How To Achieve Balanced Skin – Whatever Your Skin Type
Whether your skin is too oily or too dry, balancing your sebum is a major step towards healthier skin.
Sebum can be a real headache. Some of you might have too much of it, making your skin oily and annoyingly shiny. The rest of you might not have enough, causing your skin to be dry and maybe even a bit itchy. If only we could all have exactly the right amount to make our skin seem, well, normal.
Ha, normal. If only that were so easy. While normal skin is a type, just as much as dry, oily and combination, we’re not convinced that many people are actually blessed with normal skin. Know someone? Then lucky you/them.
For the rest of us, our skin type is all down to how much sebum is produced at a cellular level. Oily skin produces excessive amounts which can cause blocked pores, breakouts and excess shine; combination skin has too much in some areas and not enough in others resulting in potential pimples in the T-zone and dryness elsewhere (the worst of both worlds, some might say); while dry skin doesn’t produce enough sebum, making it sensitive, itchy, flaky and tight.
The truth is, you can’t change the skin type you were born with – because, genes – however, your sebum levels can be controlled (to a degree) by smart lifestyle habits and a good skincare routine.
So let’s delve deeper into the world of sebum, shall we?
What Is Sebum?
Sebum is a slightly yellow, clear, oily lipid that’s produced by the sebaceous glands in your skin’s dermis – the layer underneath the epidermis. Sebum is composed mostly of fatty acids, squalene, wax esters, glycerol and cholesterol and it reaches the surface of your skin via hair follicles. This is why most of it is concentrated on your face, scalp and genital area. The only area of your skin where you won’t find sebum to some degree? On the palms of your hands and soles of your feet because, surprise surprise, these are the only parts of your body that don’t have hair.
Why Sebum Is So Important For Healthy Skin
Although sebum can be super annoying because it rarely behaves itself, it’s actually extremely important in maintaining happy, healthy skin. Not only does it keep your skin lubricated and moisturized by sealing in hydration and preventing transepidermal water loss (TEWL) but another important function is to help protect your skin from UV damage. It does this by transporting antioxidants to the surface of your skin. Smart stuff, right? Sebum also keeps your skin’s pH level in check and has antibacterial qualities which is extremely important for fighting infection and reducing inflammation.
5 Tricks For Regulating Your Sebum Levels
The amount of sebum your skin produces is mainly influenced by genetics. However, your age, hormones, skincare regime, diet, stress levels and the climate in which you live all play an important role in helping to maintain balance. So, while you can’t change your genes or stop Father Time, there are many other ways to take charge. Read on for four of the most effective ones…
1. Cleanse Regularly, But Gently
Start off right with an effective cleansing routine and your levels of sebum stand a much better chance of being balanced and more controlled.
But what is the right cleansing routine? Well, your choice of formulation depends on your skin type. But whether you go for a lightweight gel or a rich, creamy lotion like our new Soothing Cleansing Milk, know that the kinder your cleanser is to your skin, the better this will be for your sebaceous glands. It’s tempting to go for a super astringent product to reduce excess oil, for example, but anything that’s too drying will cause your sebaceous glands to go into overdrive, thus making your skin even oilier in the long run.
Cleanse twice daily, for sure, but keep your products free of synthetic fragrance, harsh preservatives and strong detergents like sodium lauryl sulfate. Your sebum levels will really thank you for it.
2. Choose The Right Moisturizer
Hydrating your skin with serums that contain water magnets like glycerin and hyaluronic acid is vital because these draw water to the skin’s surface and help to reduce dehydration. However, to truly help balance sebum, your choice of moisturizer is far more important.
If your skin is lacking in sebum, your job is to help prevent further dryness by embracing rich moisturizers that contain occlusive ingredients like shea butter, cocoa butter and botanical oils. These help create a seal over the skin’s surface to stop moisture from escaping. Oh, and we love Vitamin C Brightening Moisturizer in case you were wondering.
On the other hand, skin that has sebum coming out of its ears (not literally, of course!) should avoid heavy oils and butters because they can block the pores and encourage breakouts. Instead, you want to stick with emollient ingredients like vitamin E that help smooth the skin and regulate hyperactive sebaceous glands.
