Dull Skin Problems? Here’s How to Naturally Get Your Glow Back

Show us a person who doesn’t want a healthy, glowing complexion and we’ll be shocked! Glowing skin can give the appearance that you’re “lit from within.” And in many cases, a glowing complexion means that you can skip the foundation step in your makeup routine.But bright, healthy skin doesn’t just happen by simply wishing it into existence. 

Skin brightening shouldn’t be confused with whitening or lightening your skin—which can expose you to harsh chemicals and can also do a number on self-esteem by giving the impression that only fair skin is acceptable or beautiful.In contrast, everyone can benefit from working to achieve a glowing complexion—regardless of your skin tone, age, or gender.Skin brightening focuses on banishing dullness, reducing hyperpigmentation, and removing dry, flaky skin, which can make you look tired, with uneven tone. Thankfully, brightening your skin doesn’t have to involve questionable ingredients or practices. 

What you need to know about skin brightening

As we said in the beginning, skin brightening is a good practice that doesn’t need to be complicated or use harsh chemicals that could make the skin more sensitive.

You can focus on brightening through a variety of options, depending on your overall objectives. Additionally, these strategies can be applied to any part of your body, not just your face.

Four main steps are needed to brighten the skin: removing dead skin cells, exfoliating, moisturizing, and While cleansing and exfoliating are always the first two steps, you can customize the other two based on your specific skin care concerns.

Also keep in mind that if you have sensitive skin, you might not need to exfoliate every day, and in many cases you shouldn’t.

Cleansing

Your skin will need to be cleansed first because, regardless of how effective a brightening or cellular turnover product is, it won’t work as well on dirty skin. Additionally, cleansing your skin ensures that any subsequent products can penetrate the skin’s layers.

Exfoliation

Like cleansing, exfoliation removes dry, flaky skin that can make the skin look dull and have a rougher texture. Chemical or manual exfoliation are both viable options. Your skin type will affect how often you exfoliate, but most people do it once to three times a week.

Cell turnover

Increasing cellular turnover is one key to brightening your complexion. The majority of the time, you’ll need to change your diet or use a serum with a lot of antioxidants.

Topical serums like retinol, which are designed to penetrate the layers of your skin, are typically used to achieve cellular turnover. However, for maximum effectiveness, serums should typically not be applied until after you have cleansed and exfoliated your skin.

Moisturizing

After applying your preferred serums, cleansing, and exfoliating, it’s time to moisturize. You are now concentrating on maintaining hydration. If you have dry skin, you might prefer a moisturizer that is thicker, like one that is based on ceramides, or you might want something lighter to avoid clogging pores if you have normal or oily skin.

10 Ways To Naturally Brighten Your Skin

Reduce your alcohol intake

The skin can be seriously dehydrated and dulled by alcohol. If you feel the need for a drink but don’t want to see the effects on your skin, try drinking water with it instead. It can also increase blood flow to the skin’s surface, giving some people a flushed appearance over time.

Consume a balanced diet

You are your diet. Your skin’s health and appearance are influenced by the foods you eat and the quality of those foods. Include more foods that are high in fatty acids in your diet, such as flaxseed, fish (especially salmon), and walnuts. Fatty acids are essential to healthy skin because they increase the production of cells below the surface, strengthen the skin barrier, and reduce inflammation. Think of it as nourishing your skin from the inside out.

Consuming foods high in antioxidants can also aid in the prevention of free radical damage and inflammation in the skin. Tomatoes, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, and other nuts and seeds may protect your skin, and dark chocolate is high in antioxidants that support healthy skin. Include probiotics in your diet—a healthy gut is a healthy skin.

Protect your skin from sun damage

The sun depletes the skin of its levels of essential fatty acids and hyaluronic acid, which can lead to dullness as well as pigmentation called lipofuscin. Use of SPF is very important every day, and the level of SPF depends on the time of exposure. Use an SPF 30 for every day and an SPF 50 for activities such as hiking, swimming, walking, or jogging.

Exfoliate regularly

We hate to break it to you, but you can’t get rid of dead skin by moisturizing it, no matter how dry or dull your skin is. There are many ways to incorporate exfoliation into your routine, and it may be the key to a brighter complexion. You can go even deeper with microdermabrasion treatments or a skin cleansing brush, or you can gently exfoliate with a washcloth or an exfoliating cleanser or scrub (just make sure you’re using a gentle product that won’t cause any microtrauma to your skin). Depending on your skin type, you can also use a chemical exfoliant like glycolic acid or salicylic acid. Exfoliate your skin twice to three times a week, or once a week if you have sensitive skin to see how well it responds.

When you exfoliate your skin on a regular basis, you are constantly sloughing off the dead skin and allowing new, plump skin cells to come to the surface of your skin. This is one of the most important steps in getting a brighter complexion.

Start your day with Vitamin C

Vitamin C is a known skin-brightening agent and a nutrient-rich antioxidant that fights signs of aging.5 Vitamin C also protects the skin from UV-related free radicals, lightens up dark spots, and improves your skin’s overall appearance. A daily dose of vitamin C-rich orange juice may be beneficial for preventing colds.

Get adequate sleep

Not only is getting enough sleep essential for your body, but it may also be essential for your skin. We regenerate our cells while we sleep, and a lack of sleep directly contributes to poor skin regeneration, which leads to tired and lifeless skin. Try applying a pillow spray to your pillow if you’re having trouble falling asleep.

Use a Moisturizer with Hyaluronic Acid

Ever feel like your skin is stripped, dry, and tight post-washing? Upping the ante on your moisturizer may be key for a well-hydrated, brighter complexion—especially if you choose one with hyaluronic acid.

Never skip cleansing

Make it a habit to wash your face twice a day: before going to bed and in the morning. Depending on the formula of the cleanser, this also removes makeup and removes accumulated dirt and oil from the skin’s surface. Dirt, oil, and makeup can clog pores, weigh down your skin, and cause a dull complexion if left unattended. A double cleanse may be necessary if the day calls for a lot of makeup to be applied. This will ensure that there is no makeup on your face after a long day.

Make use of skin care products to combat environmental triggers.

Our skin is directly influenced by the environment. Oversensitivity, which causes the epidermis to form a thicker layer of protection on the skin and results in dull and rough skin, is one factor that can cause dull skin. Additionally, it has been demonstrated that pollution causes the skin’s microbiota to be disrupted, leading to an increase in the production of sebum and acne. Using products that balance your skin’s microbiome, may help you achieve the brightness you want if you live in a city with a lot of pollution.