
5 Of The Most Skin-Friendly Food Swaps
Little known fact: what you eat can seriously impact your skin.
There will always be a place for chocolate lava cake and Flamin’ Hot Cheetos in our lives, but if you’re worried that your sweet tooth/savory snack addiction is ruining your skin, it might be time to make some changes to your diet. And the best way to get the job done without feeling like you’re completely torturing your tastebuds? Simply employ a few smart food swaps. And luckily for you, we’ve done the hard work right here…
Smart Swap #1: Sugar For Agave
As a nation, we consume about 17 teaspoons of sugar every day which is about five more than the maximum recommended amount. And sugar doesn’t just pile on the pounds. Studies show that a sugar-heavy diet produces what are known as advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in the skin. This happens through a process called glycation, which occurs when excessive amounts of sugar become too much for your natural insulin levels to handle. These sugars then end up attacking your vulnerable skin cells, latching onto collagen and elastin and causing them to become stiff and weak. The result? Harmful compounds called AGEs that cause dryness, exacerbate fine lines, deepen wrinkles and age you up lightning fast – as the name suggests!
Instead of using sugar to sweeten your food and drinks, try agave or monk fruit sweetener which both have lower glycemic index values, so they get absorbed more slowly into your bloodstream, causing less damage as they go. And don’t forget those devilish sodas, also. Soda is packed with sugar, often more than the entire daily recommendation, so switch them out for water wherever possible.
Smart Swap #2: Red Meat For Fish
Most red meats are high in saturated fats and cholesterol which can lead to inflammation in your body. And you all know what inflammation does to your skin. Cue irritation, redness, acne flare-ups and damage to your valuable collagen levels which can lead to premature aging in the form of lines, wrinkles, dark spots and dull skin.
Rather than pack your diet with red meat, choose wild fish like salmon which is low in cholesterol but high in good fats – namely omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3s are great for the complexion as they help regulate sebum production, soothe irritation, improve healing and increase hydration. A major plus for your skin.
Smart Swap #3: Chips For Nuts
Anything fried is bad for your skin, and there’s a very simple reason for that. Just like sugar, fried food increases free radicals and AGEs in your skin. Fried potato chips, for example contain almost 900 AGEs per serving compared to baked chips which only contain around 150. Now, correct us if we’re wrong, but that feels like a pretty major difference to us. Frying foods also kills essential vitamins, minerals and nutrients which your skin need to remain healthy, glowing and youthful-looking.
Regular, store-bought chips are not only fried, but they’re covered in salt which is vital for your health, but when consumed in large amounts, is a devil on your skin’s barrier function, sucking all the moisture out of it and making your skin feel dry, dehydrated and sensitized. Salt also causes inflammation, weakens your collagen and exacerbates conditions like eczema and acne.
Word to the wise? Ditch the bumper bags of Kettle Chips and Nacho Cheese Doritos in favor of unsalted nuts like walnuts, almonds and cashews. These are not only salt-free but packed with antioxidants. Win-win.
Smart Swap #4: Refined Carbs For Low GI Carbs
Thought you were done with AGEs? Think again. Refined carbs like white bread, pasta and rice are high-glycemic foods which means that, just like sugar, they get turned into glucose by your body, causing a spike in your blood sugar levels and a serious amount of skin-wrecking AGEs. Dang.
Breads and grains are also high in gluten which can aggravate your skin and cause inflammation and breakouts if you have a gluten intolerance. So, there’s that.
Ditching bread and pizzas may sound like absolute hell but try to at least cut down on the white ones if you can bear it. Friendlier alternatives are wholemeal breads, brown rice and when it comes to pasta, try zoodles (zucchini noodles), spiralized carrots or eggplant lasagne. Delicious and way better for your skin.
Smart Swap #5: Cow’s Milk for Nut Milks
Dairy products are essential for the health of your entire body, but for lactose intolerant people, it can wreak skin havoc. When your body can’t digest a certain food group, you see, it starts to ferment and breed bacteria – terrible for your gut, just as bad for your skin. Dairy cows are also frequently treated with hormones which can throw yours off balance and trigger acne breakouts.
If you’re lactose intolerant and are having trouble with dairy, replace cow’s milk with organic milks made from nuts or seeds such as coconut, flaxseed, hazelnut or cashew.
