We’re inching closer and closer to spring, which means we can start saying goodbye to dry, flaky skin and hello to soft, luscious skin. The transition from winter into spring isn’t just about cleaning your house and stripping off those heavy winter clothes, it’s about changing your skin care routine too. Here are some skincare tips you should put into your routine, to save your skin this spring.
Exfoliate & Cleanse
One routine you shouldn’t skip is exfoliation. The transition from winter to spring is a strange one. The weather gets warmer, so your skin begins to adapt to the climate it’s in. This means that you need to remove the old skin from season’s past. From here, you should begin to cleanse, since you’ll need to protect the skin underneath. Nothing’s worse than dry skin! Emma Reid, founder of Musq Cosmetics offers her advice for the perfect, exfoliated skin just in time for spring. “Say hello to fresh and polished skin this Spring time. MUSQs mineral based exfoliant will gently buff away dead skin cells and impurities, revealing vibrant skin. Decongest the skin from Winter’s harsh elements by gently massaging a small amount of exfoliant over the desired area in a circular motion. Rinse with tepid water and pat dry. Best applied following a cleanse. Also, recommend using no more than twice a week. Because every beauty knows a smooth base is essential to radiant and glowing skin.” Find out more about Musq Cosmetics by following them on Facebook and Instagram.
Choose A Lighter Moisturiser
When you’re transitioning from winter to spring, you need to start avoiding the heavier creams and begins to focus on making your skin feeling lighter and lighter. When it comes to moisturising, whether it be with SPF or not, it’s important that you transition from heavy moisturisers to gels or creams, so you don’t keep a heavy layer on your skin, clogging your pores and causing you to break out. Jamila El Maroudi from Mira’s Hand offers her advice for spring skin. “Apply a coin size amount of Savon Noir on your body. Leave for five minutes and then rinse thoroughly with warm water. With your kessa glove slowly and gently scrub your body in a back and forth motion (never in a circular motion), ask a friend, a partner of a family member to help you with your back. Don’t be surprised to see spindles of grey skin fall of your skin. Rinse your skin with water and moisturise your skin with our argan oil or our facial serum and body moisturiser.” Find out more about Mira’s Hand by following them on Facebook and Instagram. A lighter moisturiser or gel is essential for the transition from winter to spring, as Amie Skilton from What The Naturopath Said explains, "switch up your moisturiser to something slightly lighter, but add in a few drops of a hydrating serum to boost the dewiness and softness of your skin (a few drops of bronzer in there will also give you a warmer glow!)" Find out more about What The Naturopath Said by following them on Facebook and Instagram. You should never skip the moisturiser, though, as Philips Hair Removal recommends. "Moisturise... and moisturise again. Both before you start your day and again before climbing into bed, be sure to slather your body with a thick moisturiser before climbing into bed, be sure to slather your body with a thick moisturiser that will trap and lock in your skins essential oils. Moroccan Oil is great for areas such as knees and elbows that dry out faster." Find out more about Philips by following them on Facebook.
Clean Your Sheets
An essential for keeping your skin looking clear all year round is by making sure your bed sheets are clean and fresh. Sometimes life gets in the way, and we can forget how gross our bed sheets get, but unless you wash them every fortnight, the dirt and grime can do crazy and gross things to your skin. At the start of the new season, get yourself some new bedsheets, so you can feel the benefits straight away. Also, there’s no better feeling than new sheets.
Sunshine Of Your Love
Even though the sun may be hidden, it doesn’t mean it’s gone away. The Aussie sun is ruthless, and even in winter, it can do you more harm than good. Applying SPF all year long, whether it be in a sunscreen, a tinted moisturiser of a face cream, it will help prevent the harsh Aussie sun from doing damage. Brenda Duncan-Smith from Dynamic Skin Services offers her advice on spring skin care. "Obviously beautiful skin requires a good home routine. winter is a great time to start repairing damage as the UV rays are not as harsh, and can allow some healing time. My go to product is Beaute Pacifique, a Danish product that effectively works on both age degeneration and sun damage. The flagship product is Metamorphique which repairs UV damage by 80%. The claimed benefits can be demonstrated objectively at my clinic by ultra sound scanning before and after of starting on a product. Of course, none of this will be any help without a good sun block! Yes, even in winter! UV rays might not be so harsh, but they are still affecting the structure and texture of your skin daily. I can repair your skin but a good sun block is essential in our busy lives." Find out more about Dynamic Skin Services by following them on Facebook.
Au Naturel
Not only is keeping clear of the sun's rays a beneficial skin care tip but so is steering clear from unnatural products. Lifestyle blogger Anna Segova offers her tips for keeping your skin nice and moisturised, without the harsh chemical found in products. "My skincare tip is using natural/organic face washes, lotions and oils. The majority of skin care brands have many chemicals added into its products. Yes, it does help to deep clean your skin, but the result of the frequent use is dry and damaged skin. Paying attention to what is really inside your skin care products goes a long way to ensure that you have a healthy and radiant skin. Daily skin care routine with a basic product such as face wash and moisturiser does wonders to my skin so that it is luscious and ready for the sunshine." Find out more about Anna by following her on Instagram.
