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Only some people are into 56-step skincare routines; not everyone has more than 20 minutes to get the maximum done. So what that means is that you need to be smart with what you are doing. Rather than list branded products, it is important to look at the ingredients and start to get to know your own skin.
Although there are things like ceramides, hyaluronic acids, and colloidal oats that are highly recommended, you can choose what you use.
You might find that an ultra-cheap item that you found at a drugstore is incredible, but a high-end product breaks you out.
What Is the Cause of Rough Skin?
Starting at the beginning, understanding why you might have rough skin is a must. Sometimes skin feels rough for a short period because of sunburn, and it is in recovery mode (and dehydrated). Sometimes it is a reaction to a product. Anything that might damage the skin barrier or clog the pore or follicles will also leave your skin feeling rough.
When it is the ingredients in your skincare that are causing the problem, this can be tricky. The only way to really tell is to stop using the product for a number of weeks and see if there is an improvement.
Alcohol is one of the issues, and many products are packed with it. There are also some people who have reactions to AHAs and BHA or exfoliation products – not because of the chemical itself but overuse.
Another issue for many people is the use of a razor to shave, it can be traumatic for the skin, and a better option is typically laser hair removal.
So what can you do to increase the smooth and supple feeling of your skin?
Moisture
Not all ingredients are created equal, and in the last few years, there has been a huge focus on hyaluronic acid. Unfortunately, many people don’t use it correctly and see little to no improvements. To get the maximum from the product, your skin should be damp. The molecules in the acid pull the moisture into the skin.
There are a couple of big-hitting chemicals that will make a significant difference to your skin. Squalene and Ceramides are known as lipid replacements and help with the skin barrier, which is why humectants like glycerin and hyaluronic acids pull water into the skin and leave it looking plumper.
Another one to add to ingredients that you should be looking to add is a protectant.
Butter, waxes, and some of the thicker oils are incredible for an extra boost—a fuss-free way to infuse the skin with what it needs. To get maximum from the product, use it after a shower or a bath, as damp skin will more readily soak up the product.
Healing and soothing balms with petrolatum or lanolin are ideal.
Sunscreen
If you skip the sunscreen, your skin is going through trauma every day. The single most important thing to keep your skin looking soft and supple is to make sure you apply sunscreen.
Gone are the days when sunscreens were goopy and smelled weird. Instead, you can have a full SPF50 with a tint and other bonus ingredients too. Anything more than a few minutes per day is going to have an impact. Your sunscreen should be reapplied every two hours too.
Keep in mind that even the hardest working SPF is not going to be enough to block the rays – you’re going to need a hat and sunglasses as well as looking for the shade often. If you already have dark spots from sun damage in the past, you can use niacinamide to help reduce them.
Any time you use a product with acids in it, you need to make sure you use SPF, even if you might usually skip it. The damage is considerably more when the acids on your skin get exposed to the sun.
Exfoliation
It might sound gross, but all day long, the very outer layer of our skin is sloughing off. We have a layer of dead skin cells that sit on top of our skin and under, we take time to (gently) scrub it away, and then it makes our skin look dull.
What’s more, is that this layer of dead skin cells also stops other products that you use from really being soaked into the skin and offering you their maximum impact.
With exfoliation, many people scrub too hard for too long, and that can cause micro-tears in the skin. To make exfoliation even easier, there are two things you can do. First is to make your own from sea salt or sugar and olive oil. The other is to use a konjac sponge. The Konjac sponge can be used in unison with other products, but it works well by itself too. They are gentle and soft and have a mild exfoliation effect.
Gloves And Socks
If you can stand it, then one of the easiest ways to soften and smooth your feet and hands is to apply a layer of Vaseline and then put gloves or socks on. It might feel a bit squelchy, but it is the best way to make sure a lot of product sinks deeply into the skin. Leaving you with a softer heel.
Ideal for those who want the products to do the hard work while they sleep!
Humidifier
The final piece of the puzzle is sleeping with a humidifier running. Just like the gloves and socks while you sleep, this one requires no work from you – apart from adding water regularly.
Ideally, you will apply a thicker night moisturizer, but if you don’t want to, then you can prevent your skin from drying out by using a humidifier as you sleep. In the summer, we have fans or the AC running, and those can dry out our skin pretty quickly, and we don’t even notice. In the winter, going from outside in the cold into the warmth of the home can also have an impact.
Continued use of the AC for cooling and the radiators or heaters will have a lasting impact – and it can be the reason that you find yourself with flaky and dry patches.
Humidifiers all work very similarly, so you don’t need to make a huge financial investment, but it is worth looking at all of the options.
Vitamin C
Using a vitamin C-infused moisturizer will give you a lot of the impact you are looking for. Vitamin C has a proven impact on helping to repair the damage that your skin has already had, giving a smoother and brighter appearance and anti-aging benefits too.
As an added bonus, it helps to neutralize free radicals before they have the ability to cause damage. The healthy cells in our body are attacked by free radicals, and they can cause havoc!
Collagen production decreases as we age, and vitamin C has been shown to stimulate the production of collagen, which will give you plumper and more healthy-looking skin.
While most vitamin C creams are advertised for the face and neck, they can be used all over the body – and your whole system will benefit from their use.
It has been shown that being exposed to UV light decreases the Vitamin C levels in our skin, so when you apply creams and lotions with Vitamin C or opt to add serum drops into a moisturizer, you’re restoring the levels that are needed to perform the functions within the body.
Water
Perhaps the ultimate in lazily getting soft and supple skin is by drinking enough water every day. Even within one week of drinking the recommended daily amount of water, you will see a difference on your face. Fine lines will be less obvious, and if you have dark circles under your eyes, they will start to look better too.
Water is the best way to give your cells all the moisture and support they need to complete their functions.
For those who can’t stand the non-taste of water, consider adding cucumbers, lemons, or a few sprigs of mint. Using a large bottle with markers on it so you can track your progress each day is ideal, or making sure that you drink the right amount without having to go back and forth to fill up a glass.
Once you start seeing a difference, you will be motivated to keep going, and one of the places that often gets skipped first is when you are on holiday!
But there is no reason to let your holiday skincare slip (especially not the SPF), so here are some of the best tips for making sure you are giving your skin 100% at all times: Travel Skin Care Routine (remember that everything is adaptable, and what you really need is to make sure that you find the combination of the ingredients that works for you).
