Guaranteed Ways To Breathe New Life Into Tired Skin
The holiday season is over, so now's the time to say goodbye to dull, exhausted-looking skin and hello to a brand new year.
December is known for many things – cold, blustery weather; chestnuts roasting on an open fire (although who even does that!) and panic shopping for holiday gifts to name just a few. It’s a great time of year for most of us, but when it comes to your skin? Well, not so much. In fact, boozy parties and sleepless nights can ruin your skin’s mojo. So, now the festive fun is over, the last thing you want to be stuck with is sleepy skin that looks and feels as tuckered out as you feel.
While nothing beats the magical powers of eight hours of beauty sleep, there are plenty of ways to put a pep in your complexion’s step. Here are five of our utmost faves. And no, finishing off your cleansing routine with blasts of freezing cold water is not one of them. Because that’s downright torture at this time of year. And we’re not quite that mean…
1. Exfoliate Your Skin
Dead, dulling skin cells can really pile up if you’ve had little to no zzzs and your skin has lost out on its vital regeneration time. Couple this with too much partying (read salty snacks and Prosecco) and it’s no wonder the festive season goes hand-in-hand with burnt-out skin.
The best way to amp up cell turnover and improve radiance is to exfoliate your skin. And exfoliation comes in two forms: physical and chemical.
Physical exfoliation includes all the obvious stuff like face scrubs, cleansing brushes and loofahs – basically anything that requires some kind of physical movement in order for it to work.
Chemical exfoliation is just as good as physical exfoliation, and can actually be a much better choice if you have sensitive skin that gets easily irritated by abrasive scrubs and the like. Chemical exfoliators are products that contain some kind of ingredient (usually acids like glycolic, salicylic or lactic) that help loosen the bonds between skin cells to encourage them to naturally slough away more efficiently. They don't require pressure or massage, they just do the job as par for the course. Clever, right?
Try our Vitamin C Super Serum+ which not only contains salicylic acid, but antioxidants galore. Apply it to cleansed, dry skin before moisturizing to help get your party glow on.
2. Get Your Daily Vitamin C Fix
Speaking of antioxidants, they’re vital at this time of year (and any time of year for that matter. Antioxidants work by nixing free radicals caused by stress, a less-than-ideal diet, alcohol and exposure to things like pollution and cigarette smoke.
Most experts agree that the absolute queen of skincare antioxidants is vitamin C. Why’s it so great? Ha, how long have you got? Seriously though, in a nutshell, vitamin C has not only been proven to slow aging by working on free radical-induced wrinkles, but it accelerates collagen production and is a bit of show-off when it comes to warding off dull, tired-looking skin. How so? Because it inhibits wayward melanin production which is what causes dark spots and patchy skin. So, there you go.
Apply Vitamin C Deep Hydration Night Cream to cleansed skin before hitting the sack to promote healthier, brighter skin as you sleep – no effort required. Got to love that, right?
3. Exercise More
An hour at the gym is not only good for your abs and pecs, but it stimulates blood flow to your skin, providing oxygen and nutrients to your cells and helping to give your complexion a fabulously healthy glow. And if gym sessions aren’t your jam, don’t fret because anything that gets you moving and your heart rate up will take care of business nicely. A brisk walk, Zumba class, even dancing around the kitchen… all good.
4. Stay Away From Smoking (And Smokers!)
You know smoking’s bad for you. We know you know that. But let’s just have a refresher course on just how tragic it is for your skin, shall we?
There are over 4,000 chemicals in cigarette smoke, many of which destroy your collagen and elastin fibers, which, as you know, are the key players when it comes to maintaining awesome skin. Cue lines, wrinkles, puffiness and an uneven skin tone. Nicotine, in particular, causes your blood vessels to constrict, reducing blood flow and depriving your skin of all the oxygen and nutrients it needs to stay bright and healthy-looking. And yes, secondhand smoke is just as damaging to your skin, maybe even more so, because the levels of nasties like nicotine, tar, carbon monoxide and nitric oxide are at least double the numbers found in firsthand smoke. Mic. Drop.
If you ever find yourself surrounded by a bunch of smokers, counteract the damaging effects of all those collagen-destroying enzymes by applying products that contain proven ingredients to increase collagen production in your skin. Things like vitamin C, retinol, MSM and peptides are the mutt’s nuts for this. In steps Retinol Facial Serum...
