If only we could somehow just jump into a time machine, find our younger selves and whisper a few hard-learned pieces of skincare advice in our ear.
For a lot of us, skincare insights were not as readily available when we were 20, as they are now.
Twenty years ago, we couldn’t jump on YouTube to watch a makeup tutorial or find a post online about a burning skincare question.
Beauty blogs did not exist and beauty chat wasn’t as popular as it is now. Reliable information was often hard to come by. Many beauty products were unattainable and often reserved for makeup industry experts or possible celebrities.
But now it is a whole new world in terms of beauty, and there is a host of information online about beauty and skincare.
And with spectacular product stores like Sephora and Mecca popping up globally with informed, educated and credible staff working to help you better understand your skin as well as products and how they work, learning the ins and outs of skincare has never been easier.
Here are some simple beauty and skincare tips we wish we knew we were younger.
1. Put down the tweezers:
Many of us are still recovering from over tweezing our eyebrows in the 90’s. Who doesn’t cringe when you see photos of barely their eyebrows plucked into oblivion?
No matter how much caster-oil or lash growth serum we apply, brows often don’t grow back.
Swap the tweezers for a monthly brow appointment, it’s a worthy investment you won’t regret.
2. Don’t sleep with your make-up on:
This one is a no brainer but must be said. We are all guilty of breaking this cardinal rule at some point in our lives, and now we are all grown-up, it’s time to create a nightly routine of washing all makeup off at night before bed.
Our skin regenerates at night, and to do this optimumly, it needs to breath. If you go to bed with makeup on, it’s can breath and won’t properly regulate whilst you sleep.
It’s also the best time for your skincare to work its magic. If you do get home late after a girls night out, or a hot date night and you feel too exhausted to wash your face.
Try a water-free oil cleanser, or micellar water to wipe away grime, dirt and makeup, and then lather on a good moisturiser.
3. Smoking and vaping damages your skin:
Just….no. Not cool people. The damage it will do to your skin is unforgivable and irreversible. Even one. And the stats are also out about vaping and how it affects skin health. Vaping leads to an immediate loss of oxygen and nutrients in the skin.
This firmness loss and depletion over time with continued vaping can lead to redness, chronic dryness, increased flakiness, contact dermatitis, broken capillaries and much more, none of which is positive.
4. Tattoos and their lifelong commitment:
Tattoo trends come and go. Sometimes they are in, and sometimes they are out. What may have been considered cool ten years ago does not translate to cool now.
If you are going to get a tattoo, think about where you are getting it and what you are getting. Try not to make rash decisions and don’t choose a meaningless image and get it tattooed in a very exposed location for everyone to see.
Often tattoos can be a reflection of a relationship between a father and their child, a daughter and their mother. Choose something symbolic that has meaning, and select a private location somewhere that doesn’t age.
And if you do need to remove any unwanted tattoos, thank goodness for revolutionary tattoo removal machines. A relatively pain free process can now be used to eliminate them.
5. Don’t over tan, especially in summer:
With so much information out about what’s good and what isn’t when it comes to sun-baking, the verdict is in, reduce sun time. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t see the sun at all.
In the UK, where most of the year the sky is grey, most of the population have a vitamin D deficiency. The sun plays a huge part in providing essential vitamin D for the body. It can also help you heal faster from cold and flu as it helps fight bacteria.
However, spending too much time in the sun without any protection is not good, especially in Australia. It can lead to skin issues, and skin ageing. 80% of visible ageing can be linked to too much UV exposure, causing the natural collagen in our skin to break down long before we start to turn pink or get a sunburn.
This can lead to pigmentation and the development of ageing sun spots.
SPF is crucial for the long-term health of your skin. It absolutely NEVER too late to start.
6. Be gentle with your skin (and don’t pick!):
Getting over-zealous with active ingredients and using products too harsh or too strong for skin can end up causing more skin problems than what we started out with. for example, exfoliation is great – over exfoliation is not.
And picking pimples is a no. That brief moment of satisfaction when you successfully squeeze a pimple is just not worth the scar or mark it will most likely leave behind.
Test patch new ingredients first (especially active ones that include acids for example) and don’t overload your skin with too many new products all at once. This can often result in blemishes on the skin, which we want to avoid so there’s no temptation.
7. Start laser hair removal now:
This one is an investment but also a no-brainer and again, never too early or to late to start. If you consider all the time, money and hassle combined over the years with all the painful waxing appointments, bleaching, plucking not to mention razors and all other shaving accoutrements.
Laser hair removal machines have come a long way in the last 10 years and treatments are now quicker, cheaper and more effective than ever before. The sooner you book and complete your sessions, the quicker you are on your way to being smooth and hair-free. Permanently.
8. Invest in a good skincare routine (and stick to it):
See a professional (i.e., an aesthetician, dermal therapist or dermatologist) and get a proper skin diagnosis with a skin analysis machine to work out your skin type and/or condition you wish to treat, plus the best skincare products for your particular skin needs.
9. Embrace and work with the hair you have:
There is no point wishing you had pin-straight blonde hair, when in reality you have dark brown curls. Straighteners and other hot tools will wreak havoc on your hair. Likewise dying your hair incessantly will cause it to thin and fall out.
Look after your curls (if you are lucky enough to have them) and simply love and embrace the hair you do have. So put down the straighter and leave the bleach alone – the damage will take years to undo.
There are loads of products now available all designed to support the type of hair you have, whether that be curly, frizzy, wavy, straight, coloured, thin or thick. Find what works for you and what enhances what you have and roll with it.
And if you want to play with colour, try and leave the roots alone and play around with your ends. You can always have it cut off if it dried out and ruins, or if you change your mind.
10. Embrace your body exactly as it is:
Most of us wish we could have told our younger selves this: many times the things you are self-conscious about now are the EXACT things you will end up loving and embracing about yourself when you are older.
Confidence and self love are key. Learn to work with what you have and accept that there are certain unique things that are yours – and yours alone.
If only we could turn back the clock….now well-equipped and armed with the beauty knowledge learnt along the way.
We cannot rewrite the past, however we can certainly pass on and share these beauty nuggets with the next generation. So, here’s to wiser choices, healthier skin and a future filled with beauty and self-love.
This article was written in partnership with The Global Beauty Group. If you would like to learn about any of the incredible technologies discussed in this article, or to find a treatment provider in your area, please call 1300 006 607 or visit their website.
