True Radical Honesty From Our Community

Always figured that dry skin and dehydrated skin were one and the same? Easy mistake. But one that can totally ruin your skin’s mojo…

Skin types, nuances, niggles and concerns are easy to get in a jumble. Because we’re all human, after all. But the problem is if you don’t understand the skin type or condition you’re dealing with, how are you supposed to, well, deal with it?

Dry and dehydrated skin are classic cases in point. If you look at the words ‘dry’ and ‘dehydrated’ it’s easy to see why they appear to be the same things. But on the contrary: dry and dehydrated skin are their own individual beasts and they sometimes need to be dealt with quite differently.

Here’s what we know…

What Is Dry Skin?

Just like oily, normal or combination skin, dry skin is the type you were born with. Sure, it can change slightly over the years as your skin ages and matures, but your skin type is your skin type. End of story.

Skin types are all based on one thing: sebum. Sebum is a complex mix of oils and lipids that’s produced by your skin’s sebaceous glands. Still with us? Good because sebum is super important for the health of your skin. It not only locks in moisture to keep your complexion soft and supple, but it also helps protects your skin from external aggressors like pollution, UV radiation and toxins. As we said, super important.

Everybody’s skin is different and produces sebum at its own individual rate. And this is all determined by your genes. If your skin is fairly balanced then you have that elusive normal skin. Jealous, much? If your sebaceous glands are crazy-active and produce more sebum than your skin needs, you have oily skin. Maybe yours produces more in certain areas (the infamous t-zone) than others? Then it’s known as combination skin.

And, then there’s dry skin which is lacking in sebum thanks to having fewer sebaceous glands and therefore less available sebum to nourish, moisturize and protect your skin.

How To Tell If You Have Dry Skin

Dry skin can occur anywhere on your face and body, and it often feels tight, itchy and uncomfortable. It may also be prone to flaking or cracking and feels kind of rough when you run your fingers over the surface. More fun news: dry skin often gets worse thanks to things like extreme weather conditions, emotional stress, certains meds, poor skincare choices and, surprise, surprise, the aging process.

3 Tips For Dry Skin

You can’t change the skin you were born with, but you can offer dry skin help when help is definitely needed. Here’s how…

1. Make Moisturizer The Biggest Deal Ever

Moisturizers that are rich in occlusive ingredients are the best bet for dry skin. Occlusives and emollients help seal cracks on the skin's surface, and they add a protective layer over your barrier function, making up for the lack of sebum your skin naturally produces.

Look out for rich creams that contain ingredients like cocoa butter, shea butter, jojoba oil and coconut oil. And moisturize after EVERY cleanse. No arguments. A great choice for you? Our Vitamin C Deep Hydration Night Cream which is packed with botanical oils and cocoa butter.

2. Avoid Alcohol

In your skincare that is, not in your glass.

Cetyl and stearyl alcohols are totally fine, but certain alcohols like isopropyl alcohol and alcohol denat are extremely drying on your skin, stripping away sebum (which you don’t have enough of in the first place!) and seriously upsetting your barrier function. Cleansers, in particular often contain nasty alcohols but avoid them at all costs. Choose our NEW Soothing Cleansing Milk instead. No regrets.

3. Be Gentle With Actives

Vitamin C, retinol, glycolic acid and salicylic acid are all great but if you have seriously dry skin, you need to be careful not to overload your skin with powerful ingredients that have the potential to strip away what oils your skin does – or in your case, does not – have.

Niacinamide is a great alternative antioxidant for dry, sensitive skin. You could also try our Vitamin C Facial Serum (after patch testing first, of course). This awesome serum contains sodium ascorbyl phosphate (SAP), a much gentler form of vitamin C.

What Is Dehydrated Skin?

In the opposite corner, we have dehydrated skin which first up, is NOT a skin type, but a condition – normally a temporary one. Small mercies, right?

Dehydrated skin has nothing to do with your skin’s level of sebum, but is all about its water content. Healthy skin should contain around 64 percent water to maintain optimum elasticity, strength, volume and moisturization. And your skin has a very smart protective layer called its barrier function, which helps keep all this moisture in. When your barrier function becomes compromised, however, thanks to harsh cleansing, over-exfoliation, poor sleep, a cruddy diet or a lack of moisturization, moisture starts to escape more than it should. And therein lies the perfect recipe for dehydrated skin.

