'I’m a beauty writer. Here’s 5 things I do to improve my skin’s resilience.'

Let’s be honest, sometimes looking after your skin feels hard. 

Your skin barrier has a lot thrown at it and its resilience is constantly being tested by changing temperatures, long work days and anything else life likes to throw at you. I have dealt with my fair share of uncomfortable or red and textured skin thanks to a damaged skin barrier. 

Now don’t worry, I’m done being the bad news fairy. So, I’m here to share with you five easy ways to help boost that skin resilience. 

1. Avoid hot water

I know this one sucks because we all love a hot shower, but you’ll be doing your skin a favour by turning that temperature down a little when it comes to washing your face. When your water is too hot, it can inflame the skin and cause redness and irritation. It can also disrupt the natural moisture balance in the skin, stripping away natural occurring oils that help keep the skin moisturised and soft. 

Instead, turn that temp down a bit so that the water is warm and don’t wash your face directly under the shower head, instead use your hands or a gentle washcloth. 

2. Prioritise a skin strengthening and nourishing routine

Focusing on hydration and nourishing products in your routine doesn’t mean it has to be boring. No matter what your biggest skin concern is, your skin can always benefit from some hydration and a little support. 

If you’re looking for something that wraps this all into one, the fresh Tea Elixir Skin Resilience Activating Serum is for you. I love reaching for it because it’s got a formula that’s backed by over 15 years of research and bottles up a number of skin-loving, barrier strengthening ingredients like niacinamide, 5kDa hyaluronic acid and ceramide III. 

The true hero though is their exclusive Patented Adaptive Phytocompound Tea Technology. If that sounds super smart and impressive, that’s because it is. It’s a skin resilience activating ingredient that is the result of an innovative exclusive extraction process where the adaptive properties of the Mauritius tea plant are captured to do two key things. One, to deliver antioxidant protection and two, to increase the skin's bioenergetic systems, which is the fuel our skin cells need to function at its full potential to resist daily life stressors which are what cause up to 90 percent of the visible signs of ageing.

After adding this serum to my routine for a month, I simply can't get enough of its lightweight texture that easily absorbs into the skin, making my skincare routine a breeze while still giving my skin the best care possible.

3. Don’t overdo it with the actives

Whilst incorporating active skincare such as exfoliating acids or retinols into your skincare routine can be a great way to tackle some of your skin goals, using too many or too often can end up being detrimental to our skin barrier. fresh's Tea Elixir can help protect the skin barrier when using active products, and is a great substitute on non-active ingredient days to help keep the skin barrier strong.

Image: Supplied. 

4. Protect your skin from the sun

Now this is important always, but I will take any opportunity to give you a reminder. UV rays can do all kinds of damage to the skin, including impairing the barrier performance, leading to irritation or dullness. Remember to apply and reapply your SPF everyday, including on rainy days. Also, avoid prolonged sun exposure. 

Additional measures such as wearing protective clothing, a hat and sunglasses are also good options for a multi-pronged approach. Trust me, improving your sun safety habits is one of the greatest things you can do for your skin overall, not just strengthening your barrier.  

5. Be gentle with yourself

We could all do with being a little more gentle with ourselves in general, but right now I’m talking about cleansing. I know we’ve all tried to deal with stubborn eyeliner that’s turned into a tug of war and left our poor skin worse for wear. When it comes to cleansing, try to avoid harsh scrubbing, especially around the more sensitive eye area. 

Picking a more moisturising formula, like a cleansing oil or balm, can also help. The oils in the formula do the hard work for us by starting to break down makeup or SPF more easily. All, you need to do is go in with a damp cloth, I recommend a softer material like muslin, and wipe it away.

There we have it. Supporting your skin barrier with some easy routine changes and the right skincare can absolutely make a difference and help your skin feel stronger and more resilient to those pesky everyday life stressors.

fresh's Tea Elixir Skin Resilience Activating Serum, boosts skin's resilience leaving your skin smooth, bouncy and glowy. Available now at Sephora.

Feature Image: Supplied/Mamamia.