Along with temperatures sneaking to frosty lows and an optimistic to-do list for the months ahead, January tends to arrive with a clutch of familiar niggles; dull, dehydrated skin, sporadic breakouts and flaky patches, not to mention a general lethargy that can seep from the brain to the body. Sound familiar?
Since our bodies are made up of around 60% water, it’ll come as no surprise that boosting your overall hydration can be key to nipping myriad niggles in the bud. “Cold weather, indoor heating and hot showers can all wreak havoc on our skin and cause it to lose moisture and become dry and flaky,” says dermatology registrar Dr Cristina Psomadakis. “It is really important to be proactive and try to protect our skin before it suffers from seasonal assaults. This usually means swapping to a richer moisturiser (or using more moisturiser).”
The first port of call in the face of such moisture-sapping conditions is, of course, slathering on products that are packed with moisture-boosting ingredients, such as the Vichy Minéral 89 range, which boasts the powerhouse molecule hyaluronic acid, plus 89% mineralising water, and helps keep skin hydrated, plump and radiant.
But for a truly solid hydration routine, it’s important we don’t stop at the external. Water, after all, is crucial fuel for the whole body, not just a glowy complexion. Muscles can cramp up when we teeter towards dehydration – water keeps clicky knees at bay by ensuring joints stay lubricated and flexible, while the kidneys need plenty of it to remove toxins from our bodies.
Optimum water levels also help our mental health; studies show that even mild dehydration can dampen moods, increase irritability, make focusing on tasks far trickier, and leave our motivation for just about anything seriously flagging. So if your hydration routine is somewhat lacking, these easy tips can deliver the boost you need …
Drink eight glasses of water
Nothing beats getting your hydration straight from the source. Official advice recommends we drink six to eight glasses (around two litres) of water a day, sipping on small amounts often. You can take it one step further by opting for electrolyte-infused drinks such as coconut water or watermelon juice, which are natural sources of minerals including sodium, calcium, potassium and magnesium.
Helping to regulate the fluid balance in your body, electrolytes are essential for sparking healthy cell function and are thought to help speed up recovery after exercising too, particularly if you’ve gone all-out during a sweaty session.
Eat for hydration
Tomatoes, cucumber, broccoli; there are a whole host of foods that contain around 90% water along with essential vitamins that’ll help to keep your skin and body hydrated. So if you struggle to drink your six to eight glasses a day, look to adding water-rich foods to your plate instead. Packing greens into a smoothie along with a splash of milk – be it almond, oat, or cow’s, they all contain high amounts of H2O – is a quick and easy way to get your morning hydration hit, while soups and broths make for a comforting meal that’ll fill both your belly and inner water tank.
Look to smart skincare
Just as certain foods deliver key hydration from the inside, smart skincare powered by ingredients that draw in moisture and protect your skin’s natural moisture barrier can work wonders on the outside. “Skin hydration is absolutely paramount to maintaining a healthy skin barrier and ensuring that skin cells shed at a normal pace. Adequate hydration is one of the key elements of a fresh-faced glow and minimises the appearances of cracks, flakes or wrinkles in the skin,” says Psomadakis. “Key ingredients to look for are glycerin and hyaluronic acid.”
Vichy Minéral 89 Hyaluronic Acid Hydration Booster, aptly described by beauty editor Funmi Fetto as “a glass of water for your skin”, combines both of these hydrators with the brand’s signature mineralising water to plump up tired skin and protect its barrier function.
Calm your mind
Our state of mind can have wide-reaching effects on the body, and during bouts of stress or anxiety our skin – the body’s largest organ – can bear the brunt of it. Hormones such as cortisol, which increase in the body when we’re stressed, can lead to inflammation, and flare conditions such as acne, eczema and psoriasis. They have also been shown to impair our skin barrier and increase transepidermal water loss (when moisture is lost through our skin). Daily mindfulness and meditation can help to break the cycle if you’re feeling overwhelmed. Try it with the meditation experts at Headspace, who are currently offering three months of free membership with every Vichy Minéral 89 purchase made on lookfantastic.com*. “With as little as three minutes practice a day, people can experience the benefits of science-backed meditation, helping the mind to be calmer, clearer, kinder, and more resilient,” says Eve Lewis, director of meditation at Headspace.
Prioritise beauty sleep
During sleep the body repairs itself and replenishes moisture levels in the skin. But studies show that about a third of us don’t get the recommended seven hours of sleep each night. “There is actually some scientific basis to the concept of beauty sleep,” says Psomadakis. “Sleep deprivation leads to increased production of stress hormones and decreased production of antioxidants. This imbalance impairs our skin’s natural defences against external aggressors. This can contribute to loss of hydration, also known as transepidermal water loss, making moisturising all the more essential.”
Creating a relaxing bedtime routine can help your mind to switch off before sleep, making good quality rest easier to come by. Try avoiding electronic devices for an hour before bedtime, enjoy an evening meditation to clear your mind, or incorporate a few minutes of relaxing massage into your skincare routine with a hydrating serum to replenish tired skin.
Shop Vichy Minéral 89 Serum to receive your 3-month free trial to Headspace Plus, worth £29*. Exclusively at Lookfantastic.
*Save 25% valid until 10 February 2021. Headspace offer valid until 16 February 2021 on LookFantastic.com. After your 90 days free trial, the subscription renews automatically at £49.99 for an annual subscription to Headspace Plus. You can cancel at any time. This offer is for new or existing free Headspace users only. Credit card details needed to redeem. Offer can be redeemed until 30 June 2021.
from Lifestyle | The Guardian https://ift.tt/3ooiSbn
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