When enjoying a cocktail or two, the only ‘craic’ should be the fun you have the night before, not on your skin the morning after! Post-boozing spots, dryness, and sallowness; it’s all due to dehydration. The key to getting your skin looking and feeling fresh, even if you don’t feel it, is all in hydration, and these key tips for how to repair your skin after drinking:
- Use a hot flannel before using an exfoliating cleanser. Soak a flannel in very hot water, wring it out and apply it over your face to gently steam your pores open. This will help get rid of the hangover residue before you apply your cleanser. A glycolic clay cleanser is perfect for clearing the gunk, wine and late-night food residue off your skin. It’s important to really get your face clean after a big night so that all the good stuff you’re about to slather onto your face, the serums, masks and moisturisers, all get the best chance to work their magic.
- Keep a hyaluronic eye serum in the fridge and apply it throughout the day. It’ll hydrate the skin around the eyes and calm those hangover bags down, making you appear a little more human. Keeping the serum chilled will help reduce puffiness, boost circulation and calm any redness or inflammation.
- Use a Pre-Monday face mask. A moisturising face mask applied on Sunday will do wonders for your skin condition on Monday, making you appear revitalised and fresh for your return to work as if you’ve had nothing but a wholesome weekend. For maximum impact, use a mask that can be left on to soak in, rather than require washing off. Appling an intense moisturiser mask throughout the day of the hangover will really help to kick the nutrients back into your skin. The cherry on the cake is to then perform another cleanse before bed and reapply your moisturiser mask to let it continue working its calming, brightening and hydrating magic overnight.
How to prepare your skin before drinking alcohol
- Deep cleanse and gently exfoliate the skin with a clay cleanser. A clay-base cleanser, that includes glycolic acid, can be used every day, but use it can even be used as a face mask treatment for when you want to put some extra effort into looking your best. The glycolic acid works as a chemical exfoliant to remove dead skin cells and get your skin glowing.
- Hydrate with hyaluronic acid serum. Whilst glycolic acid will exfoliant your face, hyaluronic acid is all about hydration, and a hyaluronic serum will pack your face full of hydration without plugging your pores with oil – perfect for when excess alcohol zaps all the moisture from your skin.
- Moisturise with retinol. A moisturiser that has retinol in it is going to make you look incredible before the pub antics begin. Retinyl palmitate can aid collagen production (encouraging plumper, more youthful skin) and promotes skin regrowth with improved tone.
