Nurture your skin to a glow

If you want to have glowing and radiant skin, all you need is to make time for your daily skin regime and tone down on indulgence on alcohol, quit smoking and get enough sleep. We give you five useful tips to a glowing skin.

Cleanse daily

Cleansing is important as it rids your skin of impurities, but most people don’t do it properly. You have to commit to a daily cleansing routine – morning and evening without fail. There are no shortcuts if you want a glowing skin. Cleanse in the morning and follow with toning and a moisturiser application. You should repeat this routine at night, varying your moisturiser to a richer one to help repair the cells while you sleep. Depending on your skin condition and age, you should add to your daily routine a weekly routine of exfoliation and use of a mask, as these help revive the skin, smooth out fine lines and wipe away tiredness. The most important thing is to ensure you use products suitable for your skin type. For instance, if your skin is oily, don’t use products for dry skin as these may clog the pores. You can keep wrinkles at bay by massaging skin with face oil after cleansing.

Keep skin hydrated

Moisture is key to beautiful, glowing skin. While drinking eight glasses of water a day helps to keep your body well hydrated, beauty is about keeping water on the surface of your skin than absorbing it through the digestive process. Using a moisturiser in the morning and at night helps prevent transepidermal water loss. Again, it’s about choosing the right moisturiser for your skin type.

Use sunscreen

If your regular moisturiser does not contain a sunscreen, apply a separate sunscreen lotion on top of your moisturiser, every morning. Your sunscreen should be of a factor not less than 30 SPF, and more if you spend a lot of time in the sun, or your skin burns easily. Don’t be deceived by the clouds and miss applying sunscreen. If there is light during the day, there is sun, and if there is sun, there is ultraviolet radiation. This means there is potential for skin damage, particularly premature skin ageing and discolouration. So wear your sunscreen even on a cloudy day.

Indulge less

Your judgment is not the only thing affected by alcohol. Overindulgence shows up in your kidneys and liver. When you notice puffiness and dark circles under your eyes and frown lines between your brows, this is a red flag that your organs are drowning in alcohol. Cut down or quit, or just give it a break. Smoking is perhaps the worst thing you can do to your skin. The carbon monoxide produced robs your skin of oxygen, which is needed to keep skin looking young.

Get enough sleep

Eight to ten hours of sleep a night not only gives you glowing skin, it also improves your general health. Ensure you get your beauty sleep each night and you will notice how good your skin will look. If you have a late night, try to make up by sleeping late the following day. Avoid staying late in noisy and smoke filled pubs. Not only will you miss out on sleep, you will come out having inhaled a lot of secondhand smoke, which is as bad as smoking.