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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Realistic skincare goals are the bomb. Because there’s always room for improvement when it comes to the look and feel of your skin.
Let’s get one thing clear. Striving for skin perfection is not something we subscribe to here at TruSkin. Better skin? Sure. But perfect skin? Hell no. In fact, does that even exist outside Hollywood movies and retouched glossy magazine covers? Probably not.
That being said, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to improve what you’ve been blessed with. That’s just human nature. Whether you’re done with your dull, lackluster skin or totally over your monthly breakouts, these are the kind of skin issues we can get on board with. Because wanting better things for your skin is realistic. It’s also attainable – especially when you’re armed with the right tools and a side of skincare knowhow.
On that note, read on for five of the most common skin goals – plus how to flip them into reality…
Skincare Goal #1: Glowing Skin
Dull skin that lacks radiance hits us all at some point. And whether it’s a temporary, day-after-the-night-before blip or a more long-term grievance, dull skin is usually related to one big issue: dehydration.
Dehydration can be a problem for any skin type – dry or oily – and it happens when your skin isn’t retaining enough moisture. Not to be confused with dry skin, which lacks sebum, dehydration occurs thanks to things like cold weather, stress, a lack of sleep, poor skincare choices and surprise, surprise, sun damage. Basically anything that screws up your barrier function and compromises your skin's ability to hold onto water.
But dehydration isn’t the only reason your skin might look kind of sad. Poor cellular turnover can also be an issue. Healthy, adult skin has a turnover rate of around 28 days (give or take) but as you age, this gets longer as your skin cells become sluggish and dead ones hang around longer than necessary.
To help get your glow back, we recommend two important things. First, increase your skin’s moisture levels by applying a hydrating serum twice daily. Try one that contains ingredients like hyaluronic acid or aloe vera. We love Hyaluronic Acid Serum when our skin is feeling thirsty.
Second up, add a little gentle exfoliation into your skincare routine. Our Charcoal Clarifying Cleanser is a great choice because it contains citric acid, a chemical exfoliator that helps dissolve the bonds that bind dead skin cells together.
Skincare Goal #2: Smaller-Looking Pores
Pores are kind of annoying, we agree. But they’re actually super important for your skin to function so don’t give them too much of a hard time, OK?
Your body has two types of pores: those that produce sebum (oil) and others than produce sweat. Oil-producing pores are tiny little openings found at the top of your hair follicles where they release sebum to moisturize and soften the skin.
This may sound innocent, but the problem starts when your sebaceous glands produce too much sebum than your skin really needs, causing your pores to stretch and become blocked. This is very common for oily and combination skin types, but here’s the thing – your pore size is determined by genetics which means that, no matter what you do, you can’t physically shrink them. However, there are many things you CAN do to help strengthen and firm your skin, and simultaneously help keep your pores in decent shape.
Keeping your skin clean and your pores clear of excess oils, makeup, sunscreen and the like is your most important play, but don't go too nuts. Gentle is the key. Try our new Tea Tree Super Cleanser+, followed by Ocean Minerals Super Toner for a pore-kicking cleansing routine that won’t strip your skin completely dry.
Skincare Goal #3: Less Visible Wrinkles
As the most common signs of aging, fine lines and wrinkles are a bugbear we all have to face at some point. And while it’s easy to say, ‘don’t worry about them,’ it’s much harder to actually put that into practice.
Lines and wrinkles usually appear on and around areas of the face that experience repeated muscle movement. This is because repetitive motions like laughing, frowning and smiling cause weaknesses and dips in the skin which, as your skin matures and it loses valuable proteins, don’t bounce back like they used to.
Once wrinkles start to set-in, they’re pretty tricky to eradicate with skincare products alone, but the best way to keep them at a minimum is to look after your collagen levels. And this is where the mighty retinol steps in.
Retinol is the gold-standard of skincare because it actually ‘communicates’ with your skin at a cellular level, encouraging it to rev up collagen and elastin production, accelerate cell turnover and neutralize skin-damaging free radicals. Pretty good stuff.
Try applying our awesome Retinol Facial Serum nightly (after patch testing, of course) to improve the appearance of your fine lines and wrinkles – and to help stop new ones from forming!
Skincare Goal #4: Fewer Breakouts
Pimples, spots, zits, breakouts, whatever you call them, welcome they are not. So annoying, then, that acne is the most common skin condition in the US and affects around 50 million of us every darn year!
