Why is my skin looking so dull?

Skin looking dull has got to be one of the most disheartening things, especially if you take particularly good care of it! There are some days that it just isn’t playing ball, and if you have ever noticed your skin not looking it’s best and a little lacklustre, maybe even grey in appearance then here are 5 reasons for it, and how you can stop it from happening again!

Stress

Work getting on top of you? Had a blazing row with someone? Not getting enough sleep and burning the candle at both ends? It all builds up and it shows your face. If you are finding that everyday stresses are taking their toll, here is an easy trick on how to give your skin a little help to get it’s glow back.

• Use a cream-based cleanser and work the product into your skin, don't be mimsy, apply a good amount of pressure and work in circular movements all over the face. The pressure and motion will give your blood circulation a boost and bring it to the surface of the skin, making it appear fuller and plumped
• Don’t worry if the above technique isn’t your cup of tea, you can always try cleansing with a microfibre cloth or flannel, both work harder than hands on the skin, but are still gentle enough to avoid irritation.
• Seeing as your skin is looking dull due to stress, this seems like the perfect time to book yourself in for a professional facial, so why not treat yourself!

The build-up of dead skin cells

Imagine a tabletop covered in dust, you can’t see the lovely varnished wood underneath all that mess. Well same goes for your skin, dead skin cells naturally fall off the skin but a lot of the time there can be a build-up causing the skin to lose it’s glow and instead look rather dull and even a little ashy. Here is how you can restore some health back to your face.

• Be sure to use a scrub one to two times a week to rid your face of any lingering dead skin cells. Procoal’s exfoliating face scrub is great for all skin types as you are able to dial down the intensity of the scrub by adding more water to the face before applying the scrub.
• Instead of a scrub, you could also use a liquid exfoliate such as an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) or beta hydroxy acid (BHA) these are simple and easy to use, pour onto a cotton disc and swipe across the face avoiding the eyes. Let the acids do the work, you don’t need to rub in the product excessively. You may notice on the disc some grey looking residue, that’s the dead skin cells!

Pollution

Now I understand you are all busy and the idea of staying indoors for the rest of your days seems ludicrous, but unfortunately, pollution does certainly have an impact on the skin causing inflammation and disrupting the skin’s moisture barrier. Pollution also brings free radicals onto the face, which in turn lead to damaging collagen causing, you guessed it, wrinkles! To keep the skin as safe as possible from pollution do the following.

• PM: Remove all your makeup and then double cleanse the skin, opt for something a little more powerful than your hands and try a face brush or muslin cloth to deeply cleanse the skin.
• AM: Pack your skin in the mornings with tonnes of antioxidants found in a lot of moisturisers, vitamin C is my personal favourite for bringing the glow back to the skin and evening out the skin’s tone too.

Dehydration

Any skin type can be dehydrated, and although drinking enough water does generally help with your overall health, sometimes it just can’t help the skin as much as needed. Dehydrated skin looks grey, dull and you may even notice more lines to the face too! Here is how to combat dehydration.

• Use a Hyaluronic acid, usually found in serums this acid is one your skin will adore, you will literally hear it drinking it all up. Apply it in the morning for a super plump and dewy look to the skin, it also makes a great start to applying flawless makeup.
• Also always moisturise, even if you are of an oily skin type. Choosing emollients will give your skin a film of moisture trapping hydration too.

Overexposure to the sun

Yes, you guessed it I’m going to tell you something that we all know, yet I am still shocked by how many of you still expose your skin to too much sun! When your skin is overexposed to the harmful UV rays of the sun you will find it becomes mottled in appearance and also dull with hyperpigmentation (dark spots causing uneven skin tone) I have a couple of tips for protecting your skin to sun damage.

• This one is pretty obvious I know, and not meaning to sound too Baz Luhrmann, but wear sunscreen. Wear it daily if you are out in the sun or not, you don’t need to be on holiday to worry about the sun causing some problems to the skin, such as premature ageing and dark spots.
• Using a retinol product at night will help with evening out the skin’s tone, but don’t use it during the day as the UV rays dissolve it and making it useless, save it for the evenings! You can also team your retinol with a vitamin C for a powerful pigment fighting duo!

So there you have some examples of why your skin is looking so dull, there also many other factors to consider, such as hormone imbalance, poor diet and ill health, but using the advice I have shared will be the easiest way to restore the glow back to your face in no time at all!