Maintaining a summer glow takes a two-fold approach with skincare – it's as much about what you're putting into your body as it is what you’re putting on to it. Follow these seven tips from the health, nutrition and beauty experts to ensure your summer glow lasts all the way through to party season.
Nutrition tips from Karen Cummings-Palmer (Health, Beauty & Nutrition Consultant and STRIPPD ambassador)
1. Hydrate
Cold air, dry winds and dehydrating central heating can wreak havoc on your skin.
To make matters worse, we often drink more alcohol in the winter months so it is essential to re-hydrate with at least two litres of water per day and try and eat foods naturally rich in water. Consider using nourishing oils at night and a rich cream during the day. Make sure you protect your skin from the winter sun from a mineral based SPF.
2. Feed your face
Skincare should be both topical and internal so if you want to keep your glow going through the winter months you'll need to quite literally "feed your face". Refined sugar is your skin enemy but good fats, vegetables, berries and good quality protein are most definitely your friends.
Focus on foods with skin enhancing nutrients - vitamins, A, C, Omega 3, copper and zinc are all beauty heroes. In the winter months we tend to eat more carb-heavy comfort food so can often miss out on the wealth of nutrients we consumed earlier in the year (after a summer filled with fresh salads and lean meat) so ensure you're keeping your protein levels topped up with an organic supplement like STRIPPD's Lean Whey protein.
3. Exercise
Exercise can often get overlooked during the winter months - as the temperature drops, so does our motivation. Movement is essential for circulation and lymphatic drainage which will keep your skin energised and glowing. Keep your skin bare when you work out to stop make-up and sweat combining and clogging pores.
Beauty tips from Michaella Bolder, celebrity facialist and skincare expert (whose clients include Kelly Brook, Frankie Bridge and Helen Mirren)
4. Nourish
One of the main reasons our skin glows in the summer is because of the increased Vitamin D. Supplements are a great way to give winter skin a boost - look out for supplements that contain a wider range of vitamins with Echinacea to get skin glowing.
My favourite are STRIPPD GLOW capsules as they contain vitamin A to turn over skin cells and help rebuild skin function, Vitamin E to protect from pollution and copper to help stimulate collagen production. Take them daily throughout the colder months with a two week break every six months to reset the body.
5. Exfoliate
While it may seem counterintuitive to exfoliate your skin if you're desperately clinging on to your summer tan, your skin will naturally exfoliate itself anyway. Getting in there early promotes a more even fade and ensures that topical moisturisers are penetrating deeper into the skin and not resting on a surface of dead skin cells. Exfoliate your entire body three or more times per week – body brushing is a great way to remove the dead skin cells and aid circulation.
6. Change it up
Just like your body, your skin also needs a winter wardrobe. In the colder months our skin needs the extra nourishment and protection that heavier creams offer so I'd recommend switching to a richer moisturiser (or using a 50p sized amount of your regular moisturiser) of a morning so your skin can feed off it throughout the day. Opt for butters (my favourite is Shea) over lotions as they tend to be water based and better suited for summer.
Don't be afraid to layer products too - serums under moisturiser are incredibly effective at delivering all the essentials whilst your moisturiser acts as barrier to seal it all in. Adding a facial oil into your night time routine will also help to boost hydration levels.
7. Massage
Finally, deep tissue massage techniques are incredible for getting blood circulating, activating muscle tissue and relieving tension above the eyebrow. Get skin glowing yourself at home with these two facial massage techniques:
· Apply deep, firm pressure using your fingertips – working outwards from the centre to the temples, pressing firmly against the muscle fibres. Use both hands and work outwards eight times. Repeat this three times once a week.
· Run your fingers up and down from the centre back out to the temple (going up and down as opposed to side to side). Make sure you use heavy, fast, friction movements to get a nice pink colour on your forehead.