How To Tell If You Have Dehydrated Skin

No matter if your skin is oily, combination, dry or normal, it can still be dehydrated. Dehydration may feel tight like dry skin, but if it feels both oily and dry at the same time, chances are it’s actually dehydrated, rather than dry.

Dehydration will make your skin look duller than normal and any fine lines or wrinkles will appear more prominent thanks to the lack of water keeping your skin full and healthy-looking. You may also notice dark circles around your eyes or more frequent breakouts. Joy.

3 Tips For Dehydrated Skin

Dehydrated skin still requires gentle moisturization to help seal in water but there are a few extra things to also bear in mind…

1. Go Big On Humectants

Humectants are to dehydrated skin what jelly is to PB – priceless. Humectants are skincare ingredients that work like water magnets, luring it to your skin’s surface to seriously increase your skin’s moisture content.

Hyaluronic acid is the obvious show-stopper, but glycerin and aloe vera are also seriously good. Try our Hyaluronic Acid Facial Serum before moisturizing day and night and take it one step further with Hyaluronic Acid Eye Cream to help deal with dehydration around the eye area at the same time.

2. Exfoliate, But Be Kind

Dehydration and dull skin often go hand-in-hand so make sure your skin is turning over efficiently – because it’s super important. Gently exfoliate with a facial scrub once or twice a week, or try Ocean Minerals Super Toner daily. This toning treatment contains glycolic acid, an effective alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) that dissolves the ‘glue’ which binds dead skin cells together at the skin’s surface. By doing so, this helps your skin renew and revitalize itself quicker and, well, much better.

3. Avoid Hot Showers

Long, scorching showers are very dehydrating for your poor skin. Hot water breaks down your barrier function, stripping away essential moisture AND sebum which can encourage dryness as well as dehydration. Very uncool. Ha, literally.

Stick to lukewarm showers and always moisturize after getting your skin wet – preferably while your skin is still damp to seal in as much moisture as possible.

From brightening serums and powerful moisturizers to the obligatory sunscreen, here’s everything your skincare routine needs to deal with hyperpigmentation, aka pesky dark spots.

Dark spots get all of us eventually. And whether yours are thanks to teenage acne, more recent hormonal changes, years of sun damage or even skin trauma, one thing’s for sure, dark spots get right under your skin.

While they’re rarely harmful to your health, dark spots, aka hyperpigmentation, appear when your skin produces too much melanin – the pigment that gives your skin, hair and eyes their color. Many factors can trigger an erratic overproduction of melanin but the three main causes are: hormonal changes such as those during pregnancy or the menopause; some kind of skin trauma (bites, burns, acne spots etc.) that didn't heal properly, or the thing we like to quite rightly blame for almost everything, the sun. Certain medications can also create dark, patchy areas on your skin, as can existing conditions like eczema and psoriasis.

So, what can you do to, first off, prevent dark spots for forming in the first place, and secondly help fade the ones you’ve already been lumbered with?

Keep scrolling for the most important products to have up your skincare sleeve.

The Absolute Must: Sunscreen

Of course, like most things in life, prevention is better (read: easier!) than cure. Granted, not all dark spots are caused by the sun, but here’s the thing. Whatever the cause of your dark spots, the sun will make them ten times worse because your skin can’t help but naturally produce melanin when it’s exposed to UV rays. Sometimes, melanin production is smooth and even and you tan, but other times it becomes erratic, uneven and melanin clumps together forming dark, patchy areas on your skin.

It makes sense, therefore, that all skincare experts, including the American Academy of Dermatology agree that your first line of defense against dark spots should be to protect your skin from the sun’s damaging rays in the first place. Stay out of the midday sun, and wear wide-brimmed hats, sunglasses and protective, long-sleeved clothing. And, of course, wear sunscreen. Every day. Not only is a broad-spectrum sunscreen the number one way to prevent dark spots, but it can also help to clear or minimize existing ones as an added bonus.

Try: SPF 30 Mineral Sunscreen with Vitamin C

The Skin Reviver: Exfoliator

Products that exfoliate your skin are the cat’s whiskers for helping to treat dark spots as they help remove dead skin cells from the surface of your skin while improving cellular turnover. But exfoliation isn’t a one-fits-all. In fact, there are two very different ways to exfoliate your skin: chemical and physical exfoliation.

