Damage Control For Alcohol Impacted Skin
It's no secret that the key to beautiful looking skin is following a skin care routine that works for your skin type. While most women are disciplined at following that routine, we all have the odd night where we drink too much, come home late and get too lazy to take our make-up off. As a result, the next day our skin is dehydrated, puffy and dark circles have developed under our eyes. But fear not party girls, because these quick fixes will reverse the effects of alcohol, and are easy to do!
Hydrating the skin
1.) The first and foremost way to get your skin looking less angry, is to re-hydrate! Drink lots of water with lime because it is essential to make your system as alkaline as possible, and lime helps in that. Contrary to popular belief, coffee is the worst beverage to consume after a night of drinking, and will in fact dehydrate you further.
2.) Since alcohol dulls the skin, a hydrating face mask is a quick and effective way to water your skin and reverse the effects. Just be sure to apply a mask that works for your skin type.
3.) Ice is known to reduce swelling and we often don't realize it, but the reason our face looks bloated after a night of heavy drinking is because it is swollen. Fill a bowl of water, add tons of ice cubes to it and immerse your face in it. The same rule of icing applies to a hung-over face that applies to a swollen knee- 5 minutes on, 5 minutes off. Ice your face for 5 minutes, then take your head out and rest it for 5 minutes. Repeat till the ice is melted and the swelling will reduce significantly.
Dark Circles or Puffy Eyes
While alcohol is not a direct cause of dark circles, the lack of sleep that comes from late night partying is. To help reduce dark circles, try any of these remedies for 10-15 minutes:
4.) Chill two slices of cucumber in the fridge and place one on each eye. Cucumber has skin lightening properties, astringent and anti-inflammatory effects.
5.) Chill two slices of raw potato in the fridge and place on each eye. Raw potato has natural bleaching agents.
6.) Dip two cotton balls in rose water and place one on each eye. Rosewater restores the skin’s pH balance to reduce excessive pigmentation and the anti-oxidants in rosewater strengthen and regenerate skin cells. It is also anti-inflammatory so it helps reduce swelling and redness.
7.) Chill two tea bags and place one on each eye. The caffeine in the tea constricts the blood vessels that cause the eyes to swell up.
While these 7 hacks are everything you need for damage control, don't forget the procedure that prevents damage in the first place; regularly cleanse, wear sunscreen, moisturize and exfoliate weekly!