Acne rears its ugly head (pun absolutely intended) when your pores get blocked up with an excess of sebum that mixes with dead skin cells and bacteria. Thanks to genetics, you’re either susceptible to acne, or you’re not. But plenty of other triggers can contribute to the frequency and severity of your breakouts. Hormones – yeah those again – are a major trigger, as is stress.
Obviously you can’t miraculously change your genetic makeup but there are plenty of skincare ingredients and helpful tricks for treating and controlling your breakouts. Our absolute go-to is Tea Tree Super Serum+ which combines tea tree oil with salicylic acid and niacinamide to create a powerful, yet gentle way to balance your skin and deal with unwanted pimples. Tea tree is one of the best ingredients for acne as its anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial AND way less irritating than things like benzoyl peroxide. What’s more you only need to apply it two or three times a week to see experience visible results.
Skincare Goal #5: A More Even Skin Tone
Fed up with dark spots that are totally killing your skin’s mojo? Dark spots, aka hyperpigmentation, appear when your skin produces too much melanin which is the pigment that gives it its color. The three main triggers are your hormones; skin trauma like a bite, burn or pimple; or the sun.
We like to blame the sun for all manner of things where the skin is concerned. But this is totally legit for it really does have a lot to answer for. Dark spots included. Even if the sun wasn’t the original trigger, the sun makes any dark spot so much worse in the long run.
This is why protecting your skin from the sun’s evil rays is the single most important thing you can do for dark spots and patchy skin. Broad-spectrum sunscreen is a must (hi there SPF 30 Mineral Sunscreen with Vitamin C) but don’t dismiss antioxidants, either, which have a very clever way of neutralizing free radical damage and shielding your skin from cumulative photodamage. Our go-to is always vitamin C which not only protects your skin from damage but also helps to fade the appearance of uneven skin that’s already come and bitten you on the butt! Try our classic Vitamin C Facial Serum twice daily, swapping it out for Vitamin C Super Serum+ two or three times a week, to really hit dark spots where it hurts.
AcneGood News! Your Skincare Goals Just Got Closer
read more -
Realistic skincare goals are the bomb. Because there’s always room for improvement when it comes to the look and feel of your skin.
Let’s get one thing clear. Striving for skin perfection is not something we subscribe to here at TruSkin. Better skin? Sure. But perfect skin? Hell no. In fact, does that even exist outside Hollywood movies and retouched glossy magazine covers? Probably not.
That being said, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to improve what you’ve been blessed with. That’s just human nature. Whether you’re done with your dull, lackluster skin or totally over your monthly breakouts, these are the kind of skin issues we can get on board with. Because wanting better things for your skin is realistic. It’s also attainable – especially when you’re armed with the right tools and a side of skincare knowhow.
On that note, read on for five of the most common skin goals – plus how to flip them into reality…
Skincare Goal #1: Glowing Skin
Dull skin that lacks radiance hits us all at some point. And whether it’s a temporary, day-after-the-night-before blip or a more long-term grievance, dull skin is usually related to one big issue: dehydration.
Dehydration can be a problem for any skin type – dry or oily – and it happens when your skin isn’t retaining enough moisture. Not to be confused with dry skin, which lacks sebum, dehydration occurs thanks to things like cold weather, stress, a lack of sleep, poor skincare choices and surprise, surprise, sun damage. Basically anything that screws up your barrier function and compromises your skin's ability to hold onto water.
But dehydration isn’t the only reason your skin might look kind of sad. Poor cellular turnover can also be an issue. Healthy, adult skin has a turnover rate of around 28 days (give or take) but as you age, this gets longer as your skin cells become sluggish and dead ones hang around longer than necessary.
To help get your glow back, we recommend two important things. First, increase your skin’s moisture levels by applying a hydrating serum twice daily. Try one that contains ingredients like hyaluronic acid or aloe vera. We love Hyaluronic Acid Serum when our skin is feeling thirsty.
Second up, add a little gentle exfoliation into your skincare routine. Our Charcoal Clarifying Cleanser is a great choice because it contains citric acid, a chemical exfoliator that helps dissolve the bonds that bind dead skin cells together.
Skincare Goal #2: Smaller-Looking Pores
Pores are kind of annoying, we agree. But they’re actually super important for your skin to function so don’t give them too much of a hard time, OK?
