For most of us, last year asked us to take a look at our habits and rituals of day-to-day life. Self-care became a necessity to us rather than a luxury (and rightly so!). Mindfulness and slowing down to disconnect from the chaos of life became a tool for us to feel good and reconnect with ourselves.

The last few months have encouraged us to experiment more with our self-care routines, including being more adventurous with the products we have in the cupboard! Here are some of my favourite tips in ensuring you get the most of our self-care habits.

1. Chuck out old/unused products that have been sitting there for a while!

No product is made to last forever. As does our food, skincare products have an expiry date. You will see this on the packaging as a visible printed “exp. dd/mm/yyyy” (which is a legal requirement for sunscreen in particular so please make sure to check yours to ensure you are not using one that is expired and therefore, less protective).

Another way you can tell ‘best before’ dates on packaging is a small symbol of an open jar with a number. This represents how many months the product keeps its integrity after you open it. Give a look through your cupboard and see if you need a clean out! Potency and effectiveness of active ingredients will be significantly less if the product has gone past its lifespan so you may not be getting the best out of what you are doing.

2. Re-evaluate your skins needs.

Your skin is constantly being challenged with seasonal/environmental changes, lifestyle changes, etc. To keep on top of this, you may need to make slight adjustments in how you nurture your skin to ensure it is getting its essential needs. This applies for both your in-clinic treatments and your at home routine. Your professional skin therapist will guide you on what’s most appropriate.

At Face Plus we take a less is more approach and never over complicate. We recommend for summer looking at products rich in anti-oxidants like vitamin C or E that help fight off damaging free radicals from the atmosphere that cause havoc on the skin. Vitamin B3 (also known as Niacinamide) is an all-rounder for everyone that energises, brightens and regulates oil, making it the perfect staple to be using.

3. Reconnect with yourself.

Enjoying more “me time”. This is a really valuable tool that we have definitely seen more of in the last year. Although some of our lives have become more digital, meditation and mindfulness have also come in to play to teach us the importance of slowing down for our overall health.

There is a lot of research into the link between stress/the nervous system and it’s effects on not only our skin but our health as a whole. Excessive physical or mental stress is an accelerator for premature ageing and inflammatory skin disorders such as acne or eczema. Some of my favourite simple things to do to help ground myself without needing lots of time is putting a couple of drops of my favourite essential oil in the shower so that I can inhale it whilst I’m in there, doing a good exfoliation before massaging in my favourite face mask and a few rounds of deep, mindful breaths to calm and rebalance your energy.

Need some help making adjustments to your skincare routine? Book in for a consultation!

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