Collaborative post
Being a parent is certainly a full-time role; anyone will tell you that. From the moment you wake until the moment you go to sleep, you are consistently thinking of what you can do both for and with your children. As a result, many parents find their own needs get put on the back burner. Even without realising, many parents neglect their own needs to ensure their children’s needs are met to the fullest extent.
While this could be considered a normal part of being a parent, it is a habit that you should make an effort to avoid. Taking care of yourself is just as important as taking care of your children, so practising good habits and making sure you set aside some time for yourself should be at the top of your agenda. This includes looking after your general health and well-being, as well as the likes of your skincare.
Some busy mums out there might find they ignore their skincare to spend a bit more time chasing after their children, which could lead to a build-up of dirt and grime and lead to a breakout of sorts. With this in mind, we have compiled a list of skincare tips below, tailored for the modern busy mum. Get yourself five minutes peace and quiet, and read on for more!
Stay Hydrated
Drinking lots of water has numerous benefits for the body, including contributing towards the way that your skin looks. While we have every faith that you would be doing what you can to stay hydrated at the best of times, this is something that you should consider doing even more when wanting to make a difference to the appearance of your skin.
Buying a water bottle to carry around with you is one way to encourage yourself to drink water. At the same time, you could even consider setting a timer on your phone to alert you at different times throughout the day. Hydration helps ensure that your skin produces enough elastin and collagen, which in turn minimises skin sagging and ensuring that skin colouration and pigmentation remains as healthy as possible too.
There are other ways that you can help minimise skin sagging and discolouration, which takes us to the following section.
Quit Smoking
While this might not relate to every mother reading this piece, it is sure to relate to some people. Cigarette smoke can impact the elastin and collagen within your skin, leading to wrinkles around the eyes and the mouth. At the same time, eczema and other dry skin conditions could form, which are sure to interrupt your day-to-day routine as a mother. While there are measures you can take to treat the dry skin conditions that you are experiencing, it might also be worth considering what the benefits of quitting smoking would be.
While quitting smoking is sure to have impacts on other areas of your life, it could also help in the appearance of your skin. Establishing how giving up cigarettes could help your skin to look better might feel challenging, but exploring blog posts from those who have done this before will give you a better idea of what to expect in your journey.
Eat a Healthy Diet
Similar to how staying hydrated helps clear up the appearance of your skin, eating a healthy diet goes a long way in helping too. While nothing stops you from indulging in that well-earned Friday night treat, you should do what you can to minimise how much junk food you are consuming in the long run. Eating copious amounts of junk food affects your health in quite a few ways, so you want to ensure you are eating the right balance of food groups.
We have every faith that you are providing your children with a balanced diet; make sure to extend these habits to your own diets as well. Eating a hearty portion of fruit and vegetables each day ensures that your body is getting the right nutrients, which will ultimately contribute to the elasticity and colouration of your skin. What’s more, certain food groups provide your body with the nutrients needed to ensure that your skin is as blemish-free as possible; what more could you want?
Use SPF
Protecting your skin from the effects of the sun is something that we have been taught from a young age. While you might spend most of your time ensuring that your child is adequately protected when going out and about, you should also do what you can to protect yourself. Wearing SPF goes beyond just wearing it during the sunnier, warmer months; you should also be wearing it throughout the rest of the year as well.
Daily SPF is often found in moisturisers that you could use in your day-to-day routine and provides your skin with the protection it needs against the sun’s rays. Meanwhile, you could go beyond this and cover up any exposed skin during the stronger hours of the day and avoid direct sunlight by seeking out the shade. Sunburn on your face could cause scarring should you experience bad burns. At the same time, recurrent sunburn can also cause wrinkles and dark spots. Wearing SPF and other sun protectors on your face ensures that it remains as supple and soft as possible.
Wash Your Face
This might seem like a bit of a given, but you should do what you can to wash your face daily. While you might sometimes struggle to find the time to do this alongside juggling childcare, it is important when wanting to keep your skin clear and to improve its appearance.
This is not to say that you have to implement a ten-step skincare routine either. Not only can these be time-consuming in a role that is already consumed by other responsibilities, but they could also be costly too due to the range of products required. Simply choosing a soft cleanser and a moisturiser can make a world of difference and can easily be fitted into your routine between your children’s bathtime and bedtime!