Your body has two types of pores: those that produce sebum (oil) and others than produce sweat. Oil-producing pores are tiny little openings found at the top of your hair follicles where they release sebum to moisturize and soften the skin.
This may sound innocent, but the problem starts when your sebaceous glands produce too much sebum than your skin really needs, causing your pores to stretch and become blocked. This is very common for oily and combination skin types, but here’s the thing – your pore size is determined by genetics which means that, no matter what you do, you can’t physically shrink them. However, there are many things you CAN do to help strengthen and firm your skin, and simultaneously help keep your pores in decent shape.
Keeping your skin clean and your pores clear of excess oils, makeup, sunscreen and the like is your most important play, but don't go too nuts. Gentle is the key. Try our new Tea Tree Super Cleanser+, followed by Ocean Minerals Super Toner for a pore-kicking cleansing routine that won’t strip your skin completely dry.
Skincare Goal #3: Less Visible Wrinkles
As the most common signs of aging, fine lines and wrinkles are a bugbear we all have to face at some point. And while it’s easy to say, ‘don’t worry about them,’ it’s much harder to actually put that into practice.
Lines and wrinkles usually appear on and around areas of the face that experience repeated muscle movement. This is because repetitive motions like laughing, frowning and smiling cause weaknesses and dips in the skin which, as your skin matures and it loses valuable proteins, don’t bounce back like they used to.
Once wrinkles start to set-in, they’re pretty tricky to eradicate with skincare products alone, but the best way to keep them at a minimum is to look after your collagen levels. And this is where the mighty retinol steps in.
Retinol is the gold-standard of skincare because it actually ‘communicates’ with your skin at a cellular level, encouraging it to rev up collagen and elastin production, accelerate cell turnover and neutralize skin-damaging free radicals. Pretty good stuff.
Try applying our awesome Retinol Facial Serum nightly (after patch testing, of course) to improve the appearance of your fine lines and wrinkles – and to help stop new ones from forming!
Skincare Goal #4: Fewer Breakouts
Pimples, spots, zits, breakouts, whatever you call them, welcome they are not. So annoying, then, that acne is the most common skin condition in the US and affects around 50 million of us every darn year!
Acne rears its ugly head (pun absolutely intended) when your pores get blocked up with an excess of sebum that mixes with dead skin cells and bacteria. Thanks to genetics, you’re either susceptible to acne, or you’re not. But plenty of other triggers can contribute to the frequency and severity of your breakouts. Hormones – yeah those again – are a major trigger, as is stress.
Obviously you can’t miraculously change your genetic makeup but there are plenty of skincare ingredients and helpful tricks for treating and controlling your breakouts. Our absolute go-to is Tea Tree Super Serum+ which combines tea tree oil with salicylic acid and niacinamide to create a powerful, yet gentle way to balance your skin and deal with unwanted pimples. Tea tree is one of the best ingredients for acne as its anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial AND way less irritating than things like benzoyl peroxide. What’s more you only need to apply it two or three times a week to see experience visible results.
Skincare Goal #5: A More Even Skin Tone
Fed up with dark spots that are totally killing your skin’s mojo? Dark spots, aka hyperpigmentation, appear when your skin produces too much melanin which is the pigment that gives it its color. The three main triggers are your hormones; skin trauma like a bite, burn or pimple; or the sun.
We like to blame the sun for all manner of things where the skin is concerned. But this is totally legit for it really does have a lot to answer for. Dark spots included. Even if the sun wasn’t the original trigger, the sun makes any dark spot so much worse in the long run.
This is why protecting your skin from the sun’s evil rays is the single most important thing you can do for dark spots and patchy skin. Broad-spectrum sunscreen is a must (hi there SPF 30 Mineral Sunscreen with Vitamin C) but don’t dismiss antioxidants, either, which have a very clever way of neutralizing free radical damage and shielding your skin from cumulative photodamage. Our go-to is always vitamin C which not only protects your skin from damage but also helps to fade the appearance of uneven skin that’s already come and bitten you on the butt! Try our classic Vitamin C Facial Serum twice daily, swapping it out for Vitamin C Super Serum+ two or three times a week, to really hit dark spots where it hurts.
AcneGood News! Your Skincare Goals Just Got Closer
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Treating your skin with active ingredients and potent formulations is all well and good, but when does vigilant skincare become too much for your skin to cope with?
