A Skincare Detox

New Year, rubbish skin?

I think I speak for most when I say January is a lethargic month that just needs to hurry up and end. So, you've already broken your New Year resolutions, the Christmas decorations are tucked back in the attic, the days are short and dark, oh, and all the good Quality Streets are gone. 

Could this month get any worse? Oh, yeah, your skin is taking a hit from all those shortbread biscuits you’ve had over the Christmas – well, at least mine has.

As much as I hate, that Christmas is over, my skin has been in need of some extra-TLC. So I have decided to ditch the chocolate and use this month to give my skin a bit of a detox that it very much craves.

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Here are my top tips on giving your face a skincare detox:

Facial Steaming - once a week

I can't put into words how much I love steaming my face, it's such a simple but fundamental step to include in your routine that really benefits your skin. It cleanses your pores, eliminates toxins, it allows your skin to be more receptive to other treatments, it enhances circulation and many other amazing benefits. I have been using this technique every Sunday evening and can definitely see a difference in my skin, especially when it comes to applying products afterwards, my skin is much more receptive towards products and the overall appearance of my skin has improved so much. Plus using a steamer is great for relaxing and winding down, especially if you are feeling stressed!

Double Cleansing - Daily

For some time, double cleansing just seemed like an unnecessary, time-consuming step to my skincare routine that I didn't really need. It's only within the past year I have incorporated this into my daily routine that I can see what everybody is talking about. On a day-to-day basis, I go in with the Dermalogica Pre Cleansing Oil to remove the bulk of my makeup, followed with either Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser if my skin is having a good day or Dermalogica Clay Cleanser if my skin is in dire need of something more targeted towards my spots/redness. I tend to only double cleanse if I have been wearing makeup all day, otherwise I will just use one cleanser. But using two, has definitely helped with keeping my skin in good condition and reduced gaining pesky spots after wearing makeup all day.

Face Masks - Twice a week

I personally love a good face mask, I actually sometimes will use a mask just after I have steamed my skin as part of a good pamper evening. I tend to use face masks targeted towards my skin type (oily, spot-prone), so any face masks with salicylic acid or have a clay-like texture, I am here for. A personal favourite at the moment, is the Blue Clay mask by Herbivore, this is a spot treatment mask formulated to help reduce existing spots while detoxifying the skin. I try to use a face mask twice a week to help treat any pesky breakouts or redness my skin tends to get, which definitely has helped with my complexion.

Face Sprays - Every evening

I don't know if this is a subconscious thing, but, spraying my face with a facial spray after a shower really helps my skin's overall appearance. I recently invested in a beauty fridge (more on that in another post!), so I keep all my face sprays in there and once I've jumped out of the shower or bath, I like to spray either the Herbivore Rose Hibiscus or Mario Badescu Spray with aloe cucumber and green tea. Both of which have reduced inflammatory ingredients in, which is why I like to use them to help calm down any redness and keep my skin feeling hydrated.

Facial Jade Roller - Every other day

Face rollers are great for helping with under eye circles, puffiness on the skin, wrinkles and helping absorb products more easily into the skin. The internet has described these little beauty tools as 'food for the skin'. I keep my roller in the fridge for extra de-puffiness, but these are great for your skin and have so many benefits to them. I like to use mine just when I'm watching Netflix or something for 10 minutes as it requires minimal effort and really helps with any puffiness my face has. Plus, I am not getting any younger, so if something as simple as this is going to help with wrinkles - I am totally on board!

What is your ultimate detox tip for your skin??

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How To Have A Digital Detox

If you find yourself religiously going through Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat every morning like you're reading The Sunday Times or your Netflix account is asking if you are still there 4 hours later, then you may be in need of a digital detox. Now I know you all probably sat thinking Katie, I am not ready to break-up with my phone, but unplugging and winding down away from technology is more beneficial than you actually think.

Some of you might remember I set a goal in 2016 to step away from my keyboard every evening and to put my time to better use. Since then I can honestly say I've had a much better nights sleep and I've found that I'm a lot less stressed before bed, so my little brain is able to close all those stressful tabs and totally relax. 

I've put together a post on simple ways to give yourself a digital detox and whats worked for me.

1. Step Away From Keyboard - As difficult as it is, detaching yourself from your laptop around 6-7pm and taking a long bath or winding down with a herbal tea is much more beneficial. When I was at university I'd get into a habit of studying until right before bed and end up not being able to get a good night's sleep. I know it's easier said than done, but if you detach yourself from your screen you'd be surprised at how well you sleep.

2. Read In Bed - I am the worst for hopping into bed and checking all social media apps until I fall asleep, however, I've recently been getting into a routine of not going through all my apps 50x and instead, I have been picking up a book and reading - I know, shocker. I personally love being snuggled in bed with a good book it can really help take your mind off reality.

3. Leave Phone At Home - If you've got plans to go to the gym, walk the dog or pop to the shops, it's worth leaving your phone at home. Your mind is a lot more open and focused on the task at hand if you know your phone isn't near you. Plus, it's nice to not always feel as though you need to check your phone when you're in the middle of doing something.

4. Delete Social Media Apps - I sometimes find social media can trigger my anxiety or change my mood, therefore it's sometimes worth deleting the apps for a couple of hours every now and then. I went through a faze of deleting my Facebook app and I can honestly say it really changed my mood, I was a lot more focused on myself. It does sound a bit extreme, but having a social media detox does more good than you think and you quickly discover you don't need to keep a tab on everything going on in the world.

5. Use Paper - Writing to do lists on our phones isn't as restorative as writing on paper, what I mean by this is keeping all your thoughts onto one device isn't healthy. I like to keep all my lists in notebooks and I find my brain isn't as distracted or tempted to do other things, whereas it is when I write them on my phone.

6. Give Yourself Deadlines - I actually learnt this technique from my therapist, but basically, if you write down what you want/need to do, give yourself a time frame on that specific task. So if you want an evening watching Stranger Things on Netflix, then give yourself a time of 2 hours and stick to that. Sounds tedious, I know, but you appreciate things a lot more when you do this and have more motivation to do other things.

How do you unplug from technology??