Smooth skin is desirable for just about everyone, unfortunately a number of factors can make it difficult to get rid of rough and dry skin. Fortunately when it comes to skincare nothing is impossible including achieving the smooth skin of your dream, and there are a couple of simple techniques that can take you one step closer to having buttery smooth skin.
Before we get ahead of ourselves how does rough skin happen in the first place? Well, there’s a couple of culprits when it comes to rough skin. It could be a skin condition such as eczema, a damaged skin barrier, or exposure of irritants to the skin. Unfortunately, skincare products could be contributing to this issue. One of the most problematic skin care ingredients is denatured alcohol. Although if you have sensitive skin other ingredients such as essential oils, salicylic acid, and benzoyl peroxide can also be problematic. However, lack of skincare products can also become an issue, to be more specific lack of sun protection. Sunscreen is super important to matter what type of skin you have, UV damage can cause damage to important collagen fibers in the skin which in turn causes dry, irritated, and acne-prone skin.
But the sun isn’t the only external issue, things such as air pollution, dry air or cold winds can be affecting your path to smooth skin. To avoid this it’s important to make sure cleansing and moisturizing are a regular part of your routine.
- Chemically exfoliate
Getting rid of dead skin cells is the first step to achieving glowing and smooth skin. Although the idea of a “chemical” exfoliation may seem far too harsh, it’s actually much gentler than a mechanical exfoliation. Instead of tearing the dead skin cells of like a mechanical exfoliation, chemical exfoliants use gentle (and safe) chemicals to dissolve the “glue” that is holding dead skin cells onto the face. However as with any type of exfoliation its important to be gentle and not to use it everyday we recommend 2-3 times per week.
- Start dry brushing
Another form of exfoliation that has become quite popular is dry brushing. Dry brushing has a couple of benefits which make it a handy tool when it comes to getting smooth skin. For one it exfoliates and removes dead skin cells but it also stimulates circulation, which reduces puffiness, improves skin elasticity, lifts and tones the skin.
- Use a humidifier
Smooth skin starts with hydrated and moisturized skin. While it is very important to hydrate your skin on the inside it’s also important to do so on the outside. Using a humidifier is a great (and easy) way to reduce the effects of dry air on your skin, and add extra moisture to your skin.
- Start using vitamin C serum
Vitamin C is a powerful skincare ingredient, it has anti-aging properties and repairs existing skin damage. This leads to bright, smooth skin. It also helps prevent future damage from free radicals, by neutralizing them.
Vitamin C also helps prevent and repair UV damage. When your skin is exposed to UV light it lowers your vitamin C levels. Using a vitamin C serum can reverse the effects of sun damage. Vitamin C also repairs collagen levels by supporting collagen growth. All of this combined make vitamin C the perfect ingredient for smooth skin.
- Use a strong moisturizer
Moisturizers are a must step when it comes to smooth skin. For starters they help treat dry and flakey skin, which are the opposite of smooth and hydrated skin. It also prevents skin from being too oily which can lead to acne and an oily appearance on the skin.
Moisturizers almost always are made with ingredients called emollients. Emollients are some of the most popular types of ingredients when it comes to smooth skin because they trap moisture onto the skin while preventing water loss. Another form of ingredients often found in moisturizers are humectants. Humectants help to moisturize the skin by pulling moisture from the surrounding air and onto your skin.
If your finding your moisturizer isn’t doing the trick for your skin try to find a stronger moisturizer with emollients (things like shea butter, squalene, beeswax and cocoa butter), or humectants (things like glycerin, hyaluronic acid, honey and niacinamide) to help on your road to smooth skin.
- Use daily UV protection
Harmful UV rays are a cause of a number of skin issues, but one thing they are definitely not helpful for is getting smoother skin. While this shouldn’t be surprising information, a key step in having healthy, glowing skin is protecting your skin from the sun. It’s super important to protect your skin with sunscreen of around 30 SPF. Keep in mind you also need to reapply sunscreen throughout the day and use other types of sun protection (hats, sunglasses, etc).