5. Try Your Hands At Facial Massage
There’s nothing better for waking up your skin in the morning than by giving yourself a two-minute facial massage as you cleanse. And honestly, a few minutes is all it takes to majorly boost your circulation and encourage toxin drainage.
Apply Vitamin C Brightening Cleanser to damp skin and work it all over your face and neck, using the pads of your fingers. Sweep your fingers down your nose a few times, across your cheeks from the center outwards, up and around your forehead, then from the middle of your chin out towards your ears. Finish with your neck, using the palms of your hands to perform light strokes from the base of your neck up to your jawline.
More About This Article
Georgia Gould
Georgia is an award-winning beauty writer who has been in the business for over 20 years. British-born, she began her career as a magazine beauty editor in London before moving to San Francisco, CA in 2012 where she now continues her love as a freelance writer and editor. As well as her editorial work, Georgia has created content for many high-profile beauty brands, including Clarins, L’Oréal, Procter & Gamble, Simple and TRESemmé. Her passions include retinol (obviously), golfing, skiing and walking her beloved Schnauzer, Dave.
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Tired, stressed out skin can be a real party pooper. So get ahead of the game and up the skincare love with these simple beauty hacks.
Are you guilty of neglecting your skin during the party season? OK, so maybe ‘neglect’ is too strong a word. But if you’re already experiencing beat up skin that looks like it needs a fortnight in the Caribbean, chances are your skin is feeling the burn of one late night too many.
The holiday season can be stressful enough, however, so why add to your woes by putting your skin under so much pressure that it repays you with a whole bunch of unwanted holiday gifts like redness, dry patches, pimples and dullness? If you ask us, that’s just one stress too much.
We say a big ‘NO’ to stressed, partied out skin. Not by declining all the invitations. Heck no! But with the following skin-loving hacks that require zero effort (check) but offer maximum pay-out (check).
1. Double Cleanse Before Bed
Our motto is that if your cleanser doesn’t feel like it’s doing a good enough job on its own, then you need to think about the formulation you’re using. However, like all good rules in life, this motto is made to be broken! And during these times double cleansing can be a real lifesaver.
At this time of year you’re likely to be wearing more makeup, more often thanks to a crazy social calendar. Not only that but the combination of late nights, more booze, less sleep and more rich food is going to quickly make your skin feel and look super tired. And this is when problems quickly arise. If you’re a rosacea or eczema sufferer, for example, flare-ups will occur lightning fast. If you have oily skin, on the other hand, your sebaceous glands can go wild, producing more oil than ever and possibly leaving you with breakouts just when you don’t need them. You see where we’re going here…
One of the best ways to keep your skin under control during the holidays is to treat yourself to a pre-bedtime double cleanse. As you sleep, your skin goes into full recharge mode, regenerating new skin cells and repairing environmental damage. But how can it successfully do this when it’s covered in makeup and grime? The short answer is that it can’t. Instead, it’ll punish you with poor, rough texture; dull, dry skin and dark, puffy bags under your eyes.
Double cleansing can take on many forms but it basically means cleaning your skin twice to remove both oil-based debris (makeup, sebum and sunscreen) and water-based grime like sweat. Your first port of call is to massage some kind of oil-based cleanser into your skin to remove the oil-based surface debris. Then you wash with a cream, gel or lotion to finish cleansing and treat your skin according to your skin type or concerns. It’s a fairly simple process – although a little lengthier than regular cleansing – but in times of need it can work wonders for your skin and pores. Just remember, it's unlikely to be necessary every night, and stay away from overly harsh, perfumed or alcohol-heavy products. Keep it gentle with our range of awesome cleansing giants.
2. Laugh In the Face Of Free Rads
When you’re putting your body under more stress than normal, free radicals like to have a wild party of their own!
But what are free radicals? Well, without getting too sciencey on you, free radicals are unstable, highly reactive atoms or molecules that form in your skin when it’s subject to things like sun damage, pollution, alcohol, stress or a poor diet. Due to their unstable nature, free radicals seek out electrons from other, unsuspecting molecules in your skin to try and stabilize themselves. This is bad news because it creates even more free radicals, leading to what's known in the skincare biz as oxidative stress. This is probably all you need to know about those little free radical devils but needless to say, oxidative stress can cause serious damage to all the good stuff in your skin – namely collagen and elastin.