Physical exfoliation is the obvious type that requires a little bit of physical force to work. Think scrubs, loofahs, facial mitts and cleansing brushes. Chemical exfoliation, on the other hand, requires no physical action but instead uses certain ingredients like glycolic, lactic and salicylic acid to dissolve the bonds between the dead skin cells so they shed quicker and more efficiently.

Both types of exfoliation work pretty darn well, so it's really a matter of personal choice. Just remember, go gently and stick to maybe two or three times a week depending on your skin type.

Try: Ocean Minerals Super Toner

The Brightening Superhero: Vitamin C

Antioxidants are an awesome way to ward off the damaging effects of the sun (dark spots, wrinkles, the whole shebang!) because they help neutralize free radicals which form in your skin when it’s exposed to UV radiation.

One of the best and most clinically-proven of the antioxidant powerhouses is vitamin C – specifically when it comes to preventing and fading dark spots. Vitamin C not only gets to work on those aforementioned free radical villains to help reduce oxidative stress and keep your skin healthy, but it’s also been shown to inhibit the production of melanin by decreasing an enzyme in your skin called tyrosinase. And as an extra side? Vitamin C also has impressive anti-inflammatory properties which is key in the fight against dark spots. How so? Because dark spots are often the result of… yes, you guessed it… inflammation.

Triple-action brightening effects right there? You’d better believe it.

If you’re not sure how to include vitamin C in your skincare routine, we believe the best type is sodium ascorbyl phosphate, or SAP to its buddies. SAP is the less potent, but more stable version of pure l-ascorbic acid. This makes it a) way more tolerable for all skin types and b) more longer-lasting since it doesn’t break down and lose efficacy when exposed to light and air. Winner!

Try: Super C Duo with Vitamin C Super Serum+ and Vitamin C Brightening Moisturizer

The Gold-Star Of Skin Renewal: Retinol

Short of doing the washing up and taking the kids to school, there’s very little retinol can’t do. OK, so we exaggerate, but you get the idea of just what an awesome skincare ingredient retinol is, right?

A type of vitamin A, retinol is well-known for its anti-aging and acne-fighting skills, but it’s also a strong contender in the battle against unwanted dark spots. For one thing, retinol stimulates the production of collagen and elastin which improves everything from elasticity and strength to tone, texture and radiance. It also has similar effects to exfoliation in that it accelerates cell renewal, forcing all those dead surface skin cells to beat it.

Retinol is a powerful beast, however, so there are a few important things to remember when introducing it into your regime for the first time.

1. Always do a patch test. No arguments.

2. Introduce retinol slowly, starting with two or three times a week max.

3. Give it a few weeks, then if your skin is behaving OK, up your frequency to four or five times a week.

4. Repeat until you’re applying it nightly.

5. Skin feeling unnecessarily dry, red, itchy or irritated? Then reduce your usage again until your skin acclimates.

6. Be patient. The effects of retinol take time, so don’t expect miracles overnight. You’ll likely need to wait a few months for the best results. But it'll be worth it, promise.

 Try: Retinol Facial Serum

Looking after your skin is important, for sure. But do you really want to put your skin above our world’s precious oceans? Thought not. So here’s how to upgrade your beauty habits to ensure both you and our oceans are well taken care of…

Thanks to social awareness and a greater need to do good, making eco-friendly shopping choices has become quite the norm for many of us. From opting for more natural ingredients in things like laundry detergent and facial moisturizer, to investing in minimal packaging and recycling as much as possible, it’s clear that we’re way more environmentally aware than we were ten years ago. And we love that.

When it comes to our precious oceans, however, there’s so much more we can do to stop poisoning our waters and everything that lives in them. Did you know, for example, that there’s an entire ‘island’ of trash in the middle of the North Pacific called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch? If that sounds awful…well… it’s because it is. Truth is, this so-called patch contains more than 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic and is double the size of Texas. Pretty scary, right?

So, here are four ways to improve your beauty habits to ensure you’re doing your bit.

Reduce Your Single-Use Plastics

Plastic is absolute hell on earth with over two-thirds of all plastic waste ending up either in landfills or in our oceans. Want to hear a really scary fact? OK, get this: it’s believed that by around 2050 there could be more plastic in the ocean than fish.