3. Eat Right
Eating a balanced diet isn’t just about keeping your weight in check and your health at an optimum. It can also have profound effects on your skin. Certain studies show that foods high in sugar or refined carbs, for example, accelerate a hormone called IGF-1 whose role it is to promote growth and yes, you’ve guessed it, stimulate sebum production. Similarly, trans fats have been linked to inflammation in the skin, which also overstimulates the sebaceous glands and results in excess oil.
Healthy fats, on the other hand, like omega-3s found in nuts, seeds, oily fish and avocados, are awesome for helping to regulate sebum production while improving the fatty acid composition in your skin and strengthening your skin’s barrier function.
Whatever your skin type, its best to limit your intake of sugar, processed carbs and nasty old trans fats, while upping your fill of omega-3s and brightly colored fruit and veggies which are packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants for all-round healthier skin.
4. Be More Zen
Stress. Even the sound of that word can increase your levels of emotional anxiety. And it’s true that chronic levels of stress play havoc with your hormones. But how do hormones affect the skin specifically? When your stress levels are high your body produces more adrenaline and cortisol (the ‘stress’ hormone). Cortisol is well-known for screwing up your skin’s barrier function, thus causing inflammation and really messing with sebum production.
The killer blow is that this can go one of two ways. If your skin is dry in the first place, it’ll probably get even drier. Whereas if you have oily skin, this depletion of natural oils on the surface of your skin will stimulate your sebaceous glands to produce even more oil. Can’t. Win.
We get that reducing stress is easier said than done, but try introducing a little me-time into your daily schedule to address your emotional anxieties and take five. Go for a walk, do some yoga, even just read a book for 15 minutes. It’s amazing how concentrating on you for a moment can help ease your mind.
Oh, and make sure to get plenty of sleep. We can’t stress that enough. No pun intended.
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![The Easiest (But Most Effective!) New Year Skin Goals]()
Incoming... skincare goals that truly make a difference. Count us in.
We don’t know about you, but years of making pointless new year’s resolutions ‘just for the sake of it’ have made us somewhat over them. Sure, it’s great to have ambitions and personal goals to strive for, but forcing yourself to come up with something, just because it’s the start of a new year? That’s a hard pass from us.
Making skincare goals, however, is something we can totally get on board with. And if you’re reading this you’re probably in complete agreement. Because knowing you’re doing your best for your skin – even if you change only one habit or add just one extra product to your routine – is worth a thousand ‘I shall spend less at Starbucks’ false promises.
So, on that note, to follow are some very doable skincare goals for you to totally crush this year.
DO Reassess Your Skin
Your skin is not the same as it was ten years ago. Heck, it’s not even the same as it was this time last year. So, spend a few minutes taking a good, long look in the mirror to see what’s going on. Are you noticing some redness? Maybe a few extra dark spots have appeared? Perhaps your skin is feeling more dehydrated than it used to? Or, wait, is it weirdly oilier?
You can only deal with skin concerns if you actually know what they are, so make sure you’re totally on the ball with where your skin is at right now. Then you’ll be able to act accordingly with targeted skincare and better lifestyle habits.
DON’T Use Cleansing Wipes On The Reg
Face wipes are fine in a pinch but most of them are doused in drying chemicals that do your skin zero good. Granted, they might be called ‘cleansing wipes,’ but rarely do they actually cleanse your skin thoroughly – instead they simply move surface debris around a bit. Then there’s the fact that they’re mostly made from synthetic, non-biodegradable materials which end up hanging around in landfills for up to 100 (no joke!) years.
You might be tired, but make it a priority to cleanse your skin with a decent face wash morning and night. Try Vitamin C Brightening Cleanser which is so delightful, you’ll actually enjoy using it.
DO Moisturize Skin When Damp
You’ll have had undoubtedly heard this trick before, but we bet you don’t actually put it into practice, right? Well, try it. You see, applying moisturizing while your skin is still slightly damp from cleansing helps to seal in those tiny droplets of water that are left hanging around at the surface. It’s basically free moisture your skin will really benefit from – especially during winter when the air is extremely drying on your poor skin. C’mon, when we put it like that, it seems insane not to.