The good news is that antioxidants are able to donate electrons to free radicals to neutralize them and stop them screwing up the other, more important components in your skin. Your body has its own, hard-working antioxidant defense system but (isn't there always a but?!) aging weakens it. No surprises there! This means there inevitably comes a time when your skin needs help from other sources like an antioxidant-rich diet or topical antioxidants in your skincare routine such as vitamin C, niacinamide, green tea and vitamin E.
Our party season go-to is Vitamin C Super Serum+. And the best news is you only need to use it two or three times a week for awesome results. We suggest you get on board, immediately!
3. Layer Up With Hydration
Dehydration is an absolute b*tch for letting your skin down, making it look dull and feel horrible. Of course, a little amount of dehydration is a given if you’re a fan of overdoing the G&Ts and don’t counteract it with plenty of water. So try to sip on H20 as much as possible.
Just as importantly for helping to curb dehydrated skin is to apply products that draw water to the surface layers. Our favorite humectants (the water magnets of the skincare world) are hyaluronic acid, glycerin and aloe so keep your skin in good supply of these through twice daily use of treatment serums and good quality moisturizers.
We have many superpowered serums like Hyaluronic Acid Facial Serum which is incredible for pumping up moisture, but we also love Multi-Vitamin Facial Serum which is one of the finest for boosting radiance and uplifting a gloomy, dehydrated complexion.
4. Perk Up Tired Eyes
What’s the first area of your skin to, without fail, give the partying game away? The skin around your eyes. The reason for this is that the skin here is slightly different to the rest of your face. It contains fewer sebaceous glands (cue dryness) and is around ten times thinner which makes it way more susceptible to the visible signs of tiredness and premature aging. Also, thanks to its natural thinness, underlying tissue and blood vessels become more prominent when you’re tired, causing shadows and dark circles.
But that’s not all. The skin around your eyes also contains a limited amount of fat and muscle which means collagen and elastin are even more important for maintaining strength and support. When your collagen and elastin become compromised thanks to too much partying, basically the poor skin around your eyes stands no chance of remaining its best.
So what can you do about pooped-out peepers? First, try to get early nights whenever you can. Obvs. Drink plenty of water day and night to reduce dehydration, and always keep a fabulous eye treatment in your refrigerator to apply morning and night to cleansed skin. Our new Depuffing Longevity Eye Cream is a real hero, or you could try Peptide Eye Gel which works like a dream on tired eyes.
5. Exoliate A Tad More Than Normal
Exfoliating too much can send your skin into a state of frenzy, but if you have strong skin and you feel like it needs a bit of a kick in the booty, a little extra exfoliation can work wonders.
If you like to use a scrub, try exfoliating once more a week during the party season, or try our new AHA, BHA and PHA Liquid Exfoliant which contains glycolic and salicylic acids as well as a gentle hydrating exfoliant called gluconolactone. It’s super effective yet gentle enough to use every day. Can we get an Auld Lang Syne for that?!
6. Feed Your Skin From The Inside
Finally, while you’re putting all manner of salty snacks and sweet treats down your throat, remember to save some room for plenty of good, nutritious foods. Fresh fruit and veggies are a given in any healthy diet, but also up your intake of lean protein and omega-3 fatty acids to help regulate oil production and nourish your skin. You’ll find omega-3s in things like oily fish, seafood, nuts and seeds.
While we’re on the subject of looking after your skin from the inside, now’s also a great time to try our new Collagen Boosting Skin Supplement which helps to promote quality natural collagen production while improving hydration and fighting off those naughty free radicals.
It’s the perfect antidote to living the good life ;)
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Investing in an awesome face serum is all well and good, but if you don’t use it properly you could miss out on all of its important benefits.
Having the knowledge of when, how and why to use a specific skincare product is golden. Granted, some are pretty self-explanatory. Cleanser? Easy, you use it twice daily to, well, cleanse your face and get rid of any debris that’s built-up over the past 8-12 hours. Moisturizer? Also, a fairly simple concept that comes at the end of your routine and helps seal moisture into your skin.
