5-Step Brightening Skincare Routine
There are days or sometimes weeks when our skin is not that...radiant. Maybe it's the Winter, and cold, harsh winds are too much to handle, perhaps it's a stressful month at work, or maybe you've been having a few sleepless nights.
Besides these factors, getting older may also contribute to losing skin brightness due to loss of collagen, dehydration, and pigmentation. Oh, and let's not forget the damage too much sun exposure can cause!
Luckily, there is a solution to these issues called brightening skincare. Stick with us and find out the 5-step brightening skincare routine we swear by!
Brightening Skincare
But what is brightening skincare exactly? There is no trademark or legal term, so ‘brightening’ can be anything from softly fading age spots to harsh bleaching in some countries.
While bleaching is very harsh, let's leave those extreme cases aside this time and focus on the most commonly used description: a properly selected brightening skincare tones the skin, blocks pigment production, lifts the pigment and dark spots, helps increase cell turnover, and speeds up the renewal of the upper layers of the skin.
The Benefits of Skin Brightening
There are many benefits of skin brightening skincare, and one of the main ones is that these products can help get rid of or reduce the appearance of dark spots from scarring, acne, hormones, sun exposure, etc.
People suffering from dark circles, melasma, age spots and acne can benefit immensely too.
Brightening skincare also gives you a radiant and glowing complexion that makes you look rested, healthy and boosts confidence.
Besides the aesthetic benefits, brightening skincare products also nourish and moisturise the skin and depending on the ingredients, may deliver a dose of much-needed antioxidants or replenish skin hydration.
Ingredients for Glowing Skin
Not sure how to choose the best products? Read the product label carefully and look for brightening skincare ingredients which deliver incredible results! Here's a little cheat sheet for your next shopping trip.
Antioxidants
One of the leading causes of dull skin is environmental pollution and sun damage. To counteract the harmful UV rays and pollution particles, you need skincare with antioxidants such as Vitamin C, pomegranate, turmeric etc.
Pomegranate
Pomegranate protects the skin from the sun and environmental damage. It also helps boost cell and collagen production, improves the skin's hydration and elasticity and is one of the brightening skincare ingredients you want.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is an almost magical skincare ingredient that can work wonders on dull and tired skin. Skincare with Vitamin C protects your skin from free radicals, reduces the appearance of fine lines and age spots. It also boosts collagen production and helps your skin regenerate, looking healthier and glowing. Australian native plants such as Kakadu Plum are a great source of Vitamin C!
Vitamin C Brightening Serum with Kakadu Plum, Turmeric & Rosehip
Learn More About Vitamin C Brightening Serum
Turmeric
Turmeric is a miracle worker in skincare and if you're looking for brightening results, make sure you incorporate it into your routine. It's anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and antioxidant, it can help with psoriasis, acne, eczema, wound healing, and its antioxidant curcumin helps to lighten pigmentation. Oh, and let's not forget turmeric helps slow down the skin ageing process!
Vitamin E
Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that protects our skin from free radicals and the damage they cause, slows down ageing, is anti-inflammatory and is an excellent moisturiser.
Green tea and white tea
Green tea is excellent for internal and external purposes due to its high antioxidant content which fight free radicals and oxidative stress caused by them.
White tea also has potent antioxidants which brighten skin texture and fight free radicals, reducing the appearance of fine lines.
Papaya
This tropical fruit is delicious, but it also has powerful skin-brightening properties due to the enzyme papain, an exfoliator that removes the dead cells. Papaya also contains beta-carotene and plant compounds that make the skin glow.
How to Brighten Dull Skin
Besides brightening skincare products, you can do a few other things to brighten dull and tired skin.
Hydrate
Staying hydrated is essential to healthy and radiant skin. If you don't drink enough water, your skin will dehydrate, lose elasticity, and become dull.
Start the day with a big glass of water and keep hydrating through the day. The recommendations for daily water intake vary, but you should have at least 8 glasses daily, so keep that water flask handy!
Balance & Replenish Light Moisturiser with Calendula, Red Mandarin & Pumpkin
Learn More About Balance & Replenish Light Moisturiser
Massage
When using your brightening products, don't just quickly rub them in, but do some facial massage when you have the time. It's great to use face oil for massages that help the products soak in. It also increases circulation and gives your Skin that healthy flush.
Self-care
Life gets busy, and it's easy to keep working or running errands non-stop. Well, you shouldn't! Self-care may have become a buzzword, but it doesn't mean we should forget to take time to relax and unwind.
Self-care also means different things to people, so decide what it is for you - is it soaking in a bath, enjoying a luxurious cup of tea or taking a restorative yoga class. Relaxation and well-being can do wonders for your health and by extension, your skin!
Step-by-step guide
So how do you create the best brightening skincare routine, and what are the brightening skincare must-haves?
Here's our step-by-step guide we swear by!
Step 1
Cleanser
First, you need to prepare your skin by cleansing it properly. Removing makeup and the daily grime is essential for keeping the skin healthy, pores unclogged and ready to soak up all that skincare goodness.
We are huge fans of double cleansing and recommend removing the makeup and first layer of dirt with a soft creamy cleanser and then washing the face with a wash-off cleanser. This will ensure the impurities and dead skin cells are gone, immediately revealing a healthy, luminous complexion.
Step 2
Exfoliate
While you don't need to exfoliate every day, using an exfoliating tool at least once a week will help to gently remove dead skin cells, increase circulation and brighten dull skin. Use our Skin Therapy Glow System for the best results.
Step 3
Serum
Skin serum helps deliver all those powerful brightening skincare ingredients. Our Vitamin C Brightening Serum with Kakadu Plum, Turmeric & Rosehip gets your skin glowing with radiance and health. It stimulates collagen and elastin production and is rich in vitamins. The serum helps combat sun damage, restore the skin's balance and improve the appearance of fine lines.
Hello, lighter, tighter and brighter complexion!
Step 4
Moisturiser
Deep moisturisation is key to giving your skin everything it needs to glow. Whether you have sensitive or normal skin, our Balance & Replenish Light Moisturiser with Calendula, Red Mandarin & Pumpkin
Perfect in our Sensitive Skin Nourish & Support kit will leave your skin plumped, restored, and glowing.
Step 5
Face oil
To boost your skin health while you sleep, apply a luxurious face oil in the evening. Our best-selling Six Oils of Rejuvenation boosts collagen, moisture, promotes elasticity, rejuvenates, heals, soothes, and brightens dry, stressed skin.
To find out which products will work best for your skin, take our Skin Quiz.