New Year’s resolutions can be unrealistic and cliche. I myself have tried to make big promises to myself at the start of the year, only to lapse on those promises by February! 😂

What’s ironic, though, is that on the most random times outside of New Year’s, I have picked up certain habits and made personal improvements that stuck with me for good. I’ve learned that it’s possible to make profound changes, but you gotta start small. When you have a big goal, you can make it achievable through small, simple, concrete habits that add up to incremental improvements.

So, if your goal for 2024 is to have clear, glowing, beautiful skin, I’m right there with you! I’d like to share the easiest skincare habits that gradually improved my complexion. These are science-backed but also so simple and doable all year round. Try one or two as a New Year’s resolution – or as an “any-day resolution” – and get the ball rolling!

• Poor sleep breaks down skin integrity. Notice how your skin gets leathery, ashy, or dull when you haven’t slept? That’s because your body is not properly producing collagen, the primary component of the skin that should give it that smooth, supple texture. According to studies, sleep deprivation damages the body’s immune functions, which can include its collagen-producing response.
• Poor sleep drains skin hydration. Besides collagen, the water content in our skin is essential to keep it full and bouncy. No matter how much moisturizer you dump on your skin, it would be no use if your body itself cannot correctly retain hydration. That’s what happens when you restrict sleep, says one study. After just one day of limited sleep, the participants in that study lost skin hydration, causing their skin to be less elastic and thus wrinkly.
• Poor sleep ages skin cells. It’s a medical fact by now that sleep helps the body regulate hormones, and if that’s hindered, we become more vulnerable to physiological stressors. Scientists say sleep deprivation may even hinder our DNA’s ability to repair itself, particularly on our skin. This can result in signs of ageing such as wrinkles, dark circles, and age spots. Worse, they suggest that lack of sleep may increase our risk of cancer! If that’s not enough reason to sleep well, I don’t know what is.

So this is some good news for us night owls. We just have to limit our lost sleep to the absolute minimum, then make up for it by sleeping in as soon as we can. Think of it as a “sleep debt” that you have to restrict and then pay ASAP.

Now how do we make sure we get good-quality sleep when we do sleep? The experts at the Sleep Foundation have some great advice. Our favourite sleep tips? Spend an hour winding down before bedtime, in a soothing environment and without cellphones!

Speaking of bedtime, one timeless and sensible advice we always hear is to cleanse your face before going to sleep. Think about it: all the dust and pollution you encounter during the day, plus the products you wear from sun-up to sundown – they all accumulate on your face, clog your pores, and create a nice, rich bed for bacteria to grow. It’s gross and a major factor for breakouts and skin ageing. You don’t want to nurture this layer of gunk by letting it sit overnight.

Dermatologists agree it’s important to wash your face at night and to do it properly. Don’t worry, it’s not a complicated task at all. Here’s a simple routine to ensure your face is clean before you sleep.

A skin toner can be mystifying to many. What is it? What’s it for? Do you really need it for your skin? The answer is yes, toners are important in skincare! A skin toner is a light liquid that you apply on your face to hydrate it, balance its composition, and prime it for other products you may use. It’s formulated for you to achieve “toned” skin, which is one that looks clean, even, and refined.

Here are specific skin benefits that a good toner can provide:

It’s ideal to apply a toner right after you wash your face in the morning and in the evening. Once you’ve pat-dried your skin, soak a clean cotton pad with your toner of choice and swipe it over your face, neck, and collarbone area. Alternatively, you can use a spray-on toner, which you’ll simply spritz onto your face and neck, then pat down with clean fingers. Easy peasy!

Since toners are leave-on products that are easily absorbed by the skin, it’s essential to choose one that’s gentle and made of organic ingredients. You don’t want to leave harsh chemicals on your face!

I hate to be the bringer of bad news, but yes, achieving beautiful skin requires us to sacrifice those high-fat, high-salt, high-sugar foods we often crave. It’s a common observation that bingeing on chips leads to acne breakouts. But it’s not just anecdotal evidence that shows junk food as a bad guy. Scientists themselves have been observing the detrimental effects of processed food on our skin.