But what about serums? Touted by everyone from beauty influencers to dermatologists as the key to youthful, healthy skin, face serums sound easy enough, but know this – there’s a definite right and wrong way to use them. Apply yours like a skincare pro and you’ll see some incredible results after regular, continued use. Use it incorrectly, however, and you may as well have saved your money for those new Chloé shades you’ve been eyeing up all spring.
Serums are created to specifically target your most annoying skin concerns. They have a smaller molecular structure than moisturizers which means they’re able to penetrate much deeper and quicker into your skin. They also contain high concentrations of active ingredients like retinol, peptides, hyaluronic acid or vitamin C. All good stuff, right? You’re not kidding. In fact, this super powered combination of quick delivery AND awesome ingredients means that facial serums are among the most important products in your skincare routine.
But only if you use them properly.
Of course, the most important thing to do before using any new skincare formulation is to a) read the instructions thoroughly so you know what you’re dealing with, and b) patch test your product first. Patch testing is crucial when dealing with serums because their potency can lead to skin irritation if not handled with caution. Simply apply a small amount of serum to a discreet area of your skin (behind your ears is a great spot) and leave it for 24-48 hours to check for a reaction. See nothing? Feel nothing? Then you should be good to go.
Then, follow our guide for expert serum application. Honestly, we abide by these rules every single day – morning and night.
1. Always Work On Clean Skin
This feels a bit like a moot point but you’d be surprised by how many people think they can just shove on their skincare products without first cleansing their face and neck. Such a crazy mistake. You simply have to get rid of debris from the surface of your skin before applying any type of skincare product that’s formulated to penetrate the top layers of your skin. Otherwise it’ll have to work extra hard to even reach your skin if it has a blanket of sweat, sebum, dirt and makeup to wade through.
The tricks for great cleansing are to avoid hot water, be thorough but never heavy-handed, and always choose gentle ingredients tailored for your skin type. If you have dry skin, for example, go for our fabulous Soothing Cleansing Milk which combines rice and oat milks for thorough, but kind-to-skin cleansing. If you’re mega oily, however, you might be better off with Charcoal Clarifying Cleanser which is a great product for balancing excess sebum and detoxifying troubled skin – without drying it out, of course. Massage your product all over your skin (neck included) then rinse thoroughly and pat with a clean face towel.
2. Don’t Use Too Much…
… which begs the question, exactly how much is too much?
Most serums will give you a guide as to the correct amount to use for each application, but the general rule of thumb is that a pea-sized amount or a few drops should be plenty. Remember, serums are super concentrated and they smooth on your skin very easily, so a thin, even coating will deliver plenty of the good stuff to your complexion. Any more, is just going to be a waste.
3. Try Applying Your Serum To Damp Skin
Damp skin is more permeable than dry skin and therefore more receptive to active skincare ingredients. This is why we love to apply our serum straight away after cleansing or toning while the skin is still ever so slightly damp.
Apply a couple of drops to your hand as quickly as you can, then press rather than rub your serum onto your face using clean hands. And don’t worry about massaging it in, either. All you need to do is gently tap your skin all over to ensure you cover all areas of your face.
4. Exfoliate First
Getting rid of build-up and dead skin cells is a great way to ensure your serum has nothing getting in its the way. You want your skin to absorb and penetrate the skin deeper down where all the good stuff happens; not to sit on top, trying to contend with all those dead skin cells that, quite frankly, shouldn’t even be there in the first place.
If you’re a scrub kinda person, try our new Vitamin C Gentle Face Scrub which is the ideal way to prepare your skin to take on all those awesome actives in your serum. Not a big fan of face scrubs? No problem, we also have a fabulous chemical exfoliant that contains glycolic and salicylic acids plus a whole host of other skin reviving ingredients to accelerate cell turnover and boost the results from your favorite face serum. 6% AHA, BHA + PHA Liquid Exfoliant is its name and rejuvenating your skin is its game!
5. Finish With Moisturizer
No matter how hydrating a serum is, you must always apply moisturizer afterwards. Hark back to when we talked about all those small molecules that make up a serum’s structure, giving it a thin, silky-smooth texture. Well, this is because serums don’t contain ingredients like occlusives or emollients which are important for creating a moisture-sealing layer over the surface of your skin. That’s where your ‘actual’ moisturizer comes to the forefront.
