Welcome to our first blog! It is so difficult to pick a topic so we have taken inspiration from our free gift this month, a dermalogica skin brightening kit. We will look at three main approaches to achieving brighter skin, beauty products to use at home, lifestyle factors and professional treatments available.
Firstly, beauty products to use at home to get brighter skin. It begins like decorating with good prep, and the absolute key step in your brightening skincare routine is exfoliation. The skin naturally desquamates (sheds skin cells) but as you get older this process takes longer, exfoliation helps speed this up by removing dead skin cells sat on the surface, helping to improve both the texture and appearance of the skin.
Finding the perfect exfoliator for your skin can be tricky, they are split into two types, chemical and physical. Physical exfoliators feel granular and you manually scrub off the dead skin cells. Avoid any physical exfoliants that contain plastic micro beads at all costs as these are bad for the environment and there are so many great alternatives. Our favourite physical exfoliant is ‘Face Scrub’ by the fabulous small Cornish company, B Skincare, it contains crushed walnut shell and its low price suits most budgets. Chemical exfoliants often have a smoother texture than a physical exfoliant and often use ingredients such as alpha hydroxy acids to ‘eat’ away at the unwanted skin cells. Some products such as the infinitely popular Daily microfoliant from dermalogica mix both chemical and physical exfoliation to get an even better, brighter result.
In addition to exfoliating other steps within your skin and make-up routine that can lead to bright, rejuvenated skin include clay based cleansers for a deeper cleanse; targeted serums particularly those containing Vitamin C; moisturisers with light reflective properties and an SPF; liquid illuminators…we love the award winning Delilah Cosmetics liquid radiance. Containing Vitamin E and available in two shades it is a versatile product, add a pump into your foundation for an all over glow, or dab onto upper cheekbones, forehead, nose and cupids bow to give that sunkissed glow.
Secondly, there are simple changes you can make to your lifestyle to get brighter skin. Drinking more water hydrates the skin helping it have a plumper, more luminous appearance. Exercise and facial massage encourage blood flow and increased circulation giving you that glow from within. Smoking less, is another change that can lead to brighter skin. Smoking damages the skin in many ways, the actual smoke in the air dries the skin and leaves toxins on the skins surface. It is also a vaso constrictor literally taking blood and all the nutrients it carries away from the skin leaving a dull appearance.
Thirdly, professional treatments! In combination with a good homecare regime all skins benefit from a professional treatment on a regular basis, ideally every 4-6 weeks. Our favourite salon services to achieve brighter skin are…..Microdermabrasion, Skin Peels and Vitamin C based facials. These should all use a combination of deep cleansing, exfoliating and targeted serums to deliver fast and effective results.
We would love to hear your thoughts on brighter skin?
