Spring Clean your Routine
The dawn of spring brings lighter nights, warmer days and the anticipation of summer. For most it’s a transitional season in which we say goodbye to our heavy duty knitwear, intensive moisturizers and lip balms. This sudden change in temperature and almost-instantaneous amplified exposure to the elements means we need to be mindful of our beauty regime and alter it accordingly. This month, it’s all about giving your bathroom cabinet a spring clean!
One of my favourite beauty-related aspects of leaving winter behind is kissing goodbye to dry skin and lips! The rising temperatures and more forgiving weather conditions will give your skin a well-deserved break from having all its moisture sucked out. Therefore, your skin no longer needs to rely on your intense moisturizers. Thick lotion in the warmer months will make you warmer and uncomfortable, especially if you moisturize before bed! Swap all things heavy for everything branded ‘light’ regarding skincare as you prepare for summer. Allow your skin to breathe in the warmer months whilst still offering it the hydration it needs. In this case, less is more!
Swapping the central heating for some fresh air is one of the first things to happen at the turn of the season. With good weather comes the notion of actually wanting to be outside! For me, it means more walks outdoors in the afternoons or evenings. Despite there still being a chill in the air, consider for a moment that the sun will be just as powerful on a warm cloudy day in summer. Indeed, we are not in the tropics, but you will be surprised how the sun can affect your skin in cooler yet still sunny climates! It doesn’t even matter than most of your body is covered in clothing – your face is still exposed. You may not find yourself burnt to a crisp, but sun damage isn’t necessarily always visible. Try transitioning to using a moisturizer with an SPF or use a BB Cream which has an SPF.
An increase in sun exposure not only affects your skin, but your hair too; and, despite common belief, the harm of UV rays doesn’t stop at your hairline. Make sure if you are wearing a hairstyle with a defined parting to dab some SPF on the part of your exposed scalp! Unfortunately, this hack comes from me doing the exact opposite. Sun burn on your scalp can feel like bruising – not fun. Moreover, like your skin, the pigments in your hair can be altered with UV rays. Sometimes this can come in the form of cute little sun kissed strands around your face and other times (if you have coloured hair) those natural highlighted areas of hair can look slightly orange. To combat brassiness, include a silver shampoo into your hair care regime once a week. This hack is ideal for managing your hair colour from the comfort of your own home.
See, your bathroom cabinet spring upgrade of essentials is much easier than anticipated. Come to think of it, it’s a lot less time consuming than an actual spring clean – I know which one I’d rather tackle!