Moisturizers are thicker than serums which makes them super important for locking your serum and all of its ingredients into your skin. So, do not miss this important step.
And sunscreen. But that goes without saying, right? RIGHT?
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What is glass skin and how can you get it? Read on for the lowdown on this shiny, dewy skin trend that shows no signs of going away.
Skin trends are an odd phenomenon. Unlike your hair and makeup which you can temporarily change with different colors, tricks, techniques and updos, your skin is what it is. Sure, you can improve its condition with better lifestyle choices and an awesome skincare routine, but you can’t fundamentally change the structure of the skin you were born with. It’s called genetics.
It’s still kind of cool to keep up with beauty trends that concern your skin, however. But, really, it’s all about trends in skincare, not actual skin. Think skin cycling, product personalization, skinimalism (which is still all over TikTok, btw), that kind of thing.
And the latest trend we (and the rest of the world) are into? Glass skin.
What Is Glass Skin?
Originating from Korean beauty practices where dewy, hydrated, uber healthy skin reigns above all else, glass skin is all about looking after your skin so that it looks and feels its absolute best. Pop words like ‘smooth,’ ‘glowing,’ ‘crystal-clear,’ ‘plump,’ ‘radiant’ and ‘fresh’ to the top of your skincare goals and you’ll be on the right track.
Glass skin is basically the skin ideal. We don’t like to think of it as skin perfection because that’s way beyond most of our reaches, but it’s about cleansing like a pro, layering on hydration and using skincare products and techniques (rather than piles of highlighting makeup) to help your skin look radiant and luminous. Just like glass.
Of course, getting your skin to behave in a glass-like fashion is not easy. If you have oily skin, for example, it can be a slippery slope from glowy skin to greasy-looking skin. Similarly, if your skin is dry, you’re going to need some darn good layers of moisturization in order to get glass-like skin.
It’s important, therefore to listen to your skin and adapt your glass skin routine to suit you.
That being said, there are a few key steps that can help you along the road. To follow, five of our favorites.
1. Try A (Gentle) Double Cleanse
Double cleansing splits the beauty world. Some swear by it, others believe it to be completely unnecessary. And us? Well, we sit somewhere in the middle. It’s very effective for those who sweat a lot, wear a good amount of makeup or have particularly oily skin. But it can be too much for sensitive skin types and is kind of pointless if you live your life wearing zero makeup. That’s our take, anyway.
If you want to have the cleanest, clearest skin of your life, however, and take care as you do it, double cleansing can be a great place to start. It’s also another K-beauty concept, so go figure!
Double cleansing is basically the act of cleansing your skin twice – first with an oil-based cleanser or makeup remover to dissolve things like makeup, sebum and sunscreen, then a water-based cleanser to rid your skin of other impurities like sweat and pollutants. By cleansing your skin twice you ensure you completely remove all kinds of debris that may have built up throughout the day. And by doing this you keep your pores clear and your breakouts under control. Because, while pimples and in-your-face pores aren’t the end of the world, they’re no friends of glass skin.
If you fancy giving double cleansing a go, do it at night only – when your skin has the most build-up on its surface – and use the gentlest formulations possible to avoid drying out your skin. We have plenty of incredible cleansers to choose from but our Vitamin C Brightening Cleanser is a smart option for step two as it also helps amp up your radiance at the same time.
2. Exfoliate Regularly
Exfoliation is another awesome step to do at night because it’s a fantastic way to slough away dead skin cells and accelerate cell turnover while you sleep, helping you to wake up with smoother, brighter-looking skin.
Whether you choose a chemical exfoliant like 6% AHA, BHA + PHA Liquid Exfoliant or a physical scrub like Vitamin C Gentle Face Scrub our most important advice is not to go too crazy. Be extra gentle with your skin, exfoliating just once or twice a week, and if you feel like your skin can’t handle that, cut it back to find your sweet spot.
Exfoliation is awesome for glass skin, irritated skin is not.
3. Invest In A Hydrating Toner
Toner might feel like one of those skincare steps you can really do without, but it can be a fabulous way to start boosting your hydration levels as early as possible. And glass skin is nothing without hydration.
