Holiday TLC for Your Skin
It’s the most wonderful time of year, so that means only one thing: the holidays are fast approaching! Between personal celebrations and holiday parties at work or with loved ones, the holiday season is a hectic whirlwind of seasonal goodness.
With cooler weather and the constant need to be ready for a celebration, your skin could use a little extra TLC right about now. A great self-care routine will keep you feeling fresh and radiant, especially when you want to add a touch of glamour for those special holiday parties. If you need some quick and easy beauty tips to get through the holidays, you’ve come to the right place.
Acne Breakouts
Whether you’re prone to breakouts or the stress of the holidays is already starting to show itself in your skin, there are a few things you can do to treat breakouts and even prevent them from happening during the holiday season. If you don’t have sensitive or dry skin, consider using a face wash that contains a small percentage of salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide. These ingredients will help prevent breakouts and keep dead skin cells to a minimum. If you find that breakouts keep occurring in the same spot or you have sensitive skin, treat the specific area with benzoyl peroxide cream each night of the week leading up to an event to make sure your skin is looking flawless for that next party.
Stained Lips
A stained lip is gorgeous, but only when it’s deliberate! Don’t let last night’s cabernet sauvignon become tomorrow’s lip stain, especially when you’re already dealing with dry lips thanks to cooler weather and wind. To keep lips soft and stain free, gently exfoliate them with a toothbrush dipped in warm water. Using a light pressure, softly brush the lips in a circular motion and then pat them dry with a cloth before adding a hydrating lip balm or petroleum jelly. For a more luxurious treatment, combine a small teaspoon of sugar with a drop or two of coconut oil, then rub gently into the lips before hopping into the shower. This delicious lip scrub sloughs away dry lip cells and gives them a healthy dose of hydration.
Aching Feet
Are your party heels giving you some aches and pains the next day? Do you spend most of your weekend running around looking for the perfect gift? Your feet need a little extra love during the holiday season. Relax and soothe tired feet by soaking them in tubs of warm and cool water. For extra benefit to reduce swelling and muscle aches, add sea salt to a tub with warm water and then soak your feet for ten minutes. Next, dip feet into a tub with cool water and give them a soak for another ten minutes. Repeat this process two to three times to soothe achy muscles and help drain excess fluid.
Heat-Damaged Hair
Curling, blow-drying, showers; there are many ways to dry out and damage hair! In addition to cooler temperatures drying out hair, the constant styling for holiday parties means you need to use a deep-conditioning treatment weekly. If you use a lot of styling products in your hair, consider using a scalp scrub to reduce buildup and increase blood circulation to stimulate healthy hair follicles. Next, use a deep-conditioning hair mask to replenish nutrients and moisture in the hair. Before blow-drying, always protect the hair with a heat protectant balm or cream that’s another tool to help prevent heat damage with other styling tools. Never use a nylon brush! Boar bristle is often recommended to keep hair static free and sleek.
Daily Skin Care
Skin care is one of the most important things you can do to keep makeup looking perfect throughout the entire holiday season. Weekly exfoliation, daily moisturizing and cleansing gently are important tips to keep skin in top shape. Salty holiday foods and alcohol increase the risk of retaining fluid, so you want to promote lymphatic drainage whenever possible. For a relaxing experience, soak tea bags in warm water and place in the refrigerator to cool down, then lie down and place them on your eyes for about 20 minutes. Essential oils such as rose geranium, fennel, lavender, German chamomile and rosemary essential oil mixed with a few drops of coconut oil and massaged gently into the eye area and over the skin can relieve facial tension, making you relaxed and perfect for those holiday pictures!
The holidays are an amazing time, but they come with a lot of added stress for the skin and body. With these simple tips, you can get ahead of common aches and problem areas so that you’re in flawless form for all your holiday celebrations! ■
Sources: allure.com, realsimple.com, marieclaire.com and instyle.com.