Frightening right? This is why limiting your plastic purchasing is really, like REALLY important.

Living a completely plastic-free life is not easy, we get that, but there are many ways you can reduce your usage. For starters, think about switching up your laundry detergent, toilet paper and household detergents to plastic-free alternatives. Check out companies like Dropps, Who Gives A Crap and Net Zero Co for some awesome options.

And when it comes to your beauty products? Look out for glass bottles like our facial serums which are easily recycled, and switch to plastic-free deodorants and solid bar shampoos, conditioners and body washes.

Stick With Reef-Safe SPF

Reducing plastic waste is obviously one of the most important factors we need to get to grips with. But it doesn’t stop there. Your choice of sunscreen is also pretty major.

According to the National Park Service, somewhere between 4,000 and 6,000 tons of sunscreen gets left in the oceans every year. And this causes a significant threat to coral reefs and marine life.

Of course, abolishing the use of sunscreen altogether is crazy talk. Because skin cancer. Plus aging, wrinkles, dark spots and so on. What you can do, however, is ensure you’re making good formulation choices. And the most important thing you can do is to avoid oxybenzone and octinoxate.

Already banned in Hawaii, parts of Mexico and Key West, oxybenzone and octinoxate have been shown to negatively impact coral by causing bleaching, damage to DNA and eventual death. Coral reefs are hugely important to the world as they provide a balanced ecosystem for marine life to thrive while protecting coastal areas from powerful waves and the consequent effects of potentially damaging storms and flooding. We must, therefore, try harder to look after them.

Instead of chemical sunscreens containing oxybenzone and/or octinoxate, protect your skin and the oceans by using reef-safe mineral sunscreens. How to do this? Easy. Look for formulations like our SPF 30 Mineral Sunscreen with Vitamin C which uses non-nano zinc oxide to shield your skin from damaging UV radiation. Zinc oxide is much easier on the oceans. And way better for your conscience.

Ditch Those Dastardly Wipes

Why, oh why were disposable facial cleansing wipes ever invented? Sure, they can be convenient but, honestly, they don’t even do that great a job. Not only are they pretty poor when it comes to cleaning your skin and removing makeup, but most wipes contain chemicals and, worse yet, plastic fibers which never go away. Instead they slowly break down into smaller particles, sitting in landfills, polluting rivers and eventually ending up in our oceans.

Even wipes that claim to be biodegradable, often break down so slowly, they’re nothing more than a con.

Say no to disposable wipes and clean your face twice daily with a ‘proper’ cleanser like Vitamin C Brightening Cleanser, using either your hands or an organic cotton cloth to help boost circulation, gently exfoliate and massage your skin.

Say No To Potentially Harmful Ingredients

According to the Environmental Working Group, the average woman uses 12 personal care products a day, which equates to around 168 chemical ingredients. Now, don’t get us wrong, some chemical ingredients are pretty harmless, but very effective – think retinol, vitamin C, niacinamide and friends. However, there are some dark destroyers we believe you should steer clear of. Not only for the sake of your oceans, but for your own health as well.

Parabens, for starters, may well be powerful preservatives that stop harmful things like bacteria, mold and fungi from ruining your beauty products but, like chemical sunscreens, they’ve also been linked to the deterioration of coral reefs. In fact, certain studies have detected parabens in surface waters, fish and sediments and shown that even the lowest levels of butylparaben – one of the most commonly used parabens in cosmetics – can cause significant harm and even death.

Synthetic fragrances, sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), and phthalates are also thought to play their part in unnecessarily polluting our oceans, accumulating in marine life where they slowly making their way up the food chain. Which is kinda scary if you ask us.

The good news is we care about our oceans just as much as you do, so we avoid these potentially nasty ingredients across all of our products.

Let’s all try to be better by doing what we can to be more ocean-friendly, shall we? After all, every little bit counts.
 

Because acne comes in many shapes and sizes and it’s important you know what you’re dealing with…

As the most common and widespread skin condition in the world, acne sure is a pain in the butt. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, it not only affects up to 50 million Americans every year but, as any woman going through menopausal acne right now, it can strike at any time.

Sigh.

