Everyone wants beautiful skin, but not everyone has the budget to get professional facials, chemical peels, botox, filler, or whatever else is keeping celebs looking young and fresh these days. That’s why you need to learn some tips on how to get gorgeous skin at home.
The truth is, it’s not just one thing that’ll make your skin glow. It’s lots of things that all add up to amazing skin – a holistic approach that’ll keep your body healthy, making your skin more gorgeous than it’s ever been.
16 Tips to Get Gorgeous Skin at Home
I understand that seeing 16 tips to get gorgeous skin at home and being told you have to do them all can seem quite daunting. I promise it’s not a 16 step skincare routine (can you imagine?!), it’s actually more of a life overhaul that’ll have a big impact on your skin. All of these changes are pretty easy to make too, so it’s not going to be a grueling
Drink Plenty of Water
Water is a crucial part of our diets. Most people don’t quite drink enough water and that will have a huge impact on their skin. If your body is dehydrated, then your skin soon will be too.
Make yourself drink a minimum of 2 litres of water every day and after about a week you’ll start to notice a difference. If it helps, you could get one of those cups that hold 2L and give you a goal to have drank a certain amount by a certain time of the day. I think it’s a great reminder to get more water down you.
Eat Lots of Fruit and Veg
Fruit and veggies are full of essential nutrients that help keep your body, mind and skin healthy. They’re packed with vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants that’ll fill you with energy and contribute to that perfect complexion you’re chasing.
If you find it hard to squeeze extra fruit and veg into your diet, look into smoothie recipes (extra points for ones that give you glowing skin) to up your daily intake.
Double Cleanse
I didn’t even realise double cleansing was a thing until a few years ago and it has honestly changed my whole skincare routine. Basically, simply wiping off your makeup then washing your face doesn’t remove everything it needs to. Your skin is covered in an oily layer, and your makeup is on top of that. All through the day impurities, germs and allergens will settled on your face so it makes sense that a thorough clean is needed.
I like to use a precleanse or a cleansing balm. These are usually oil based and will break down your mascara and most foundations. Then you need to go in with a different cleanser that gets rid of any impurities left on the skin.
Exfoliate a Minimum of 3 Times per Week
Exfoliating is a non-negotiable for sloughing off all the dead skin cells that are keeping you from having a bright complexion.
The thing with exfoliating is that it’s a bit of an art. If you do it too much, you’ll get sore skin, trash your barrier and probably end up wit redness and blemishes. On the other hand if you don’t do it enough, you’ll end up with dull skin and spots will form thanks to clogged pores. To keep balance, follow exfoliation with a lightweight face spray for glowing skin to add hydration and help calm any post-exfoliation tightness.
My preference is a microfoliator that is designed for every day use – but I only use it every other day so I don’t upset that barrier.
Use a Gentle Daily Cleanser
It might be tempting to go for a harsh cleanser, especially if you’re having problems with spots or acne, but trust me – it’s the worst thing you can do.
Harsh cleansers containing strong chemicals or hard exfoliating beads will bother your skin barrier and ruin your complexion in the long run. I look for any cleansers that call themselves “gentle cleansers” and my favourite is the one from Dermalogica. I will say that even though I have a favourite, I’m not that loyal and like to try out other brands before I go back to my old fave.
Get into Facial Massage
Facial massages for lymphatic drainage or adrenal drainage might not seem like your thing, especially if the gua sha seems full of mystery and witchcraft, but it does make a difference.
I know it’s hard to know what to believe when influencers who are pumped up with filler and Botox claim their very noticeable facial changes are just a bit of oil and use of a gua sha, but people have sworn by it for centuries for a reason.
Personally, the main things I notice about my face after I’ve massaged it is how much clearer my sinuses feel. Also my face is less puffy and my skin tone is just better. I think you just have to expect increased blood flow to your skin and find everything else is just a bonus.
Look After Your Skin Barrier
Your skin barrier is the very top layer of your skin and the quality of it affects your whole complexion. Using harsh chemicals and exfoliators can wear down and damage this barrier. The barrier is the key to getting that glow.
Mess with the barrier and you’ll be chasing your tail with skincare for a long time.