DON’T Give Up On Retinol
Retinol is one of the most effective topical ingredients for the skin. It deals with premature aging, it helps keep acne under control, it protects your skin from environmental damage, it does your laundry. OK, so that last one is a bare-faced lie, but you get where we’re coming from.
The problem with retinol is that its potency can be hard to deal with – especially during the first few weeks when it can make your skin especially dry, red, flaky and even a little itchy. As long as it’s not causing discomfort, however, a little initial irritation is OK, it’s just your skin adjusting, so don’t give up. Simply reduce your frequency of use as your skin acclimates, then build back up again. Easy.
DO Give Your Neck Some Love
You may be meticulous with your facial skincare routine but if your habits stop at your chin, you’re doing yourself a real disservice. How so? Because your neck is one of the first places to show signs of aging.
The skin on your neck has fewer sebaceous glands than your face, you see, which means it can’t produce as much oil to keep it soft and moisturized. This is seriously bad news in the fight against dry skin, fine lines, wrinkles and sagging because moisture is essential for the firmness and elasticity of your skin.
Whatever you do to your face, continue down to your neck and décolletage area. Cleanse it, tone it, treat it with serum, moisturize it (we love Renewing Longevity Moisturizing Cream for the neck area) and protect it from the elements. It’s the least you can do.
DON’T Fret About Your Imperfections
If we asked you to name something you hate about your skin we bet you could reel off a few without taking a breath. Well, do you know what, those crow’s feet you hate or monthly breakouts that drive you crazy are not worth crying over. You’re not perfect. But big deal, who is? So instead of sweating over the bad stuff, do the best you can for your complexion with a consistent skincare and good lifestyle habits. And, instead of feeling all the skin self-hate, try to focus on the good. Sure, you have fine lines around your mouth, but hey, isn’t your forehead looking pretty fabulous?
DO Trash Old Products That Rarely See The Light Of Day
Skincare products do not last forever. In general, they’re usually good for around one year if previously opened or two years if unopened. Unless it says otherwise on the label, of course.
Go through your vanity and trash anything that’s older than two years. Allowing your products to collect dust in the vain hope you might go back to them one day? Not gonna happen.
DON’T Underestimate Your Bedtime Skincare Routine
Sleep time is crucial for your skin. As your brain goes into rest mode, your skin gets super busy. Blood flow increases to nourish it with valuable nutrients; cell turnover accelerates to bring fresh, healthy skin cells to the surface; collagen production revs up big time and your natural antioxidant system kicks it to help nix any free radicals which may have built up during the day.
If you go to bed with unclean, unmoisturized skin, this whole rejuvenation process becomes compromised. So don’t do that. Make sure you’re doing everything you can to ensure your skin is thoroughly cleansed before bed, then apply your favorite serum and moisturize with Vitamin C Deep Hydration Night Cream.
DO Exfoliate More
As you get older, your skin doesn’t turn over as quickly. What does this mean? Well, when you’re in your 20s the life cycle of a skin cell is around 28 days during which time it’s created, moves up to the surface, then dies and sloughs away. Great. As you age, however, this process slows down and dead skin cells get ‘stuck’ at the surface where they cause uneven texture, blocked pores and dull-looking skin.
The good news is that exfoliation helps keep things moving at a more favorable rate, so how about increasing the frequency of your exfoliation game going forward? This can mean anything from once a week to three or four times a week but it depends on your skin so play around to find what works.
Our Vitamin C Gentle Face Scrub is fantastic for gently brightening and exfoliating your skin without drying it out making it ideal for regular use. You could also try our 6% AHA, BHA + PHA Liquid Exfoliant which does without scrubbing particles and instead uses gentle skin acids to slough away dead cells. Neither are a bad choice. Far from it.
DON’T Ignore Sketchy-Looking Moles
Noticed a change in a mole? Get. It. Checked. Out. Moles that change in color, shape, texture or just start to feel or look wrong should always be immediately looked at by a qualified expert to rule out serious concerns such as melanoma. The chances are your mole is totally fine or, at least, can be treated quickly and painlessly, but it’s better to be on top of them.
The Easiest (But Most Effective!) New Year Skin Goals
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