Spring Clean
It’s not just your skin that needs a good scrubbing before spring hits, it’s your home too. There are nasty little things that can live in your home that affects your skin. Gross, right? It’s important to keep an eye out for things that you use every day, but may not necessarily clean or take much notice of. It’s things like your makeup brushes, your towels and even your shower head. Your shower head can manifest a whole ecosystem if you don’t clean it regularly, which can deposit some pretty gross stuff on your skin. Your shower head is used every day, so it should be cleaned fortnightly, along with your pillowcases and sheets. If it’s been a hot minute since you last cleaned your shower head, it may be a good idea to get yourself a new shower head. They have a life expectancy of around six to twelve months, but with regular cleaning, it will last longer. It's not just the house that needs a good scrub, however. Kim Good from Import Ants offers her advice for giving your body a good scrub. "My best tip for preparing your skin is Dry Body Brushing. Because dead skin cells absorb less moisture, which defeats the purpose of applying moisturisers, to begin with. Dry body brushing with a natural fibre body brush like our Eco Max brushes, before you take a shower will remove those dry and flaky skin cells without stripping your skin of its natural oils. But best of all it will open up your pores allowing your renewed soft skin to absorb and retain moisturiser better. The simple act of dry body brushing also increases blood flow, encouraging cell production which gives your skin a healthy glow, while reducing Keratosis, those tiny bumps on the backs of arms leaving your skin feeling smoother. For a 5 minute routine about 3 times a week it will have your skin spring ready all year round." Find out more about Import Ants by following them on Facebook and Instagram.
A Little Lift
Sometimes when spring comes around, you may want to reinvent your skin, and let your true beauty shine through. Dr Louisa Yim from Total Bliss Beauty offers her advice for those who want to fight the signs of ageing for this spring. “One of the most common issues with ageing is sagginess of the skin and loss of structure. This is due to some degree of bone resorption and the loss of essential fat pads around the face. The mid face, eye, temporal areas are usually the areas to be affected first. It is true that the eye is the window to the soul and beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I recommend spending your hard earned money around the eye area before addressing the lower face. My experience is that this will create the best impact for facial rejuvenation, providing you with a well-rested look. What better way to revive from the cold hibernating winter to welcoming spring? Apart from using neuromuscular relaxants to reduce and refine wrinkle lines around the crows’ feet (eye areas), one may consider using soft tissue fillers. I have had a lot of success in replacing volume deficient areas around the orbital (upper and lower brow regions), tear troughs and upper cheek areas. The lifting effect is also an important concept. The days where we chase the lines are gone. It is all about lifting and provided a more refreshed look. One important take home point is that there are limitations as to how much “lift” can be achieved with soft tissue fillers. Of course, surgical lifts or stitch lifts will provide the best and longer lasting results. However, if you are after minimally invasive treatments, please come in and have a chat with me about 3D Vector Liquid facelift (without going under the knife). The cost will vary between $600-$1200 AUD depending on the volume of filler that is required. I always recommend my patients to start low and go slow. Let the skin settle for sure as you can always have more.” To find out more about Total Bliss Beauty, follow them on Facebook.
Mini Facials
You don't have to go to the spa to have a facial, you can easily get one at home. Lisa Schmelzkopf, owner and educator at Schmelzkopf Cosmetics, offers her tips for creating the perfect mini facial at home.
"First, doub le cleanse with a gentle cleanser, like Centella Hibiscus Face Cleansing Gel. We cleanse twice firstly to remove any makeup, dirt and oil build up on the surface, and then again to clean deeper into your pores.
Next apply Centella Soft Veg Scrub Exfoliant in circular movements until the moisturising lotion has penetrated.
To remove, lay a hot towel over your face for 1 minute, remove excess.
Gently, using your fingertips, massage Centella Everlasting Firming Serum into your skin for 3 minutes in circular motions to stimulate collagen and elastin fibres. Serums are an important step in your skincare routine especially if you’re concerned with pigmentation and fine lines. Serums have more active ingredients than your moisturiser and can penetrate into the deeper layers of your skin.
Your moisturiser and SPF are next, SPF is important all year round but coming into warmer weather we’re more likely to be out in the element s. Put your moisturiser onto your fingers and gently press into your skin, this little step helps push the moisturiser to penetrate your skin
Apply your SPF, we recommend Centella SPF Physical sunscreen. And you’re done!" Find out more about Schmelzkopf Cosmetics by following them on Facebook.
Here Comes The Sun, Little Darling
As the warmer seasons approach, we need to prepare for the heat. Tahlia Mandie, from Kakadu Plum Co, offers her advice for the warmer months heading our way. "Though Melbourne weather is highly unpredictable, quick glimpses of summer have been peeking through the clouds, leaving us tantalised and ready for more. This time of year calls for kicking back and stripping down to our summer skin. But before we get carried away, let's not forget the importance of sun protection. Kakadu Plum Co.’s Kakadu Plum Powder is a brilliant product with many uses. Kakadu Plum Co. was founded by Tahlia Mandie in 2015, and is a social enterprise that 100% exists to support our Aboriginal communities, farmers and the Australian native food industry as a whole. Kakadu Plum Powder is wildcrafted by the Aboriginal People in the Top End of Australia. It is our true Aussie superfood. With its fresh, tangy flavour and a fantastic source of vitamin C, sprinkle it on top of a smoothie bowl or make a DIY face mask to keep your skin glowing and revitalised. The antioxidants in #theplumpower will maintain the elasticity in your skin, and provide healing agents that will save you from ageing, burns, and blemishes." Find out more about Kakadu Plum Co by following them on Facebook and Instagram.
Spring is a beautiful season, and with the proper care, your skin can look just as beautiful. Adjusting your skin care routine isn’t as hard as you might think, and spring cleaning isn’t just for your home, it’s for your face too!