So if you have a good barrier and mostly clear skin, you need to take care of it. Use lots of hydrating moisturiser alongside oils at night to lock moisture in. This will be a huge helper to get gorgeous skin at home.
If your barrier is damaged, you need even more hydrating moisturiser and even more oils to lock in moisture. I’d also buy a specific cream aimed at barrier repair. My favourite is the LaRoche Posay Cicabaum B5. You don’t get a lot for your money but it works really well.
Wash Your Makeup Brushes
Your makeup brushes touch your face daily, so why wouldn’t you wash them daily? Bacteria breeds everywhere but if you’re repeatedly using the same tools without cleaning them then that bacteria will quickly build up and start causing havoc on your skin.
I like to wash my brushes as the final step in my makeup routine. I use a brush cleanser then leave the brushes to dry on a window ledge as I heard UV light from the sun kills bacteria. It also means they’re fully dry the next day when I want to use them again.
Cut Products With SLS
SLS is in loads of stuff as an agent to bulk up products and make them feel more frothy and creamy. This can be anything from toothpaste, or facewash to shampoo or shower gel. Lots of people experience mild allergic reactions that cause bumps and spots on their skin. Even if you don’t, it still can affect the skin barrier.
The best thing you can do is look on the ingredients list for the toiletries you buy and leave anything with SLS in it back on the shelf.
Get Plenty of Sleep
At this point, telling you to get plenty of sleep is a cliche. The trouble is, it’s a cliche for a reason. Because sleep helps absolutely every part of you, including things like brain function and digestion, it helps contribute to your overall health. And healthy people who take good care of themselves have lovely glowing skin.
Conversely, if you don’t get enough sleep, your face will be puffy, your eyes will be sore and you’ll probably look as rotten as you feel. Also lack of sleep really does make your dark circles and eye bags worse.
Never Sleep in Makeup
This one seems obvious and I know people don’t tend to sleep in makeup on purpose, but you should still take heed. I know people will sleep in makeup if they have a late night or a night out and they’re just desperate for bed. Don’t be tempted! Just don’t do it!
It clogs pores, can cause issues for your eyelashes and causes spots and blackheads.
Get a Super Soft Pillowcase
Silk pillowcases get a lot of hype, but really anything silk adjacent such as bamboo or satin will do the trick. Not only are these great for your hair, helping to reduce split ends, they also stop your skin being pulled about when you toss and turn at night. If your skin moves a lot, it can lose elasticity and sag.
Wear Sunscreen
Sunscreen is essential all year round, whatever your age. The sun might give you a glowing tan, but that tan will fade and the sun damage will age your skin in the process. Plus, the sun can worsen dark spots and uneven tone, as well as cause painful damage if you burn.
Don’t Use Products Containing Alcohol
Alcohol and astringents strip a lot of the moisture out of your skin. I think this approach was an oldschool way of drying out spots, but it can really damage your skin barrier if you constantly use these products.
Even if you have oily skin, alcohol applied directly to your skin still isn’t the answer. Buy products for oily skin, and invest in spot patches for breakouts and white heads.
Use Non-Comodogenic Products
Non-comodogenic products are basically products that have been tested and do not block your pores. They’ll say on the packaging if they’re non-comodogenic, and you can buy moisturiser, sunscreen, and makeup.
Comodones are blackheads so non-comodogenic means it won’t give you blackheads.
Cut Caffeine and Alcohol
As mentioned above, diet is a really important thing to look at when you’re trying to get glowing skin at home, but you need to remember diet stretches to drinks as well.
Caffeine and alcohol both contribute to dull, dehydrated skin (mostly because it dehydrates your body, but it also affects sleep). Try to reduce how much you have. If you can cut both out completely, you’ll eventually notice you have much more energy you have and your skin will have a gorgeous glow.
I know this list seems like a lot, but these are really small changes that can make a huge difference to your skin. A lot of these points are pretty affordable too, especially when you compare them to hi-tech facials and injectables.
I also most of these tie in together. Like if you’re looking after your health by drinking more water, eating well and getting more sleep, it makes sense you might want to reduce your caffeine and alcohol consumption.
What I’ve shared about skincare is pretty low maintenance too. Your skincare routine doesn’t need a million steps but a simple tip like turning you on to double cleansing can completely change your complexion.