Glowing skin is not a myth, rather a reality that highlights the extra care you took for yourself. Eating right and following all the healthy habits naturally makes one’s outer appearance radiant. But due to our hectic lifestyles, we tend to indulge in unhealthy habits or ignoring a minimal care routine for our skin. The result of an unhealthy lifestyle are signs of early aging, breakouts, acne, pimples, uneven skin tone, dark circles, and whatnot. Then these ugly signs of ‘not caring about your skin’ start showing up, and you try to always cover it up with lots of makeup. Point to be noted is that using a lot of makeup tends to make your skin more parched and unless you have a healthy undertone, everyday makeup also doesn’t do justice to make you look flawless. And let’s face it on weekdays – no one has so much time to apply makeup for half an hour or so – because everyone is in a rush, always. Then comes the easy solution that we feel can help us, i.e., going to a parlor! This seems easy, but we spend a lot of money and a lot of time – that we can utilize to take care of our skin even at home, period!
Everyday skincare for 15-20 mins at home, takes care of your skin like a pro. And you only need a parlor to pamper you once in a while, but not to take unnecessary and expensive skin treatments. As we have established how important is a daily skincare routine, let’s start with how we can take care of our skin and get that summery glow amidst this lockdown. In fact, it is a good time to start developing this habit of falling into a skincare routine every day for 15-20 mins. Let’s see few pointers below that I include in my skincare and that surely gives me results (will list out homemade skincare products as well as retail products):
Wash your face with a face wash at least two times everyday
Washing your face with a face wash every day is a must. It helps your skin to remain clear from impurities, dirt, oil, pollution, etc. It is good to wash your face twice each day, preferably morning (when you get up) and evening (post your work when you come back home). Using mild face wash is always a better option because it is gentle on your skin as well as it makes you feel fresh and gives you clear skin without drying out your skin much. The best exfoliator for your skin at home is gram flour (a.k.a besan in India) or even simple wheat flour.
How to use it: Take a teaspoon of gram flour or wheat flour in your palm. Mix it with 3-4 drops of honey (if you cannot then rose water or plain water will do as well) and apply on your face and neck. Scrub it in circular motions in an outward direction. Avoid the eye area (as it is sensitive). Continue this for 2-3 mins and then wash with tap water. Voila! Clear skin knocks your door after a day of hard work and exposing your skin to the sun, pollution, etc.
I would also like to highlight few products that can be bought online as well as in shops: Neutrogena deep clean face wash, Simple’s moisturizing face wash, mamaearth charcoal face wash are few of my favorites.
Tone your face everyday
Always tone your skin after you wash your face in the night. The best toner to me is hands-down rose water. Every Indian household has that and any rose water on your face does that magic. You can also use apple cider vinegar mixed with water (both equal parts) and use a cotton to dab on your face. Aloe Vera and cucumber mix also is a great toner for your skin (especially in summer). Rinse your face after applying toner with cold water (else tap water also is fine). In times of emergency when you don’t have any of the above natural toners, the most useful is applying an ice cube on your face. This helps in tightening the pores and restores your skin’s pH balance.
Few products that you can buy online for toner: Kama pure rose water, Biotique cucumber pore tightening toner
Moisturize your skin everyday
Applying moisturizer to your skin twice every day is recommended highly. Even if you are an oily skin person, moisturizing is a must before you apply sunscreen and makeup. In dire need of moisturizer when I replenish the stock of my retail products (times like now!), I use this homemade moisturizer that comes very handy. You should try this and bottle it at home – 2-3 apples, 1-2 teaspoon of olive oil and 4-5 tbsp rose water. You should cut the apples (removing the seeds), blend it with olive oil. When you have a smooth fine mix, simmer it in a pan. After removing it from the pan, allow it to cool down a bit and then mix the rosewater. This is the best moisturizer to give you a silky-smooth skin that feels hydrated and looks healthy all the time. Apples contain Vitamins A, B, and C – all good for healthy skin – revitalizes your skin!
PS: Since no preservatives are used, make a small amount of this moisturizer and consume it in a week or two.
Other retail products that I generally use:
Daytime: Bobbi Brown hydrating face cream, Laniege Water bank moisture cream, Neutrogena oil free moisturizer, Biotique morning nectar
Nightime: Kama rejuvenating and brightening ayurvedic night cream (this is my holy grail), MCaffeine naked detox green tea night gel
Save your skin from the sun! Use a sunscreen (a must)
Post moisturizing you should most definitely use sunscreen before stepping out in the daytime. My personal favorites are Cipla Rivela sunscreen (SPF 50), Lotus Herbals Safe sun 3-in-1 sunblock (SPF 40). It is a tedious process to make sunscreen at home (since you definitely will need zinc oxide powder), it is better to stock up sunscreen. Else, tomato slices on your face help reduce the sunburns on your face, neck or other body parts.
Include an under-eye cream or gel in your nighttime routine
Always include an undereye cream or gel for your nighttime. My favorite product is mamaearth under eye cream with cucumber and caffeine. This product is a holy grail and solves the issue of darker undereye patches. But in a situation when you do not have the product, and cannot go out or order online, do not worry – we have home remedies – for rescue. Simply cut two slices of cucumber or two rose water-soaked cotton pads or two thin slices of potatoes and put on your closed eyes for 5-10 mins before you go to sleep. These also do magic!
This skincare routine will help you solve issues of uneven skin tone, blemishes, dehydrated or patchy skin. Following this simple routine will give you a normal healthy-looking glowing skin that looks summer-ready.
Apart from following this regime, drinking lots of water helps to flush out the toxins, so definitely include that in your daily routine (8-10 glasses of water minimum). Also, include a lot of fruits and veggies in your diet.
Nonetheless, love yourself no matter what and feel beautiful from inside, your skin will naturally glow with the happy hormones. Do not feel deprived of a clear looking healthy skin even during a lockdown / self-isolating situation!
