By Alyssa Boddicker
As much as we love the London life, The Big Smoke can take a toll on our skin. When it comes to skincare we think protecting ourselves from aging, sunlight, and the weather – but don’t really think about what’s in the air around us everyday. Especially in larger urban environments, the air is filled with dirt and grime that can build up in the skin and cause some serious issues. We put together what you need to know about anti-pollution skin care, what products we recommend, as well as a couple of helpful hints in protecting your skin against the concrete jungle.
How does Pollution affect your skin?
We all think about the bigger picture of air pollution, but don’t really think about how it targets us directly and on a daily basis. Toxins in the air can damage skin and cause it to age prematurely, which is something we kindly say no thank you to. Dirt and dust in the air can also clog pores and cause acne as well, which is nothing any of us want. As all this smog, dirt, and dust come in contact with UV rays, they create these things called free radicals, which are basically our worst nightmare. They attack cells and damage DNA, strip skin of moisture, and cause all of those things we don’t want plus discoloration, fine lines and wrinkles.
How can we prevent these tragedies you ask? Antioxidants are a key to combatting pollution seeping into your skin. Antioxidants can block free radicals and the damage they can cause your skin. So don’t you worry, here are the products and tips to protect yourself against what some are dubbing as “London Face”.
Products to Help
Kiehl’s Cilantro and Orange Extract Pollutant Defending Masque (£28): This new masque from Kiehl’s is jam-packed with nourishing ingredients that clean out and also work to protect skin from damaging pollutants. Cilantro isn’t just a garnish anymore, as an ingredient it actually encourages skin barrier regeneration to defend against outside pollution. Orange extract offers a skin refresher as it helps to prevent aging and acne, two effects of polluted skin. Check out this article to learn more about these new Kiehl’s masques.
Bobbi Brown Instant Detox Mask (£33): For days when you really need to get in there and clean out all the city grime from your skin, Bobbi Brown’s Instant Detox mask is your answer. It’s clay-based formula of Hawaiian Sea Water and Amazonian White Clay (how exotic!) extracts pore-clogging impurities while keeping in moisture. Only needed once a week or whenever you feel like the tube was extra grimy, this mask will leave you skin feeling like it’s just left a tropical island and not a smoggy city.
Estée Lauder Day Wear Advanced Multi-Protection Anti-Oxidant Cream (£39): This cream is ideal for all skin types with it’s oil-free formula that is ideal for protecting against the damaging urban air with it’s Super Anti-Oxidant Complex, a key ingredient in protecting skin against pollution. Perfect to put on underneath makeup before taking on your day in the city, the lightweight formula, antioxidant protection, and added SPF25 will have you fully shielded against anything London may throw at you.
Elizabeth Arden Superstart Skin Renewal Booster (£45): Driven by the idea to repair, transform, and optimize, this high-tech looking product aims to strengthen skins natural defenses, something ideal for protecting skin against the city. It’s texture is somewhere between a moisturizer and a serum, which easily melts into the skin to be used after cleansing. We tried it out and our skin was left feeling fresh and bright. To check out our full review, click here!
Clarins Extra-Comfort Anti-Pollution Cleansing Cream (£25): The perfect everyday solution to cleaning off the city dirt, this cleanser was created to target stubborn polluted skin from urban environments. With Moringa, Shea and mango extracts, this creamy cleanser is easy on the skin yet still restores the skins purity to its former glory, how refreshing.
Dermalogica Climate Control Lip Treatment (£8.20): With all this attention to the skin on our face, let’s not forget the skin on our lips! Dermalogica have formulated a special lip treatment to protect lips from the elements while nourishing them with an “environmental shield” of shea butter, oat extract, and Vitamin E. Vitamin E is also an essential ingredients in protecting against the outdoor elements, so we’re sold.
Bourjois City Radiance Foundation (£10): The first thing we noticed about Bourjois’ City Radiance Foundation was the lovely, fresh smell. After trying it out, we though that this foundation provided a natural matte but still luminous like finish without drying out our skin, a great balance. The best part of this foundation though is it’s blocks pollution from carbon particles, dirt and UV rays with it’s anti-pollution screen and SPF 30. There’s also the added bonus of radiance boosting pigments to brighten up the foundation on our skin, so we are left with glowy, protected, and radiant looking faces for the day ahead.
Skin Protecting Tips
In addition to all the products we mentioned, we thought we’d add a few tips that will also help your skin from getting too damaged by pollution from urban environments.
We recommend that you most importantly wash your face daily to make sure none of the daily dirt transfers to the next day. Exfoliating is also important to do really get into the skin and scrub off dead skin and hard to reach dirt. However, it’s important not to over exfoliate, twice a week is plenty to keep your skin fresh. We love to use this Magnitone London Barefaced! Vibra-Sonic Daily Cleansing Brush as an exfoliating tool to really get into the skin where your hands can’t go, check out our full review here!
Food is a huge part of looking after your skin, too. Greasy food, too much dairy or wheat, and a variety of other things can all affect our skin. In order to protect our skin from the inside out – the best thing to eat is antioxidant rich foods. Antioxidants, as we mentioned earlier, helps block the skin from free radical damage, aka pollution damage. Some of our fave eats are blueberries, darker colored grapes (they have more antioxidants than green), walnuts, kale, sweet potatoes and orange veg. Looking for a drink? Have a cup of green tea and get your daily dose of antioxidants at the same time!
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