How to Make Monday Your Best Skin Day
How to make Monday your best skin day - is it possible?? For anyone who has watched Office Space, the infamous line "Sounds like somebody's got a case of the Mondays," grudgingly rings true when we leave for work with dark bags under our eyes and downing three cups of joe. However, there are methods to not have such comments repeated week after week, and to make Monday your best day. The weekend serves as an opportunity to heal the stress you weathered and to rejuvenate, thus making Monday an opportunity to be your best skin day. Dr. Bailey has a few tricks she uses to refresh her complexion and to look her best at the start of the week. When you feel good on the outside, it can boost how you feel on the inside too.
Four Tips to Make Monday Your Best Skin Day
1. Practice Good Sleep Hygiene
Poor sleep hygiene has been considered an important factor in the development or exacerbation of several chronic diseases: depression, chronic pain, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, osteoporosis, and heart disease. Although maintaining good sleep patterns may seem difficult, especially if you work swing or grave yard shifts, it is important to strive for at least the minimum sleep that adults need. This magic number is seven hours (seven to eight hours is recommended).
Lack of sleep not only impacts your health, but it also starts to show its wear on your skin as Dr. Bailey explained in her original blog post: Your Face Really Is More Attractive After a Good Night's Sleep.
If you are having trouble sleeping, consult your local physician if you suspect you have a sleep disorder or check out The Sleep Foundation's tips. Here are a few of their tips:
- Prep your room for sleep. Keep it dark, cool, and noise free. Don't use computers or watch TV in your bed to train your mind to signal your bed is for sleeping only.
- Avoid large meals before bedtime. Eat dinner two to three hours before bed to allow your meal to properly digest and not disrupt your sleep.
- Develop a bedtime ritual to help wind down. Alleviate stimulation and stress, engaging in calm activity such as reading or meditating. This will create a more restful state that allows for gradual and successful transition from "awake" to "sleep".
2. Brighten your skin with Stronger Exfoliation Methods or Mask Treatments on the Weekend
Use some of your weekend time to revamp your skin. If you are currently using low-grade glycolic acid daily during the week, you might bump it up a notch for more rapid skin turnover over the weekend. Dr. Bailey's Glycolic Acid Face Cream comes in 15 and 20% strength options.
Dr. Bailey also loves clay masks for oily skin with engorged pores. She loves deeply hydrating hyaluronic acid masks for limp or crepey skin. Pick up one and give it a try while taking a relaxing bath.
For your body, use Dr. Bailey's Ultra-Fast Body Smoothing Kit. which you use one to two times a week or more if your skin can handle it. The kit includes instructions, powerful AHA exfoliating products, and easy-to-use physical exfoliation cloth.
3. Use Overnight Creams and Lotions to Target Specific Skin Issues
On the weekend, take advantage of your healthy sleep cycle for skin repair and replenishment by combining it with skin-transforming night creams. Dr. Bailey's favorite overnight skin care products are her Retinol Intensive Anti-Wrinkle Creams that contain high strength professional and stable retinol, the best anti-wrinkle ingredient available over the counter. Retinol is also a great ingredient in the battle against acne. It helps soften the appearance of acne scars and fights uneven skin pigment.
Dr. Bailey's anti-wrinkle creams are paired with hyaluronic acid and green tea to deeply hydrate your skin, reload antioxidants and fend off irritation in the process. Layer Retinol under Glycolic Acid for even better brighter skin on Monday!
4. On Monday Morning Apply Mineral Makeup on top of Sunscreen Primers for Natural Look
Heavy makeup often clogs pores and is a recipe for disaster for your skin, especially for the rest of the week. To start off on the right foot, go with mineral powders applied over your favorite skin care products. Get great coverage and a natural look with Dr. Bailey's Mineral Makeup layered over one of her zinc oxide sunscreens. Your skin care will be the most powerful anti-aging skin care to fight wrinkles and uneven pigment when you start each day like this.
Dr. Bailey's efficient and effective trick for every morning is to use a sunscreen that functions as a primer and that has tinting to soften complexion flaws such as her Sheer Strength Pure Physical Matte Tinted SPF 50 Sunscreen. If you want a product without tinting, try her Sheer Strength Pure Physical Invisible SPF 50 Sunscreen.
Monday may be the hardest day to drag yourself out of bed, but when your skin looks great, you'll feel great faster. Make Monday your best skin day! The effects will show through the rest of the week and help you to maintain your glowing skin. Together, with good sleep, a brightening exfoliation treatment, a powerful overnight skin product, and brilliant sunscreen topped with natural mineral makeup, we can make Monday our best skin day!
Written by Angela, a member of the Dr. Bailey Skin Care Team in 2015 and now a Nurse Practitioner!