7 Ways To Improve Your Skin While Social Distancing

 

Right now, things are unusual, to say the least. We hope you’re staying well and heeding the CDC advice to curtail all non-essential outings. While none of this is easy, if you’re able to work from home and you’re well, there is much to be grateful for. And there are some upsides to being stuck at home—working in pajamas, Netflix breaks, time to organize all your cupboards. We’ve got a few more ideas for how to make the most of self-isolation by practicing some self-care that will benefit your skin and your sanity.

 

1. Go Makeup-Free

Social distancing is the perfect time to give your skin a break from makeup and give pores a chance to detox. Makeup can clog pores and slow cell turnover. Removing foundation from the equation will speed the results of your products and enhance your glow.

 

2. Don’t Slack on Your Skincare Routine

Stay consistent with your regimen that includes a cleanser, toner, corrector. And keep talking to your aesthetician. Even though you can’t go in for a facial, you can still get personalized expert advice and products. Most Vivant aestheticians are offering consultations via Skype or Zoom. And they are still shipping products directly to you.

 

3. Eat Well

The good news? You’ve finally got time to cook and prepare all the healthy meals you’ve been saving to your Pinterest food board. The bad news? The grocery store is a post-apocalyptic wasteland, and Amazon’s Whole Foods delivery is overwhelmed with orders and can’t get to you till next week.

 

This is a chance to help your community. Many local restaurants with high-quality, healthy choices are offering broader take-out options, free delivery, or curbside pickup. Some are even selling their raw pantry goods and making them available for curbside pickup. Let’s help support them through this economically uncertain time, so they can keep staff on board and be there for us when we’re able to get out in the world again.

  

4. Catch up on Sleep

During sleep, your body regenerates and repairs the damage done throughout the day from UV and other environmental exposure. Sleep, especially deep sleep (i.e., the REM cycle), is the period when antioxidants get supercharged to fight free radicals. It’s also the time in which the growth hormones responsible for repairing and regenerating collagen-producing cells get to work. And cortisol, the stress hormone, which causes a thinning of the skin and an increase in oil production, is decreased during sleep.

 

Take advantage of your body’s nightly repair cycle by using products that boost cellular repair. With cellular repair and regeneration at its peak during the sleep cycle, this is the perfect time to use products that accelerate cell turnover and boost collagen production for maximum effect. Products that feature vitamin A, peptides and antioxidants are top of the list for night time renewal. A nourishing moisturizer is often a good choice for night too as skin tends to lose moisture during sleep.

  

5. It’s a Great Time to Mask

There’s nothing like a soothing, clarifying facial mask to calm your skin and your mind. A mask draws out impurities and grime to deep clean pores and infuse skin with nourishing elements.

 

And masks aren’t just for your face. Are your hands dry from all the washing? Try masking the back of your hands with Algae Soft Mask to help keep your skin barrier (your first line of defense from viruses) resilient.

 

You can use a mask anywhere you have a trouble spot. Back or chest acne? Sulfur Clay Mask. Decolletage need a lift? Algae Soft Mask. Skin that’s oily and dry? Multi-mask. Sulfur Clay Mask on the T-Zone. Algae Soft on cheeks and neck. You can even mask dry winter feet (Algae Soft).

  

6. Start the Skin Care Regimen of Your Dreams

If worries over the acclimation phase have ever kept you from trying a new regimen or bumping up to the next level of product you’re using, now is the time to do it. When you start a new Vivant regimen or bump up to the next level, your skin will go through an acclimation phase because the products are accelerating cell-turnover. That means everything is getting pulled to the surface, including any pimples that have been lurking under the surface. It also means skin may appear flaky or dry as dead cells rise to the surface to be shed away. The acclimation phase typically lasts 30 to 45 days, depending on the condition of your skin. Hopefully, if everyone does their part to flatten the curve, we’ll be emerging from our homes by then.

 

7. Try Not to Stress

These are difficult and uncertain times, and stress is a natural reaction. We can’t control the circumstances, but we can control our response to it. Do what you can to relieve the stress for yourself and others. Check on elderly neighbors. Drop food off on the doorstep. Facetime your friends. Drink a calming cup of antioxidant-rich tea. If you have downtime, work on a project you’ve been putting off. Get dressed for dinner and enjoy time with your family or roommates. Try a quarantini. Take comfort in knowing the whole world is experiencing this together, and together we’ll get through it.