5 Ways to Keep Your Skin Glowing During the Holidays

Holidays are one of the most joyful… and stressful times of the year. Somewhere between the spiked eggnog and late night Christmas movies we forget to take care of what truly matters; our skin. Taking care of your skin during the holidays may seem like just another task on the list of dozens of things to get done, but neglecting your skin can cause dryness, irritation and even lead to breakouts! Talk about the worst Christmas or Hanukkah gift ever! Here are 5 easy ways to keep your skin happy and healthy this holiday season, enjoy!

1. Drink More Water

Put down the wine for a minute and pour yourself a nice glass of WATER. Yes, you heard me. Drinking alcohol not only dehydrates you, but also has hidden sugars that can trigger inflammation throughout the body and lead to annoying breakouts or rashes. Just remember; for every 8 oz of alcohol, drink 16 oz of water to compensate and keep your glow on!

2. Get Some Major Zzzz

I know you have a ton of stuff to do; gift wrapping, baking, and decorating doesn’t happen overnight! Just make sure to get the proper amount of sleep in between. The average person requires anywhere from 6 to 8 hours of sleep per night to maintain proper cognitive function and cell restoration. This is crucial for skin because during REM sleep your skin begins its regenerative phase which helps to replace old cells with new cells.

3. Use a Silk Pillowcase

If you don’t already have one, put it on your Christmas list! Transepidermal water loss is when your skin can no longer hold in the moisture it is needed to maintain a proper barrier between your skin and the environment. What that means is when you’re sleeping, things like a traditional cotton pillowcases absorb the moisture from your skin, leaving you waking up to dry and itchy skin. Not to mention the amount of oil it absorbs from your hair and can transfer to your skin. Using an all-natural silk pillowcase can solve this problem and not only improve the health of your skin but also the health of your hair!

4. Exfoliate + Mask = Match Made in Heaven

Exfoliation is one of the best ways to slough off dead cells that are sitting on the surface of your skin. Using a gentle scrub, or salicylic, glycolic, or lactic acid 1-3 times weekly can dramatically improve the texture and tone of your skin. With the removal of dead skin cells on the surface, products are able to penetrate deeper to feed your skin the vitamins and nutrients it needs. Follow up with a revitalizing or hydrating mask after exfoliation and watch all your holiday woes disappear. Be careful to only use a charcoal or clay mask in areas you produce more oil (T-Zone) to prevent over drying the skin.

5. Cocktail Your Products

During the holiday season, many people suffer from abnormally dry skin due to the weather change. If you are one of those lucky people, a great way to combat dry skin is to mix a hyaluronic acid serum or facial oil into your moisturizer. What this does is increase the weight of your moisturizer without adding too many layers of product. This will insure your skin gets the hydration and moisture it needs without clogging your pores. Also a great way to turn any moisturizer into an overnight cream instantly!

Have a happy holiday & glowing New Year!

Xoxo

Georgia Hathaway

Medical Aesthetician