There are some incredible ingredients in skincare that have been trusted for decades to bring visible benefits to your precious skin. Retinol, vitamin C and glycolic acid are just three powerhouses that come to mind, all of which work hard to bring awesome, skin-changing results to the table.
But here’s the thing. Yes, these ingredients are fabulous and yes, when used correctly they can truly transform average skin into great skin – with regular use and a little side of patience, of course. However, there’s that certain something called ‘too much of a good thing.’ And when it comes to potent skincare, that 'thing' can turn into some real issues for your skin.
The main problem with overstimulating your skin is that your barrier function becomes compromised. Not sure what that means? Well, your skin’s barrier function is its uppermost layer (aka the stratum corneum) and it’s extremely important as it’s your body’s first line of defense from the outside world, keeping crucial moisture in and nasty irritants out.
When your barrier function is strong and working efficiently, it keeps your skin healthy, soft and supple. But if it gets screwed up – which can easily happen when you throw too many skincare ingredients at it – it’s unable to do its job properly. And this is where things start to go awry.
Read on for the most common signs you're working your barrier function too hard. And that it's unhappy as a consequence…
Your Skin Is Totally Breaking Out
Acne breakouts occur when overactive sebaceous glands produce an excessive amount of sebum (oil). This sebum then gets stuck in your pores where it mixes with bacteria and dead skin cells and results in a nasty old blockage. If this ‘plug’ of debris becomes inflamed it becomes a full-on zit, if not, it will usually result in a white or blackhead. None of which are welcome, if we’re honest.
Breakouts are generally thanks to your genes which determine your skin type and amount of oil your skin produces. However, certain factors can trigger the frequency, duration or angriness of your flare-ups. And overstimulating your skin is right up there with things like stress and your hormones.
The biggest offenders, in our opinion, are super astringent products that suck your skin dry and do no good whatsoever. Of course, it’s tempting to apply drying ingredients like harsh alcohols, and kick-ass surfactants like sodium lauryl sulfate to oily skin because it feels like the right thing to do. Mistake. This move just encourages your sebaceous glands to produce even more oil to try to counteract the dryness you’re enforcing on your poor complexion.
On the flipside, you don’t want to over-moisturize your skin, either. Certain ingredients in moisturizers will block your pores and trigger breakouts with lightning speed. These are called occlusives and include things like heavy oils and butters. So avoid these at all times – and that includes makeup as well as skincare.
Do This: Stick with a light, gentle moisturizing product like Vitamin C Brightening Moisturizer, combined with a balancing cleanser, gentle toner and a soothing facial serum like Tea Tree Super Serum+.
Your Face Looks Red & Feels A Bit Irritated
Other than the obvious conditions like eczema and rosacea – which are jobs for a dermatologist, btw – your skincare routine can be a major trigger of redness and inflammation.
And one of the most common offenders? Exfoliation. Exfoliating your skin can feel like pure joy and, when done gently and not too often, it’s a great way to boost cellular turnover, encourage collagen production and make your skin look and feel glowy and healthy. But, and this is a pretty big but, exfoliating your skin too often and with a super heavy hand weakens your barrier function and strips away all of those important ceramides, fatty acids and essential nutrients from the surface of your skin. Frankly, this is the perfect recipe for irritation and facial redness.
If you’re guilty of exfoliating more than once or twice a week and have noticed your skin becoming more sensitized than normal, you need to rein it in posthaste.
Do This: Either reduce your frequency or switch to a milder formulation. Better yet, do both. We love our Ocean Minerals Super Toner which contains gentle chemical exfoliators to break down dead skin cells. Try this two or three times a week and see how you go. You can always move to daily as your skin calms down.
Dryness Has Become A Real Thing
Similar to your likelihood of getting acne, dry skin is something you’re born with. The good news, however, is that dryness can be controlled and balanced with the right skincare routine that concentrates on nurturing your skin and replacing the oils your skin often fails to product of its own accord.
Then there’s the wrong skincare routine – and this can have equally as profound results. Just not the ones you were hoping for.