Unlike the toners of the ‘80s which stripped all the life from your skin, modern day formulations are crafted to balance your skin’s pH levels, up its moisture content and prepare your skin to soak up all the goodness from the rest of your skincare routine. They really are the first step to ultimate skin hydration – which is basically the opposite of their predecessors!
Our Rose Water Refreshing Facial Toner, for example, contains just one ingredient – pure Moroccan Rose Water – to gently refresh, hydrate, soothe and refine your skin, while Ocean Minerals Super Toner is charged with powerful minerals, vitamin C and glycolic acid to revitalize and hydrate a dull, flagging complexion.
Apply your chosen formulation immediately after cleansing and then get ready to start building on this great hydration foundation with the rest of your routine.
4. Layer Up With Serum
Facial serums are your next port of call for the dewy skin of your dreams so don’t miss this important step – night and day. Serums are able to penetrate your skin much better than moisturizers which is why they’re often packed with concentrated active ingredients to treat your skin at a deeper level.
In terms of glass skin goals, the best ingredients to look out for are water-loving humectants like glycerin and hyaluronic acid, alongside vitamin C for brightening, vitamin E for soothing and niacinamide for smoothing texture and improving tone. Fruit acids are also a good shout for encouraging cell turnover while peptides help improve firmness and keep collagen synthesis in good working order.
Of course, you don’t want to overload your skin with too many actives (cue irritation!) so choose your serums wisely and if you want to work on a few different concerns, try using one serum in the morning and a different one at night. You could also try our incredible Multi-Vitamin Facial Serum which is fantastic way to target a whole number of skin concerns.
Just remember to apply your serum immediately after toning to help seal in moisture, and use just a small amount. More than a few drops is a total waste.
5. Finish With Moisturizer (& Sunscreen EVERY Morning!)
Last but not least, in fact last but most of all, is moisturizer – the final step in the glassification (hmm, made-up word?) of your fabulous complexion.
Now is not the time to look for mattifying formulations but instead go for the richest moisturizer your skin will take. That’s what’s going to help seal in all that hard hydrating work you’ve already accomplished. If your skin is oily, you’ll want to steer clear of super heavy creams and butters in favor of lighter lotions, but if your skin is dry, they’ll lap up all that richness.
Ingredients like fatty acids, ceramides, shea butter and sunflower seed oil are ideal for imparting a gorgeous glow and truly moisturized complexion – even better when combined by brightening antioxidants like vitamin C or the hydrating powers of aloe vera.
We’re currently loving our Firming Collagen Day Lotion in the morning and Vitamin C Deep Hydration Night Cream before bed, but we have plenty where those came from, right here.
To finish, don’t forget to generously apply SPF 30 Mineral Sunscreen with Vitamin C every morning without fail. Sun protection might not seem the obvious choice for nailing a glass-like complexion but if you allow the sun to destroy your collagen it’ll age you up at lightning speeds and your skin will never have the plump luminosity that glass skin requires.
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PSA: pair vitamin C with other effective skincare ingredients and it becomes next-level good.
Vitamin C is basically our middle name here at TruSkin. Don’t get us wrong, we love any skincare ingredient that offers real-life benefits to your skin that you can actually see and feel. Retinol is one of the first that comes to mind, but also bakuchiol, its plant-derived cousin has also become a permanent fixture in our daily routines.
However, there’s something about vitamin C that makes it hard to beat. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that’s been proven to fight environmental stressors and thus protect your skin from all the damage that comes from exposure to things like smoking, pollution and, quelle surprise, UV radiation. It’s also known to inhibit a certain enzyme in your skin called tyrosinase which helps keeps melanin under control and reduces your likelihood of developing sun-related dark spots and an uneven skin tone. And if you’re worried about the potency of pure vitamin C on your skin? Don’t be. L-ascorbic acid (the pure stuff) packs a pretty mean punch, for sure, but there are many kinder-to-skin derivatives out there, including our favorite, sodium ascorbyl phosphate which is gentle, but oh-so-mighty.
All this is great, but one of our absolute favorite things about vitamin C is that it partners so well with other true greats. So which ones are worth your time? We’ve rounded up the vitamin C pairings we believe are pretty unbeatable.