The most problematic thing about acne is that it’s not a one-size-fits-all. There are all manner of medically termed types including acne mechanica, that pesky little business caused by friction and repeated pressure against the skin (hello ‘maskne’) and acne conglobata, a rare but very severe form that results in deep, interconnecting abscesses on the body.

However, the most common type that you know (and most definitely DO NOT love) is the mighty acne vulgaris. 

But that’s not all, because acne vulgaris also comes in many different guises, each of which have their own ‘quirks’ shall we call them. They all fit into one of two camps, however – inflammatory and noninflammatory acne. And here’s what you need to know about dealing with both…

Noninflammatory Acne

Undoubtedly the lesser of the two evils, noninflammatory acne encompasses all the stuff that’s, well, not inflamed. We're talking the non-red, hot or super painful acne spots – namely blackheads and whiteheads.

Most commonly found on oily parts of the face like your nose, chin and forehead, as well as the chest and back, blackheads and whiteheads are known medically as comedones. They occur when an excess of sebum and dead skin cells get trapped in tiny hair follicles just below the surface of your skin, clogging your pores and forming tiny bumps.

The difference between blackheads and whiteheads – other than their color (dur!) – is that whiteheads remain closed at the surface of your skin, whereas blackheads are open at the surface so all those dead skin cells and sebum get exposed to the air. So what? Well, when this happens, they oxidize and darken. Public service announcement: blackheads are not dark because they’re clogged with dirt, they’re just full of oxidized skin cells and sebum. Yeah, we know that doesn’t make them sound much better, but still, it’s worth knowing.

Why do some people get blackheads and whiteheads while others don’t? Well, contrary to popular belief, they’re not caused by poor hygiene but, like all types of acne vulgaris, are exclusively down to overactive sebaceous glands. Genetics plays a major role in how much sebum your skin produces, but things like your hormones, skincare and haircare regime, medications and stress all have their part to play.

Inflammatory Acne

Unlike blackheads and whiteheads that, granted, are frustrating and unsightly but are relatively painless, inflammatory acne is where the big guns, aka bacteria get involved.

Inflammatory acne includes those pimples that have become inflamed thanks to bacteria mixing with dead skin cells and sebum. See, it’s not that complicated really! And by ‘inflamed’ we mean any kind of pimple that looks red, feels hot or sensitive to the touch, or is downright painful.

This type of pimple can be split into four different types:

1. Papules: the smallest and least angry of the pimple gang.
2. Pustules: the gross-looking ones that are filled with pus.
3. Nodules: large, hard, tender bumps that hurt like hell.
4. Cysts: even larger bumps that are filled with pus and look like boils.

The specific bacteria involved in inflammatory acne is called cutibacterium acne or c.acnes which is actually a very important component in your skin’s microbiome – a balanced group of microorganisms that reside on your skin to keep it balanced, healthy and protected from the outside world.

What makes c.acnes go awry and hence contribute to inflammatory acne is very complex and still not entirely understood, but all you need to know is this – over-sanitizing with harsh cleansers upsets the balance of our microbiome so, while it might be tempting don’t go down that road. Also, a cruddy diet and sluggish lifestyle are all said to contribute to an unbalanced microbiome so look after yourself and your skin should thank you – as least in part, anyway!

It's also worth noting that noninflammatory acne can turn into inflammatory acne if it’s left untreated. So, on that note…

Your Best Line Of Defense Against Inflammatory & Noninflammatory Acne

Severe acne should always be left to the professionals so if you have issues with seriously inflamed cysts and nodules (aka nodulcystic acne), seek treatment from a dermatologist quick smart to avoid potential scarring.

If, however, your breakouts are mild to moderate, there are many things you can do at home to help improve your acne.

1. Remove Surface Debris With Regular Exfoliation

Encouraging cell turnover is super important to stop all those dead skin cells from getting ‘stuck’ in your pores, and the most recommended course of action is some kind of salicylic acid treatment. Unlike facial scrubs which are great but can be irritating for acne-prone skin, salicylic acid works by dissolving the bonds between skin cells which helps them slough away quicker and easier. Salicylic acid also cuts through sebum and has anti-bacterial properties, so it’s a great choice for oily, problematic skin.

Try our Vitamin C Super Serum+ which combines salicylic acid with hydrating hyaluronic acid and niacinamide to help tackle redness and irritation.

