We all love a routine, don’t we? Starting our day with a step-by-step skincare routine just helps ease us into the day, we don’t need to think too much, just gift ourselves a few minutes of me-time for a little, really beneficial, self care.
When I meet clients, one of the first things I ask is what their skincare routine looks like. Around 90% of my clients admit to not actually having a routine at all, or just something very basic, and even those who do have a routine can be a little unsure of whether they’re doing the right thing. Next time we meet, the feedback is always immense! We LOVE a routine, and we really love a routine we understand and know is doing the right things for our skin.
As we move into warmer days, where (hopefully) we will be spending more time outside, it’s time to look at how to implement a quick and easy skincare routine to take us safely into summer. Here’s how you care for your skin in spring:
Thoroughly cleanse, morning and night
Cleansing twice a day is so important to keep skin in the best condition it can be. Why should we cleanse morning and night? Well, at night we (hopefully!) apply a night-cream that is extra-hydrating, but this can leave residue on the skin that prevents the active ingredients in our daytime skincare getting to where it needs to be and doing the job we are paying for it to do. At the end of the day, we need to remove the environmental dirt that has settled on our skin, clear away makeup and prepare our skin for its night-time boost of moisture and active ingredients in our chosen night cream. As the weather changes, that has an effect on our skin too, so if you want to care for your skin in spring, this is a great place to start.
It is sometimes argued that we shouldn’t remove a cleanser with water, but I don’t think that’s something we should worry about. The key to successful cleansing is choosing a cleanser to suit your skin type, and removing it fully so the next element of your skincare can get into full contact with your skin.
For those with slightly oily skin, I always recommend my Prep Cleanse as a great place to start with twice-daily cleansing. If your skin is slightly dry, my Prep Wash is ideal. Both provide a clinical grade cleanse, gently and easily.
Introduce Vitamin C
Vitamin C is a bit of a skincare wonder and it’s particularly important to add it to your skincare routine in the spring, because Vitamin C helps protect against environmental aggressors such as UV rays and air pollution. Applied to the skin it acts to neutralise free radicals (the horrors responsible for breaking down our skin’s collagen, which in turn leads to those pesky signs of aging, wrinkling, dark spots, fine lines and skin laxity), to brighten and give a more luminous glow.
Vitamin C doesn’t love a party – it doesn’t mix well with others, so you’ll find Vitamin C as a skincare product in its own right, not mixed with other skincare heroes like hyaluronic acid or retinol. I recommend you use a serum, and only as part of your morning routine; your skin won’t need it at night. Have a read about our Power AOX to learn about what I believe a great Vitamin C serum looks like.
Add an SPF to your daily routine
I see a lot of clients who tell me they use SPF daily, but it turns out this is simply an element of their chosen moisturiser. This is brilliant, a moisturiser with SPF is a great help to protecting your skin, but in spring and summer, we need to up our game a little.
As well as your daily moisturiser, you should always apply an SPF cream, at least Factor 30. Most day creams with SPF offer a Factor 15, which will help with protection against the UV rays emitted by our laptop and phone screens, but in all honesty offers nothing against ageing UV rays from the sun. Choose an SPF specially developed for the face, and make sure it offers both UVA and UVB protection. UVA rays age us, UVB rays burn us and both result in more rapid skin ageing than we deserve! For spring and summer, SkinGoal’s Solar 50 product is very light and absorbent, and perfect for popping in your bag to top up should you suddenly find yourself enjoying an unexpected lunch al fresco. And who doesn’t love an unexpected lunch al fresco?!
If you want to chat about how to update your skincare routine for spring, to make an appointment CLICK HERE and we can discuss your skin and the products most suitable for your skin. Or you can go to our SKIN QUIZ and answer a couple of questions about your skin and your skin goals and we will show you the Skin Kit best for you and you’ll receive a 10% discount on any of the Skin Kits.
Love your skin! Penny xxx