What do we mean by the ‘wrong’ skincare routine. Well, for dry skin types, you have to avoid anything that’s going to exacerbate your dryness. And the biggest no-no for you? Potent cleansers that are big on sulfates, synthetic fragrances, parabens and harsh alcohol like ethanol and alcohol denat. Ingredients like oatmeal, rice milk, aloe vera and chamomile are way better friends for dry skin as they help nourish and protect your skin’s barrier function. Which, as you’ve probably realized by now, is the most important thing for reducing irritation and minimizing sensitivities.
Also, you really have to be careful with retinol because, while it’s the darling of skincare ingredients, retinol can be tricky to get right. Too much, too often can make dry skin conditions so much worse – especially if you go in like a bull in a china shop, not patch testing first, or applying it too frequently.
Do This: If you’ve recently started a new retinol product, pare it back immediately, reducing how often you apply to once or twice a week until your dryness improves. You should also swap your cleanser for something that'll nourish and protect your barrier function. Our new Soothing Cleansing Milk is literally made for dry, sensitive skin, since you asked.
Your Skin Feels Tight, Itchy & Uncomfortable
Even oily or combination skin can feel tight and uncomfortable sometimes. And this is generally down to dehydration.
Quick refresher: dry skin is a skin type that's thanks to an absence of oils, whereas dehydration is more of a condition and due to a lack of water in the skin. Alongside cold weather conditions, pollution, stress and medications, one of the main causes of dehydration is over-exfoliation or over-stimulation with active skincare ingredients. How so? Because these break down your skin’s barrier function making it unable to effectively retain water.
Thankfully, dehydration is a temporary issue and one that can most definitely be dealt with. You just need to figure out what you’re doing that’s causing your dehydrated skin and work on that first and foremost. Chronic use of highly potent ingredients like prescription retinoids, for example, can be major offenders, as can overexposure to the sun. Then you need to manipulate your skincare routine to ensure it’s working hard to boost water in the epidermis while simultaneously reducing moisture loss from the surface of your skin.
Do This: Simplify your routine and introduce a daily hydrating serum that helps amp up your skin's moisture content. Hyaluronic Acid Facial Serum is a great addition and ideal for sensitized skin. Just remember, you must always apply moisturizer on top to seal in hydration. You could also try our awesome new Multi-Vitamin Facial Serum which combines everything you need for a healthier barrier function – minus the irritation.
Sensitive SkinAre You Working Your Skin Way Too Hard?
read more -
Realistic skincare goals are the bomb. Because there’s always room for improvement when it comes to the look and feel of your skin.
Let’s get one thing clear. Striving for skin perfection is not something we subscribe to here at TruSkin. Better skin? Sure. But perfect skin? Hell no. In fact, does that even exist outside Hollywood movies and retouched glossy magazine covers? Probably not.
That being said, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to improve what you’ve been blessed with. That’s just human nature. Whether you’re done with your dull, lackluster skin or totally over your monthly breakouts, these are the kind of skin issues we can get on board with. Because wanting better things for your skin is realistic. It’s also attainable – especially when you’re armed with the right tools and a side of skincare knowhow.
On that note, read on for five of the most common skin goals – plus how to flip them into reality…
Skincare Goal #1: Glowing Skin
Dull skin that lacks radiance hits us all at some point. And whether it’s a temporary, day-after-the-night-before blip or a more long-term grievance, dull skin is usually related to one big issue: dehydration.
Dehydration can be a problem for any skin type – dry or oily – and it happens when your skin isn’t retaining enough moisture. Not to be confused with dry skin, which lacks sebum, dehydration occurs thanks to things like cold weather, stress, a lack of sleep, poor skincare choices and surprise, surprise, sun damage. Basically anything that screws up your barrier function and compromises your skin's ability to hold onto water.
But dehydration isn’t the only reason your skin might look kind of sad. Poor cellular turnover can also be an issue. Healthy, adult skin has a turnover rate of around 28 days (give or take) but as you age, this gets longer as your skin cells become sluggish and dead ones hang around longer than necessary.
To help get your glow back, we recommend two important things. First, increase your skin’s moisture levels by applying a hydrating serum twice daily. Try one that contains ingredients like hyaluronic acid or aloe vera. We love Hyaluronic Acid Serum when our skin is feeling thirsty.
Second up, add a little gentle exfoliation into your skincare routine. Our Charcoal Clarifying Cleanser is a great choice because it contains citric acid, a chemical exfoliator that helps dissolve the bonds that bind dead skin cells together.
