as it can also produce superficial vascular irritations, which can make your skin seem red. Instead, cleanse your face with lukewarm water. To assist preserve moisture, choose a hydrating cleanser that contains ingredients like coconut oil, shea butter, or almond oil.
Scrub off the dirt
Exfoliation is essential for a healthy skin, and it may be done in a variety of methods. You can use a washcloth to lightly exfoliate, an exfoliating cleanser or scrub, or microdermabrasion treatments or a skin cleansing brush to go even deeper. It's important to remember to exfoliate your face and body skin on a regular basis—at least once a week. Start with twice a week and gradually increase the frequency as your skin allows. If your skin is extremely dry or sensitive, you may need to be extra cautious. Scrubbing can be done in one of two ways:
Mechanical/physical: Brushes, sponges, gloves, and scrubs are examples of exfoliating tools.
Chemical: Glycolic, lactic, tartaric, and citric acids are examples of alpha hydroxy acids, whereas salicylic acid is an example of beta hydroxy acid.
Apply a moisturiser as soon as you finish exfoliating to seal in moisture and preserve the freshly exposed skin cells.
Keep it plump with moisturiser
Moisturising your skin twice a day with the proper lotion may help maintain its health and cure a variety of skin problems. The following are some of the advantages of applying a moisturiser on your face on a daily basis:
Serum to bring the shine
Face serums have a high concentration of chemicals that assist to brighten, hydrate, and reduce the symptoms of ageing on your skin. It can be used once or twice a day after cleansing because they absorb fast.
If you are looking to invest in serum then look out for serums with vitamin C and Vitamin B3 (niacinamide), according to your skin type.
Serums aid in the fading of hyperpigmentation or dark spots, resulting in a more even-toned complexion over time, they also temporarily binds water in the skin's surface layers, these components have a powerful antioxidant action that helps the skin to stay free from damage.
Wear sunscreen daily
Use sunscreen on a regular basis. The majority of sunscreens only protect you from UVB radiation but to protect your skin from the sun's UVA and UVB radiation, invest in a broad-spectrum sunscreen. It's critical to use sunscreen every time you go outside during the day to protect your skin's barrier and hydration but it is extremely necessary to put sunscreen everyday, no matter if you are planning to step out or not, it helps to prevent UV-induced damage, such as skin pigmentation, dark spots, and dry and dull texture.
Bring face mask to the rescue
Giving yourself a weekly face mask is another great way to make your skin sparkle. There are ample ways you can brighten up your skin at home with magical ingredients like turmeric, gram flour, curd, rose water, aloe vera and many more such ingredients. If you are looking for facepacks that are available in the market then look for the ingredients like antioxidants, shea butter, hyaluronic acid, and other moisturising and brightening components.
In general, a face mask can be used one to three times each week, depending on the product and your skin type. Always make sure to do a patch test before applying any face mask.
Before you hit the pillow, wash all the makeup
Make sure you remove all of your makeup before going to bed every night. Your skin requires breathing room, which you can't have if you're wearing makeup all the time. If you leave your makeup on for too long, it might clog your pores and result in making it look dry and dull.
Follow these tips and bring back life to your dull skin.