2. Treat Breakouts With Tea Tree Oil

Hands down one of our favorite ingredients for acne-prone skin is tea tree oil. Sure benzoyl peroxide is great, but it can a) bleach your pillowcase and b) totally dry out your skin. Tea tree oil, on the other hand, is a natural, kinder alternative that’s anti-inflammatory and has antimicrobial properties to help kill unwanted bacteria. What’s not to love? Get your hands on our Tea Tree Super Cleanser+ to see for yourselves just what it can do.

3. Mix Up A Baking Soda Face Mask

Full disclosure: we’re not massive fans of using kitchen ingredients to treat your skin. Because there’s so much that can go wrong. However, a small teaspoon of baking soda, mixed with one or two tablespoons of warm water and applied to your skin for five to 10 minutes is a great way to help balance your skin’s pH levels and loosen blackheads and whiteheads.

Baking soda can be mildly irritating, however, so try this just once a month, never use more than a teaspoon and always follow with moisturizer like Vitamin C Brightening Moisturizer.

4. Try Some Overnight Retinol

Retinol is a master at helping to keep acne of all shapes and sizes under control because it boosts cellular turnover to promote healthier pores and a smoother complexion. It also gets right under your skin, stimulating collagen and elastin production to help strengthen your pores and reduce your chances of scarring.

We love that for you.

Try our Retinol Facial Serum two or three times a week before bed, and on off nights, apply Retinol Moisturizer. You could even layer them both if your skin tolerates retinol well. Not sure about using retinol for the first time? Then we always recommend patch testing it first, then introducing it slowly into your nighttime skincare routine.

5. Avoid Pore-Clogging Skincare & Makeup

Finally, and super importantly, avoid using anything on your skin that will congregate in your pores and therefore add to any build-up. Heavy, occlusive ingredients like paraffin, mineral oils, cocoa butter, beeswax and coconut oil are all major no-nos, but when in doubt, look for the term ‘non-comedogenic’ on your product labels which means it’s less likely to block your pores.

Also, harsh sulphates, parabens and drying alcohols should be given a wide berth as they can irritate your skin. And, as we’re sure you’re aware, inflammation and irritation is a terrible combination.

Building up a sweat is awesome. But sticky skin, blocked pores and post-workout breakouts? Not so much. Here’s how to get ahead of that…

Working out can sometimes feel like a real chore but the benefits far outweigh any downsides like feeling totally beat, sweaty and out of breath. In fact, according to the World Health Organization, regular physical activity not only improves your bones and muscles, but may help reduce your risks of all types of health-related problems such as depression, cancer, diabetes and coronary heart disease.

Exercise has also been proven to be pretty darn great for your skin. We’re talking improved sleep, less emotional anxiety and way better skin thanks to those feel-good endorphins you get during and after exercise. And of course, there’s that immediate post-workout glow we all know and love which is all down to increased blood flow to your skin and the complexion-loving oxygen and nutrients that come with it.

Exercise, however, can also have its downsides when it comes to the look, feel and health of your skin. Which is why, as always, preparation is key! Read on for our top dos and don’ts for staying ahead of the game…

BEFORE WORKING OUT...

1. DON’T Worry About Having Super Clean Skin

Most people think you should only ever exercise with squeaky clean, makeup-free skin, but that’s not strictly true. In fact, cleansing your skin too often can compromise your barrier function, causing dryness, dehydration and maybe even a little irritation if you're not super careful. This means it’s no biggie if you want to work out straight after work but can’t be bothered to cleanse your face first.

However, if you’re a heavy makeup wearer, you might want to rethink this rule. A face full of heavy makeup – especially oil-based products that aren’t non-comedogenic – could clog your pores and cause sweat, oil and bacteria to build. up. Not ideal. Especially if you’re prone to breakouts. For you, we recommend removing your makeup first with an oil-based remover.

2. DO Avoid Heavy Moisturizers

Tempted to moisturize before building up a sweat? Yeah... about that. Heavy moisturizers usually contain occlusive ingredients like cocoa butter and coconut oil which are awesome at trapping in essential moisture for softer, more hydrated skin. When it comes to exercising, however, they’re majorly bad news.

