Identifying our Skin Type and How to Look After It

To achieve the kind of soft, dewy, glowing skin we all aspire to, we first need to understand our skin type and how to care for it, so it can look its best. To help, we’ve created a summary of the most common skin types, including potential problem areas for each skin type, and the kind of products you should look for, to help get your skin in tip-top shape.

Mature Skin

There’s no getting around this… the very nature of time and gravity means that all of us have to deal with mature skin at some point! A consequence of the aging process, mature skin begins to develop from mid-life onwards and is characterized by wrinkles, sun-spots, a loss of volume, drier skin, and a crepe-y texture.

2. Causes of Mature Skin
The number one cause of mature skin is, of course, time. But its advent can be hastened (or delayed) by external factors such as environmental conditions (including excessive sun exposure), diet, exercise, skincare routine, stress, and mental outlook.

3. Common Mistakes Made in Caring for Mature Skin
It’s important to note that there’s no ‘fix’ for mature skin (unless someone’s invented a time machine that can send us back a few decades… anyone??). Instead, all we can do is care for it with love and attention (more on this below) and avoid these common mistakes which can hasten the aging process.

• Never neglect the neck! We’re often so focused on caring for our face that we forget the skin on our neck, even though it’s as exposed to the elements as our face. This can lead to sagging skin over time. As a general rule, whatever we apply to our face, including serum and sunscreen, should also be applied to our neck area.
• Don’t forget that the sun comes out in winter too. Most of us are well aware of how important it is to apply sunscreen (and wear a hat) if we want to protect ourselves against UV rays and rapid aging. What’s easier to forget is that this is a year-round task, and not simply a requirement of hot summer days.
• Skipping our night-time skincare routine. When we’re tired, it’s oh-so- tempting simply to fall into our beds, merely splashing our faces with water and waving the toothbrush in the general direction of our mouth before we do. It might feel right, even necessary, in the moment, but it’s not so good for our skin. Simply beyond removing our makeup (which is ultra-important for healthy skin), we should also implement a replenishing night-time skincare routine (cleanser, serum or face oil, night-cream as a minimum) to help slow down the effects of aging.
• Indulging in long, hot baths. Yep. Here we go again, warning against long hot baths… They can be great for the soul, of course, but just be aware of the trade- off for your skin, which will experience a reduction in natural oils and age faster if it’s exposed to too many hot bathing sessions. For the same reason, washing our face in overly hot water should also be avoided.
• H2O – friend, not foe. As we age, our skin commonly becomes drier, losing the supply of natural oils that helped keep it elastic and glowing in our younger years. To compensate, we often turn to richer moisturizers to help hydrate our skin from the outside. But… it’s just as important to hydrate from the inside too, drinking sufficient water to prevent the kind of dehydration which makes fine lines and wrinkles all the more apparent.
• Comfort foods… and that extra glass of wine. We work hard, we get tired, we retreat into the comfort provided by sugary or salty processed foods and – just maybe – that extra glass of wine. Again, there’s a trade-off here, relaxing in the moment versus the health of our skin and our general wellbeing. It’s a decision each of us needs to make for ourselves.

• Choose the right cleanser. The cleanser we used in our teens and twenties is almost certainly not the cleanser we should be using now. Avoiding cleansers (and other cleaning agents) which are full of surfactants and other synthetics that strip the skin of oils, and leave it dry and irritated, is super-important. Using a gentle, replenishing cleanser that helps maintain pH balance - like our Clean Slate, Fruit Acid Complex Cleanser – is a great starting point when it comes to caring for mature skin.
• Follow a consistent, hydrating, skincare routine. When you have mature skin, beating back ‘the dry’ is no easy task. To keep on top of things, you need to keep your skin replenished and hydrated around the clock. This means using a toner and a serum, as well as a rich, restorative moisturizer. As always, we recommend quality natural products for this - products without harsh synthetic chemicals, formulated to keep the skin hydrated and in balance. If you’re in the market for a premium skincare routine for mature skin, then we recommend the following:

• We are what we eat. In addition to consuming processed foods and alcohol in moderation (see above), we should also consider a diet rich in foods that have proven anti-aging qualities. Perhaps unsurprisingly, numerous studies have shown that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables provides exactly the kind of nutrients we need to support well-aging and combat dull complexions and fine lines. Eat the rainbow and you may well discover a pot of gold, at least as far as your skin is concerned!
• Massage. Learning how to give yourself a facial massage can be transformative for your mature skin (there are plenty of easy-to-follow routines on YouTube). Among other things, facial massages can help to sculpt the face, improve blood flow, tone the tissues, and boost collagen production.
• Meditate. This might be unexpected, but meditation is not only good for dealing with stress (which can cause rapid aging) but helps us to live longer and look younger! That’s because - as research has shown - it helps keep our telomeres in good order. This is a real plus, given these ‘caps’ at the ends of our chromosomes have been found to play an important role in the aging process.
• Humidify. Because mature skin can quickly become dry or dehydrated, keeping a humidifier on hand, particularly during the winter months, can help us maintain hydration levels and support healthy, glowing skin.