Skincare Goal #2: Smaller-Looking Pores
Pores are kind of annoying, we agree. But they’re actually super important for your skin to function so don’t give them too much of a hard time, OK?
Your body has two types of pores: those that produce sebum (oil) and others than produce sweat. Oil-producing pores are tiny little openings found at the top of your hair follicles where they release sebum to moisturize and soften the skin.
This may sound innocent, but the problem starts when your sebaceous glands produce too much sebum than your skin really needs, causing your pores to stretch and become blocked. This is very common for oily and combination skin types, but here’s the thing – your pore size is determined by genetics which means that, no matter what you do, you can’t physically shrink them. However, there are many things you CAN do to help strengthen and firm your skin, and simultaneously help keep your pores in decent shape.
Keeping your skin clean and your pores clear of excess oils, makeup, sunscreen and the like is your most important play, but don't go too nuts. Gentle is the key. Try our new Tea Tree Super Cleanser+, followed by Ocean Minerals Super Toner for a pore-kicking cleansing routine that won’t strip your skin completely dry.
Skincare Goal #3: Less Visible Wrinkles
As the most common signs of aging, fine lines and wrinkles are a bugbear we all have to face at some point. And while it’s easy to say, ‘don’t worry about them,’ it’s much harder to actually put that into practice.
Lines and wrinkles usually appear on and around areas of the face that experience repeated muscle movement. This is because repetitive motions like laughing, frowning and smiling cause weaknesses and dips in the skin which, as your skin matures and it loses valuable proteins, don’t bounce back like they used to.
Once wrinkles start to set-in, they’re pretty tricky to eradicate with skincare products alone, but the best way to keep them at a minimum is to look after your collagen levels. And this is where the mighty retinol steps in.
Retinol is the gold-standard of skincare because it actually ‘communicates’ with your skin at a cellular level, encouraging it to rev up collagen and elastin production, accelerate cell turnover and neutralize skin-damaging free radicals. Pretty good stuff.
Try applying our awesome Retinol Facial Serum nightly (after patch testing, of course) to improve the appearance of your fine lines and wrinkles – and to help stop new ones from forming!
Skincare Goal #4: Fewer Breakouts
Pimples, spots, zits, breakouts, whatever you call them, welcome they are not. So annoying, then, that acne is the most common skin condition in the US and affects around 50 million of us every darn year!
Acne rears its ugly head (pun absolutely intended) when your pores get blocked up with an excess of sebum that mixes with dead skin cells and bacteria. Thanks to genetics, you’re either susceptible to acne, or you’re not. But plenty of other triggers can contribute to the frequency and severity of your breakouts. Hormones – yeah those again – are a major trigger, as is stress.
Obviously you can’t miraculously change your genetic makeup but there are plenty of skincare ingredients and helpful tricks for treating and controlling your breakouts. Our absolute go-to is Tea Tree Super Serum+ which combines tea tree oil with salicylic acid and niacinamide to create a powerful, yet gentle way to balance your skin and deal with unwanted pimples. Tea tree is one of the best ingredients for acne as its anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial AND way less irritating than things like benzoyl peroxide. What’s more you only need to apply it two or three times a week to see experience visible results.
Skincare Goal #5: A More Even Skin Tone
Fed up with dark spots that are totally killing your skin’s mojo? Dark spots, aka hyperpigmentation, appear when your skin produces too much melanin which is the pigment that gives it its color. The three main triggers are your hormones; skin trauma like a bite, burn or pimple; or the sun.
We like to blame the sun for all manner of things where the skin is concerned. But this is totally legit for it really does have a lot to answer for. Dark spots included. Even if the sun wasn’t the original trigger, the sun makes any dark spot so much worse in the long run.
This is why protecting your skin from the sun’s evil rays is the single most important thing you can do for dark spots and patchy skin. Broad-spectrum sunscreen is a must (hi there SPF 30 Mineral Sunscreen with Vitamin C) but don’t dismiss antioxidants, either, which have a very clever way of neutralizing free radical damage and shielding your skin from cumulative photodamage. Our go-to is always vitamin C which not only protects your skin from damage but also helps to fade the appearance of uneven skin that’s already come and bitten you on the butt! Try our classic Vitamin C Facial Serum twice daily, swapping it out for Vitamin C Super Serum+ two or three times a week, to really hit dark spots where it hurts.
AcneGood News! Your Skincare Goals Just Got Closer
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