Sorry for the brutal awakening, but sassy congested holiday skin is just around the corner. But! That is OK. Whether it’s the stress of being around family, binge-eating sugary goodness till you feel ill, or having a cheeky cocktail, or two, or six, our skin’s health is... compromised. Before you turn to wallowing in the fetal position on your couch, we have a few simple suggestions that’ll give your skin the tall glass of water it craves.
Speaking of Water! Chug Some.
If there’s one thing we can say that will almost certainly do damage to your skin, it’s dehydration. When the skin is dehydrated, it greatly affects the skin’s elasticity, softness, tone, complexion and sometimes even breakouts. Dehydrated skin can come from ingesting too many cocktails, stress, lack of sleep, or just simply not drinking enough H20. The good news is that rehydrating is quite easy with a few lifestyle changes—among them, some vegetables in every meal, snacking on fruit, and keeping a water bottle at your desk (you already know!).
Wake up your face & PRESS REFRESH
We’re not here to say that a face mask fixes all your problems… but they definitely can if you BELIEVE. Just kidding. (Kind of.) One fantastic route to getting your skin back on track is treating it with some kick-starter exfoliating acids. Exfoliating acids (alpha and beta hydroxy acids) gently and methodically work to increase cell turnover and rid the skin of dead skin cells, which in turn, minimizes breakouts, smoothes the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and also brightens the skin.
What a perfectly FORTUITOUS segue into our exfoliating sheet mask, PRESS REFRESH. There is something about a face mask that somehow makes us feel renewed. This we know is true. The thing about our PRESS REFRESH mask is that it actually does renew us in some sense. But how?! Because of all the exfoliating acids! That’s how! Our mask includes not one, not two, but three exfoliating acids that each have their own unique skin rescuing properties:
- Salicylic acid: This acid is a well-known exfoliating agent. Due to its oil-soluble makeup, SA is able to go where many ingredients can’t. It delves deep beneath the upper layer of the skin to vacuum out clogged pores that can often result in blackheads and whiteheads. It also sloughs the top layer of skin cells to reveal a ~funky~ and ~fresh~ complexion.
- Lactic Acid: Lactic acid is actually quite special because of its tender and gentle nature. Even though it’s gentle on the most sensitive skin, it’s able to exfoliate the top layer of dead skin cells to conjure a more bright and smooth complexion.
- Glycolic acid: With its tiny molecular weight, it works to slough dead skin cells while also promoting increased collagen production. Love that for you(r skin).
Gently, we repeat, GENTLY, cleanse your skin
Listen up, there’s absolutely no reason to add fuel to the fire. Post-holiday skin is most likely irritated and sensitive. She does not need to be messed with unless you’d like to face the wrath of an exceedingly aggravated epidermis. The first step in a skincare routine is to wash the face, so proceed with caution in the cleanser you choose. When using an overly stripping face wash, it can inordinately dry the skin, which then cues the oil glands to overproduce oil… which can unfortunately result in breakouts. Over-exfoliating is also advised against when the skin is not in a good place. Over-exfoliation can lead to micro-tears in the skin, which leave them open to skin-disrupting bacteria that are just TWITCHING to wreak havoc on your face.
For the superficial zit, GOO GETTER is your leading strategy. This little guy is a moisture-drawing patch that absorbs fluid, impurities and goo from your surface-level zit to rapidly shrink its appearance. It’s not your average patch that’s basically just a cute sticker. It’s cute, don’t get us wrong, but we’ve also infused the zit patch with derm-backed niacinamide, salicylic acid, vitamin C, and tea tree to accelerate skin clearing and rejuvenation.
For the deep, underground, hormonal zit, KILLA is your optimal candidate. Each KILLA zit patch contains 24 tiny but powerful microdarts that are impregnated with salicylic acid, niacinamide, oligopeptide-76, and hyaluronic acid. Our unprecedented microdart technology allows for these high-powered ingredients to reach beneath the skin’s surface to infiltrate the zit’s center, halting the drama before it gets, for a lack of better words, gnarly.
Don’t know the difference between the two zits? No problem, young grasshopper. We wrote a whole educational piece on it! Click here to be enlightened.
Holiday skin is something that is close to impossible to avoid. It's a time of family, love, and also indulgence! However, by including these tips in your holiday repertoire, your skin will be ready to take on the new year from an utterly optimistic perspective.
Want to add more to your skincare skillset? Read up on your skin’s microbiome and how to best come to its aid.