Of course, deep in our hearts, we’ve always known that cakes and chips aren’t the best for our skin. It’s just so hard to quit, right? The good news is, you don’t have to go cold turkey. Instead of punishing yourself with a total shunning of your guilty pleasures, you can gradually reduce your consumption of them, thus slowly conditioning your body to live with minimal amounts.

Nutritionist Teresa Fung and dietitian Karen Ensle offer these practical suggestions to wean off of (or minimize) junk food in our diet:

• Plan it out. Have a concrete number for how much you can indulge in a week. For example, you can allow yourself to eat three small bags of chips per week or one serve of ice cream every Saturday. In choosing your limit, pay attention to your own cravings and willpower. Make it realistic but also an honest-to-goodness reduction.
• Eat regular meals. It’s simple: if you eat adequate meals on time, you’re reducing the chance of getting hungry more often. Don’t skip breakfast, and don’t rely on finger foods for dinner. I would add that if you’re always in a rush during weekdays, look into the wonderful world of meal prep, which lets you prepare meals in advance to just grab and go later.
• Snack on healthy swaps. When you get a craving for processed food, see if you can replace it with a healthy alternative. Craving crunchy? Try nuts instead of chips. Sugary? Grab a fresh fruit instead of candy. Soda? Squeeze some fresh fruit juice instead. Even better, drink a glass of water to quench a simple thirst. (Yay, pure hydration!)
• Indulge slowly. When you do allow yourself to eat your favourite junk food, chew it slowly and really cherish the experience. We often just eat on autopilot by cramming food into our mouths without really noticing it. This time, pay attention to the taste and texture of the treat. After swallowing, notice the flavour that lingers before taking another bite. Not only does this enhance the experience, it also stretches any small amount of junk food on hand.
• Manage your stressors. Junk-food cravings intensify during periods of stress, anxiety, or depression. Be mindful of when this happens to you, and take concrete steps to manage how you’re feeling. Perhaps you already have an action plan from a counsellor, or perhaps you can reach out to a friend who’s ready to listen. Other stress-relievers that work for me are deep breathing, meditation, and a nice walk in the outdoors.

Sulforaphane is found in many cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower, kale, cabbage, bok choy, and good old broccoli. But it turns out that baby broccoli sprouts are especially packed with SFN, containing up to 100 times more of this compound than the mature plant does! This makes broccoli sprouts an underrated superfood for healthy skin.

So how do we reap the benefits of broccoli sprouts? Below are super-easy tips to include this superfood in your diet.

What do broccoli sprouts taste like? Mostly bland but with a barely noticeable spice to them. They’re stringy and crunchy, just like other kinds of vegetable sprouts.

Scientists believe that applying sulforaphane directly on the skin can work as a powerful sunscreen. Direct application can be done with broccoli sprout extract, but be aware that this is a fairly new area of pharmacology. If you’re thinking of trying broccoli extract, do discuss it with your dermatologist first.

Personally, I am a huge fan of just eating baby broccoli – it’s easy to incorporate in your diet and generally safe. I love it so much that I’ve grown my own broccoli sprouts instead of buying them from the store! You can learn more about this, including how to grow your own broccoli sprouts at home, by reading our blog post here.

I can’t let this post end without reminding you that these skincare resolutions are just guideposts, not absolute rules. Don’t be too hard on yourself if you can’t sleep on time or miss toning for a day. The important thing is realising the error and then picking up where you left off.

That said, which of these skincare habits would be the most doable for you this 2024? You can pick more than one, or all of them!

Here’s me cheering you on for a lovely new year – whenever you decide to start it. 💖

xx,

Judit

Additional references:

https://www.self.com/story/how-to-wash-your-face

https://www.realsimple.com/how-to-cook-with-broccoli-sprouts-6744616

https://glowingorchid.com/blogs/news/8-best-vegan-foods-for-amazing-skin