Stayin’ in Skin

Do you see what I did there?! Bit of a word play on the current (so over it…!) lock-down because of the old C Bomb (that phrase has a whole new meaning… although both meanings fit perfectly together to sum it up, I feel)! You can see how lock-down has affected me… horrendous humour, apologies! The title of this blog not only reflects our current staying in status but also the fact that we are trapped (for want of a better word!) in our own skin with no hope of seeing a beautician, aesthetics practitioner or dermatologist any time soon! For the first time for many of you I imagine, we are faced (literally!) with our own true skin! So, lets’ make the most of it!!!

Whilst lock-down has had a questionable effect on your sanity and alcohol tolerance level, has it in fact been doing your skin the world of good? Now I’m not one for a full face of make-up, having been through that stage as a slightly under confident teenager, I soon learnt when I joined the Army in my early 20’s that it just didn’t bother me that much! On most (pre lock-down) days I used my FACE by Ruth moisturiser, a sunscreen tinted gel, and perhaps a little blush and mascara. It really was a 5 min slap on whilst trying to detach myself from my 2-year-old who’s using my leg as a play-frame. To many, this routine seems basic at best, and sacrilege at worst, especially considering I run an aesthetics clinic… but the truth is that knowing skin the way I do, and striving always to produce and enhance natural beauty, has meant that I have a high regard for the beauty of skin that you can see and feel, rather than skin hidden under a 3 foot layer of makeup!

Some of you will be raising an eyebrow (especially now your Toxin is wearing off!) and saying, “how the hell could lock-down have made your skincare routine more basic than that?!” well it has! To the absolute and wholehearted benefit of my skin! So much so that after sending a photo to a very close friend of mine, she asked if I was pregnant (I DEFINITELY AM NOT!!!) because my skin was glowing so much! “Well what’s the trick?” I hear you say… it’s simple… until lock-down, it’s YOU that has been ‘tricked’ into believing that you MUST have a 20-stage skin care routine (costing the absolute earth!) followed by 10 different make-up items (that need to be re-applied 5 times a day)! Well I am here to tell you that you most certainly DO NOT need all that, and in fact, all the guff above has in fact damaged your skin! So, now that we are pros at the whole stayin’ in malarkey, why not use your newfound hermit status to give your skin a break, let it breath and to be free to show its true beauty???

Here we go, I shall let you into the secret of ‘stayin’ in skin’:

Firstly, give your skin (and your bank account) a break! All you ever need is the basics in skincare, remove dirt and grease from the day. I do this using coconut oil, cheap to buy in your local supermarket and lasts forever! I use about 2 peas worth, rubbed together in my palm to make liquid and the rubbed over face and neck. You can remove it using bamboo pads which are washable and reusable, but I use my FACE by Ruth facecloth which has bamboo wadding on the one side. I DO NOT WASH! I use gentle exfoliation 2-3 times a week (do this when skin is dry not wet- read my blog on exfoliation for more detail), I use my FACE by Ruth 100% natural exfoliation Mitt or the natural exfoliating side of my facecloth. It’s important to use a good moisturiser that feeds your skin natural goodness and an SPF every single day, rain or shine (A MUST!!!). That’s it, no make-up, just good skincare! Diet is also of HUGE importance when it comes to skin, and quite frankly I could write a complete essay on the effects of gut health on skin! So, for the benefit of this blog I shall just say that I have Soya milk instead of cow’s milk, use rapeseed oil in everything, and eat an avocado a day! We’ll save the detail of the pros of gut health for another blog!

You’ll probably freak out at first, whilst your skin reverts to it’s natural cycles you may well find that for a week or so your skin breaks out, and you’ll want to go back to your old ways, just hold on! No-one is going to see you and let’s face it Insta filters are bloody good these days! Let it go, it’ll be worth it I promise!