The tree’s been taken down and the last mince pie has been eaten. It’s official, Christmas is over. Your complexion, however, may still be showing signs of an indulgent festive season. And it’s not just too many late nights or poor diet that contribute to dull and tired skin. Cold temperatures, central heating and vicious winds can all contribute to a lacklustre complexion. Here’s how you can help your skin recover after the Christmas period.
- Go back to basics
When dealing with sleep-deprived or stressed skin, the last thing it needs is to be overloaded by a cocktail of active ingredients. While it’s tempting to throw everything at your skin when it’s misbehaving, consider instead going back to basics with Albiva’s ECM Advanced Repair line, a three-piece collection – consisting of a cleanser, toner and moisturiser – that is designed to promote skin health and rebalance the skin barrier.
- The ECM Advanced Repair Nourishing Cleanser is a highly-effective gel cleanser that transforms into a lather when worked into the skin. Its soap and sulfate-free formula removes all traces of makeup and impurities and is designed to retain the skin’s pH, leaving the skin soft and supple.
- Meanwhile, the ECM Advanced Repair Balancing Toner features a signature blend of organic raspberry, rosa damascena flow water and pro-vitamin B5 to promote cellular turnover, while glycerin and sodium hyaluronate lock in moisture and aloe leaf juice calms and soothes.
- The ECM Advanced Repair Nourish & Heal Moisturiser is a potent, lightweight moisturiser that is designed to improve the skin’s overall tone and texture and reduce the appearance of wrinkles. It contains an advanced vitamin complex, hydrating botanicals and gemmotherapy extracts to encourage cellular turnover.
- Rehydrate
Excessive alcohol and sugar consumption, coupled with yule-tide stress, can all contribute to dry, dehydrated and dull skin, which in turn can cause itchiness, flaking and pronounced wrinkles.
- Drink lots of water – Basic, yes, but increasing your water intake will not only help with any post-Christmas hangovers but, when combined with targeted ingredients, will also rehydrate the skin cells, reduce dryness and boost skin elasticity.
- Albiva’s Intensive Hydration Booster – Formulated with hyaluronic acid, Red Algae extract, vitamin E and Immortelle, this serum is designed to replenish the skin’s natural hydration, support the skin’s barrier and soothe the skin.
- Get some sleep
We’re all guilty of not prioritising our sleep over the festive period but this can be bad news for our skin. When we sleep our skin enters a reparative state, replacing damaged or dead skin cells and repairing damage caused by environmental factors such as UV rays or sun damage.
Lack of sleep can lead to increased inflammation and slower healing times and can exacerbate conditions such as eczema and acne. Good quality sleep also increases the flow of blood to the skin, which in turn replenishes collagen and elastin leaving the skin plump and bouncy.
- Be kinder to yourself
It’s important to remember that the festive season is there to be enjoyed. It’s okay to overindulge at Christmas, and actually allowing yourself to enjoy the food and parties without any self-criticism will ultimately lead to less stress which in turn will help your skin recover quicker.