Vitamin C + Vitamin E: The Ultimate Antioxidant Duo
As skincare couples go, vitamin C and vitamin E are an unbeatable little double act. You know that phrase, ‘you complete me’? That's these two, in a nutshell.
C and E are both potent antioxidants and proven to neutralize damaging free radicals which form in the skin when it’s exposed to environmental nasties. This helps reduce oxidative stress, slowing down cell damage and thus helping to preserve important proteins in your skin like collagen and elastin. As you know, these are super important to keep your skin strong, soft, clear and youthful-looking.
Of course, vitamin C does a pretty good job of this on its own, but if you combine it with vitamin E you automatically amp up both of their superpowers with zero effort at all. You see, vitamin E strengthens and accelerates vitamin C's protective abilities by preserving its stability and efficacy. Meanwhile, C stops E’s age-fighting powers from depleting as it fights off those free radical bad guys.
Vitamin E is also great at soothing and hydrating the skin as an extra bonus. Together, they're the ultimate fighting champions.
Vitamin C + Sunscreen: Great Alone… Even Better Together
As we’ve drummed into you by now, sunscreen is the number one way to fight off external skin aging, reducing your likelihood of developing everything from lines and wrinkles through to dull skin, sagging and dark spots. Any broad-spectrum sunscreen that has a decent SPF of at least 30 is going to effectively shield your skin from sun damage. No arguments there. However, there’s one way to make your sunscreen work even better. And that’s by pairing it up with vitamin C.
Studies show that vitamin C makes sunscreen work harder by neutralizing more free radicals than sunscreen is able to do on its own. It’s also thought to help your sunscreen absorb more UV radiation.
The truth is that sunscreen is only able to shield your skin from around 50 percent of the number of free radicals caused by the sun. And not only that, but even the most highly protective sunscreens that boast SPFs of staggering numbers can only protect your skin from around 98 percent of UV radiation. This means a certain number of UV rays are always going to sneak through. Ditto free radicals.
C to the rescue. And how!
Try: SPF 30 Sunscreen with Vitamin C
Vitamin C + Hyaluronic Acid: The Hydrating Power Couple
Vitamin C plays pretty well with most skin types – especially if you stick with the skin-loving sodium ascorbyl phosphate – but still, everyone’s skin has different levels of sensitivities so irritation can never be counted out.
So, what’s a great way to reduce your chances of flaring up? By ensuring your skin’s barrier function is strong and well hydrated. Of course, gentle cleansing and moisturizing is key, but another effective trick for rehydrating your skin is to couple your vitamin C with the master of moisture: hyaluronic acid.
Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a type of polymer that acts as a powerful lubricant and humectant. More technical jargon, we know, but humectants are water-loving components that suck in moisture and hold onto it like a sponge. They’re essential for keeping the skin hydrated, plump and smooth and, as humectants go, HA is kind of a big deal. Just one gram of the stuff can hold up to six liters of water.
HA is very gentle on the skin and works like a dream with most other skincare ingredients, especially vitamin C whose anti-aging and texture-enhancing abilities get enhanced like nobody’s business by the powers of HA. HA can also counteract any sensitivities or dryness you might experience from vitamin C. Major plus points.
Vitamin C + MSM: The Collagen Protectors
It upsets us that MSM isn’t center stage like vitamin C and retinol, but hey, not everyone can be the leading lady, right? But don’t let that fool you because, just like any great movie, the supporting actors are just as important. Often even more so. And MSM is all that… and then some.
Not familiar with the powers of MSM? Well, to quote its full name, methylsulfonylmethane is a natural-occurring form of sulfur that’s often referred to as the ‘beauty’ or ‘healing’ mineral. Does it deserve such a nickname? Absolutely. Its inherent ability to encourage blood flow, fight inflammation and boost collagen makes it a total whizz-kid for the skin. Simple as. It also works darn hard to fight environmental damage by helping to enforce your body’s natural defense system, so there’s also that.
In skincare, vitamin C helps your skin to readily absorb MSM, doubling up their combined collagen love and working extra hard to fight off the visible signs of premature aging.
Try: Vitamin C Deep Hydration Night Cream
Vitamin CInsanely Good Skincare Ingredients That Pair Well With Vitamin C
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