With the planet seemingly working from home, you may be thinking that a lack of make-up and outdoors pollution might do your skin some good during these uncertain times. That said, spending a lot of time indoors can have a negative impact - but we’re here to help!
We’ve created an expert-backed guide on how to combat dry, cracked, difficult skin when stuck indoors.
Turn down the central heating
It’s still chilly outside, but if the temptation is to crank up the central heating, consider the planet - and your skin. The drier the air, the worse conditions are for dry skin types especially eczema and psoriasis. If you want to ensure you’re toasty at home but keep your skin feeling supple, apply and reapply a light cream such as our Sidekick Day Cream (ADD LINK) each time you make yourself a cup of tea. Keep the cream next to the kettle to remind you - a watched kettle never boils anyway!
Get some sun
Ensure you’re maintaining the government-mandated distances between people, but getting Vitamin D at this time is very important. By losing sun exposure, it can make your skin dull and sallow. It can also really affect your mood as Vitamin D also plays an important role in mood regulation, so ensure you’re getting some sunshine safely outdoors each day.
Stay hydrated - The pomodoro way
Without a sink or water cooler to congregate round, you might be lacking your usual hydration routine - but hydration is key to maintaining great skin, and more importantly, great overall health, which has never been more vital. One tip from the experts is to use a Pomodoro timer to keep you thinking about hydration. These timers can be found easily online, and buzz every 25 minutes. Each time it goes off, remember to drink some water. It’s that simple.
Take off the day
Without an office to come home from, many of us may think about skipping the cleanser stage. After all, if we’ve not moved from working at the dining table all day, what is there to clean? Well, a lot actually! Ensure you maintain a cleansing routine, as it’s just as important to clear out daily sweat, dirt and grime as it is to remove make-up and pollution. Our Clean Slate (ADD LINK) cleanser uses shea oil and cocoa butter, plus botanical extracts to soothe and calm your skin.
Let your spots live
Squeezing spots is usually so tempting because we’re heading outside and perhaps don’t want other people to see them - well, that’s no longer a problem! So, use this time to allow your spots to run their full cycle and avoid scarring or damaging your skin. We wrote a full guide to this over on the blog, so click here to see more spot-busting techniques.
Lay off the scents
Scented candles are a vital part of many of our #selfcare routines, especially during anxious times. But they can contribute to drying out the air and adding chemicals into your environment. Ordinarily this wouldn’t make much of a difference, but when stuck indoors all day, make sure any candles you’re burning are made of natural substances, and keep them near to windows. If you have one, ensure you’re using a humidifier too.
Wash your hands
We created a more detailed guide on how to care for your hands if you suffer with a skin condition last week, but the key takeaways are - regular hand-washing and sanitising is vital, but can exacerbate skin conditions such as eczema. Be sure to use a thick moisturiser such as our Midnight Feast Night Cream (ADD LINK) after each time washing your hands.
Dry your hands
The repeated use of soaps and disinfectants can create ‘irritant contact eczema’, which is an eczema caused by chemicals. This shows up as dry, cracked and/or itchy skin on knuckles and in between fingers. You can minimise this by ensuring you dry your hands thoroughly after washing them. Water can dry the skin by stripping natural oils when it evaporates. This is especially common among children, so make sure they dry hands and then cover them with moisturiser.
This article is not meant to treat or diagnose. Please visit your doctor for advice about any health concerns you may have.