Are you suffering with dry skin, dull hair, and the winter blues? Here are some natural and cheap ways to stay glowing and gorgeous when the weather isn’t.
Getting great skin and hair is simpler than you think and much easier than the beauty industry would like to admit. So it’s time to get back to the basics.
Face
Breathing – Breathing oxygenates your skin so it looks alive and vibrant. Any physical activity where you breathe more deeply makes your skin glow. Think of those rosy cheeks you get when you come in from a brisk walk. Walk, swim or take a bike ride. These activities will not only de stress your mind, they are also your skin’s best friend.
Water – Not drinking enough water equals an unhappy body inside and out. Drink at least one and half litres daily for a glowing complexion. You can also use water in the form of steam. If you’re having a bad face day, squeeze a lemon in a bowl of hot water and sit with your head forward, over the bowl putting a towel over your head to stop any steam escaping. Do this for 5-7 minutes. This will refresh your skin, even out skin tone and reduce dark circles under eyes.
Daily skin care – In winter your skin needs more moisture, therefore to hydrate your skin, you need to exfoliate, concentrating on the nose and forehead and making sure you rinse well.
Try Olay Skin Smoothing Cream Scrub, £3.99, which clears away dead skin cells and leaves skin glowing. Next step is to cleanse the skin with a milky cleanser, doing this after the exfoliation will help remove any deep down grime rather than polishing the dead skin cells on the surface and then wipe it away with warm cotton wool. Use Rose Hydrate Calming Creamy Cleanser £7.99, this will leave your skin feeling nourished.
‘Cleansing is the most important step in skincare. If you get that right, then beautiful skin is bound to follow’ Eve Lom (http://www.evelom.com/)
Moisturising doesn’t have to be fantastically expensive to do a good job. The key is to find one you like using, that suits your skin and provides a good base for make-up like Nivea Rich Moisturising Day Cream with SPF 15 £4.99. SPF in summer is an absolute must; however in winter time you might be overloading your skin. There isn’t much need to use SPF if you’re only outside for a short time. However if you’re going skiing or walking on a bright winter’s day then a SPF 15 is a good idea.
Hair
Hair definitely affects how we feel. Bad hair days become bad days. But when hair is full, shiny and bouncy, our confidence is sky high. Here are a few secrets for lovely hair.
Condition – If you had a haircut or a new colour, it will not disguise limp, lifeless hair.
Firstly you need to start from inside out. What you put into your body affects your hair. The hair’s main enemies are: poor diet, not enough exercise, sleep, relaxation, stress and the weather. Cleanse your hair with Hair Expertise Everpure Colour & Smoothing Shampoo £5.99 L’Oreal Paris and condition your hair a mask once or twice a week with Herbal Essences, Beautiful Ends intensive Mask £3.99 for lavish hair.
Body
There’s no such thing as the perfect body, everyone has their hang ups, but there’s a lot you can do to look and feel more healthy and energetic without spending a fortune.
Exfoliation – Exfoliation is essential, especially in winter. According to Susan Harmsworth, founder of ESPA, ‘the drier the skin, the more often you can exfoliate’. Exfoliating makes it easier for ingredients to be absorbed like body lotions. For oily skin salt scrubs are best and sugar scrubs for normal to dry skin. My favourite is Sanctuary Body Scrub, £5.99, which is a gentle polishing gel that can be used daily. For a homemade scrub use a tablespoon of sea salt or brown sugar and mix into olive oil to soften legs.
Moisturiser – Immediately after using a scrub, you want to apply a moisturiser. Winter’s here and body lotions are an absolute must. All body lotions have to meet a criteria, they have to be quick absorption, non greasy and do not leave any oil resistance. My favourite body moisturisers are levels naturals’ Shea butter. It’s ultra moisturising and hydrates winter skin. Oils are also very effective, use oil to illuminate the skin. Ultimate Beauty Oil by Garnier £7.99 will do wonders for dry legs. The body shop do amazing body butters which are good enough to eat, they are super thick, very moisturising for dehydrated skin and last for ages.
Nails
Jessica Vartoughian first opened her Beverly Hills salon 30 years ago, she calls her system ‘natural’ nail care – because to her false nails are a no-no. Nice nails are about perfecting your own. The perfect nail is strong but flexible; this is achieved by massaging oil into the nails on a daily basis. The main secret to long lasting manicure is to ‘seal’ the tips, painting over them with base, varnish and top coat. To strengthen weak nails, use OPI Nail Envy or Sally Hansen Diamond Strength Instant Nail Hardener, £8.99.
Good luck with your beauty resolutions!
Image Sources:
http://www.philadelphiaphitnes…
Glowing skin (http://jaipur.co.uk)