How so? Well, anything that creates a barrier on the skin’s surface prevents you from sweating – an essential bodily function that helps cool you down and balance your internal body temperature. Not only that, but occlusive moisturizers work hard to trap everything but the kitchen sink in those precious pores of yours. Avoid them like the plague before any gym or training sesh.

3. Do Apply Sunscreen If You’re Working Out Outside

The one thing you really DO want on your skin if you’re exercising outside? Sunscreen. Preferably one that’s at least SPF 30, recommends the American Academy of Dermatology.

Sure, the sun makes us all feel happier and healthier but it’s hella bad for your precious skin, creating an abundance of collagen-damaging free radicals and being the number one cause of premature aging.

Also: skin cancer. Very serious business.

Always apply a good layer of broad-spectrum sunscreen (this means it protects you from both UVA and UVB radiation) before working out. Our SPF 30 Mineral Sunscreen is perfect because it combines free radical-busting vitamin C with zinc oxide to further protect your skin from harm.

AFTER WORKING OUT...

1. DO Ditch Your Workout Clothes ASAP

Tight clothing is great for working out, but it’s not particularly ‘breathable’ and can trap sweat, oils and bacteria next to your skin. Couple this will all that friction that’s caused by tight clothes rubbing against your skin and you could have a real problem on your hands in the form of irritation and body breakouts.

Remove your sweaty, workout gear straight away and you’ll be fine.

2. DO Cleanse Straight Away

Cleansing your skin before working out might not be imperative, but doing it afterwards is a whole different story. After building up a sweat you absolutely must thoroughly cleanse your skin to do away with all that oil, grime and debris. Otherwise they’ll rest in your pores and cause absolute mayhem.

Wash your face immediately after working out with a gentle but effective cleanser that helps balance your skin and detox your pores. We love Charcoal Clarifying Cleanser which contains activated coconut charcoal to mop up excess oils and sweat, plus anti-bacterial ylang ylang oil to purify your post-workout skin.

And don’t forget your body, either. In fact, to hell with it – jump in that shower and give yourself some major cleansing love from head to toe.

3. DON’T Go Big On Exfoliation

Sure, it’s tempting to have a good old exfoliation sesh after exercising to scrub away all that dirt and grime, but you’re better off leaving this for another time. And the reason is simple. Post-workout skin is especially delicate so it needs to be dealt with carefully.

You could try Ocean Minerals Super Toner for a gentle, exfoliating freshen up, though. This toning spray contains glycolic acid, a chemical exfoliator that helps dissolve the glue between dead skin cells, encouraging them to slough off. It’ll also help cool and hydrate your skin as an extra side benefit.

4. DO Try A Refreshing Cool Rinse

Speaking of cooling down, a quick blast of cool (although not too chilly!) water at the end of your cleanse or shower is an awesome way to counteract all that heat energy caused by physical exercise. This will help calm your skin, reduce redness and decrease any chances of inflammation.

Love that for you.

Stress = irritation, which is one of the worst things for your skin. Let’s see what we can do to help turn stressed skin into your best skin ever.

Your skin is the largest organ in your body, so it’s no wonder what you see on the outside reflects exactly what’s going on inside. When you’re rested and bursting with energy, for example, your skin often reflects that. And, ps, can we have a group hug for those rare but joyous days, please?!

Similarly, when you’re super tired, anxious and emotionally drained, your skin is likely to react in the same way, looking dull, feeling rough and, frankly, being a bit of a stressed mess.

But why does stress and emotional anxiety affect the skin in such a major way? Well, when you feel stressed about something, your brain prepares your body to go into fight or flight mode. In doing so, your nervous system releases hormones like cortisol and adrenaline into the bloodstream which nudges your heart to beat faster, your breath to speed up and your muscles to tense up. All this is great in short-lived stressful situations like job interviews or when dealing with a threat or emergency. But when stress becomes more the norm than a rarity, these hormones go into constant overdrive and things start to go awry. Headaches and nausea can kick in, your digestive system becomes compromised and, in extremely chronic cases, you may even increase your risk of a heart attack or stroke.

And then there’s your skin.

Various studies show that both acute (temporary) and chronic (consistent) stress create negative effects on the health of your skin. For starters, spikes in cortisol increase inflammation and cause your sebaceous glands to go wild, encouraging them to produce way too much oil than your skin really needs (cue breakouts!). An overload of cortisol also breaks down vital collagen supplies, decreases hydrating hyaluronic acid, upsets the balance of your skin’s barrier function and messes up its pH levels. All of these things equal bad news for the health of your skin, resulting in any number of skin annoyances such as blocked pores, acne, dehydration, irritation and flare-ups in existing conditions like rosacea, psoriasis or eczema.

And the worst thing of all? Cruddy, stress-induced skin is, well, stressful in itself. Which doesn’t help your emotional well-being one tiny bit. Sigh.

The good news is there are many ways to improve our skin when stress is hitting you hard. To follow, seven of our tried and tested favorites…

1. De-Stress With A Journal

Before you start working on your skin, you need to concentrate on your entire health and well-being. And the best way to do this? Make a note of any habits or experiences that make you stressed or uneasy. Write down how they made you feel, how you reacted to them and what, if anything, you did to make yourself feel better. This allows you to notice themes or patterns in your stress levels, as well as ways to improve your mood and help you relax. 

2. Sleep like A Queen

Like all skin experts, we’re big believers in the power of a great night’s sleep. In terms of stress, this is because cortisol levels dramatically drop when you’re asleep. So, if you deprive yourself of valuable zzzs your skin misses out on this important time of repair and rejuvenation during which collagen production accelerates, cell turnover speeds up, blood flow increases, muscles relax and antioxidants kick in to repair damage caused during the day.

The Mayo Clinic recommends at least seven hours of quality sleep every night but the most important thing is to go to bed and get up at roughly the same time to get into a good routine. Ensure your bedroom is dark, quiet, not too warm and limit caffeine, food and your smartphone for at least two hours before you hit the sack.

3. Dial Down Your Actives

Active ingredients like retinol, vitamin C and glycolic acid are all well and good when your skin’s barrier function is working like clockwork. But when stress upsets its delicate nature, your skin’s ability to heal and repair itself becomes compromised. This is when an overload of actives can be too much for your skin to deal with. Cut back for a while and allow your barrier function to rebuild itself. If you usually exfoliate every other day, for example, switch to once or twice a week. Love to apply your Retinol Facial Serum every night? Reduce this to every other night for a short period of time, or try alternating it with our soothing Niacinamide Facial Serum which is perfect for sensitized skin.

Trust us, giving your skin a break is super important during times of stress.

4. Avoid ‘Triggering’ Skincare Ingredients

We recommend avoiding the most common skincare nasties ALL of the time, but it’s even more important during times of emotional and mental stress when your barrier function might not be working to the best of its abilities.

Keep your routine straightforward, simple and steer clear of sulfates, in particular, which are excellent at cleansing, but can exacerbate dryness, itching, redness and breakouts – especially if your skin is feeling stressed out.  

Gentle cleansers that contain non-drying surfactants like disodium lauryl sulfosuccinate and disodium 2-sulfolaurate are a far better choice and ideal for sensitized skin. Try our Vitamin C Brightening Cleanser which also contains nourishing rose hip oil to help reduce inflammation and redness.

5. Save New Skincare Products For Another Time

Sure, we all love to try out a brand new product every now and again but now’s not the time to introduce a newbie to your daily routine. Stressed skin is more reactive which means ingredients that usually feel great may bother you more than normal.

Stick to what you know for now and save the new stuff for later.

6. Enjoy A Cup Of Tea

Research shows that drinking black tea helps lower the levels of cortisol in your bloodstream, making you feel more relaxed and positive. It’s even been suggested that the simple act of making tea alone is enough to help soothe stress and anxiety. 

The reason black (as well as green) tea is thought to be such a mood booster is mainly down to l-theanine, an amino acid that helps promotes relaxation, counteracts anxiety, reduces fatigue and supports thinking.

7. Finally, Give Yourself A Break

Everyone goes through stressful periods in their lives and it’s perfectly normal for things to get on top of you every now and again. But try not to allow your stress to get the better of you as this will result in a vicious circle for both your health and your skin – and that can be hard to shake off. Practice deep breathing throughout the day to center yourself, go for a quick walk to clear your head, or read a book for ten minutes in the afternoon to take your mind off things.

These healthy habits are awesome for lifting your emotional health and maintaining stronger, radiant skin. Period.