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Kickstart your skincare journey this January with my simple guide featuring mostly free steps you can take immediately to enjoy healthier skin. There are no secrets here; most of it is common sense supplemented by practical tips that genuinely improve your skin health. Although these are not quick fixes, applying them consistently over time will result in healthier skin and a healthier you.
1. Clean out old products.
January is an ideal time to review your skincare and makeup collection and discard any old products. Many skincare items have a shelf life of 6-12 months, so check their appearance, texture, and scent, and dispose of any that are outdated or seem unusable.
Why do this
- Skin product formulations degrade and lose their efficacy over time.
- Each time you open a pot or jar, air and microbes are introduced, and the contents become a perfect breeding ground for bacteria, yeast, and mould.
- Most skincare contains preservatives, which don’t last forever.
- Out of date products can cause skin irritation.
Make-up products for the eyes, in particular, have the highest risk of bacterial contamination beyond 3-6 months.
2. Establish a daily routine before considering active skincare
I’m returning to the essentials: daily cleansing in the morning and evening, followed by a suitable moisturiser that provides your skin with a fundamental level of daily care.
Why is this important
Skin responds better to consistency than to switching between many products for a short time, only to be inconsistent with your basic routine. Having a regular skincare routine each morning and before bed ensures your skin isn’t left to deal with dirt, microbes, pollutants, or makeup residues, which can cause irritation, sensitivity, breakouts, and accelerated ageing. A good moisturiser will promote skin health; this means it will strengthen your skin barrier, reduce dehydration (water loss, through Transepidermal water loss, TEWL), and support the skin’s natural repair processes.
3. Cleansing – One thing to change! Ditch harsh cleansers or Micellar Water
The skin should be gently cleansed twice daily, with the emphasis on gentleness. It does not need to be squeaky clean or scrubbed, even if it is oily or has spots. Many cleansing products can strip away the skin’s natural lipids and damage its barrier, leading to dryness and irritation. The skin barrier is your skin’s first line of defence. When it is compromised, the skin loses more water through the transdermal route, resulting in increased dryness.
Micellar Water
I remember the launch of Micellar Water; at the time, it was revolutionary and offered a convenient and quick way to remove make-up. However, buyer beware: it contains surfactants and preservatives that dissolve skin lipids and disrupt the skin’s microbiome balance. Over time, this weakens the skin barrier. Symptoms of a compromised skin barrier include dryness, dehydration, redness, inflammation, and breakouts.
My Top Cleansing Recommendation
Use a gentle cleanser daily to minimise lipid disruption, support skin flora (microbiome), and maintain barrier integrity. I recommend Dermaviduals cleansing milk for its unique bio-mimetic formula — the Derma membrane structure (DMS) — which contains phospholipids, ceramides, squalene, triglycerides, and sterols. This is an ideal cleansing milk for adults, teens, and even baby skin!
4. Too many Active skincare products
Topical active products can be very effective at targeting and treating skin concerns; however, their use is often problematic, especially when overused and when skin health isn’t established first. Signs of overuse include irritation, redness, breakouts, inflammation, ‘glass skin’ (shiny and red), and rashes. Overuse is all too common, and many new clients report that this has been a previous experience. If this sounds like you, my advice is to stop using all your extra and active products for at least 4-6 weeks. During this time, establish a daily cleansing and moisturising routine, and your skin will naturally try to rebalance itself.
Aren’t active products going to help me stay looking younger, though?
When prescribed correctly, active skincare promotes skin renewal, repair, and protection, giving real, visible results. For optimal outcomes, active skincare is most effective when part of a skincare plan or journey rather than just randomly purchased products that sound appealing. Therefore, I recommend working with a skin specialist who has assessed your skin and is familiar with the science behind the formulations they prescribe.
5. Wear Sun protection
Year-round UV protection is one of the most effective ways to slow your skin’s natural ageing process. While they often feel good, the sun’s rays unfortunately cause oxidative stress in the skin’s cells, leading to poor skin quality and visible signs of ageing over time. So, when tanning, although it can temporarily look good, it is the skin’s way of protecting itself, and biologically, it is skin damage. With this in mind, adopting a daily habit of applying sunscreen is essential.
Winter -do I need sunscreen?
During the winter months in the UK (December to the end of February), the UV index is 0-1, meaning that with shorter daylight hours, sun protection may not be necessary. However, if you are outdoors and your skin is exposed, I recommend using your sunscreen. Additionally, for anyone undergoing professional skin treatments, I always advise applying factor 50 SPF continuously.
6. Prioritise Sleep
Sleep matters not only to our overall health but specifically to our skin. 7-9 hours of sleep is the optimal amount to ensure your skin can carry out its nighttime duties.
The skin functions during sleep:
- Repair – Skin enters repair mode, fixing damage from UV radiation, pollution, weather and general daytime stressors.
- Collagen production – Specialised cells called fibroblasts become more active at night, increasing collagen synthesis.
- Skin barrier strengthens – The skin’s most outer layer, the Stratum corneum, rebuilds more efficiently at night—essential lipid production increases, which keeps irritants out and hydration in.
- Cellular turnover increases -Keratinocytes, the primary cells of the epidermis, increase in activity and cell turnover overnight.
Healthy skin renewal keeps skin looking fresher and brighter. - Regulates inflammation -During healthy sleep, the skin can lower inflammatory signalling. Inflammation within the skin aggravates skin conditions, including eczema, psoriasis, rosacea and acne.
- Antioxidant boost – Overnight, the skin replenishes its antioxidant reserves, ensuring it is prepared for the next day’s defence against oxidative stress-induced cellular damage. Pollution, including Blue light and UV radiation, contributes to oxidative stress.
From the above list, it’s clear why prioritising good sleep regularly is vital for your skin’s health. Many studies have investigated the effects of sleep on the skin, and some suggest that even one or a few nights of poor sleep can make a difference. The evidence that insufficient sleep has a long-term negative impact on your skin, however, seems more strongly associated with chronic inadequate sleep quality.
7. Relaxation -mindfulness
We all face daily stressors, from personal challenges to watching the news. That’s why it’s essential to set aside time for your central nervous system to regain calm. When we relax, our body shifts from the fight-or-flight mode of the sympathetic nervous system to the rest-and-digest mode of the parasympathetic nervous system. Besides making people feel better overall when relaxed, stress can directly affect some people’s skin, leading to breakouts and irritation.
One daily habit I recently changed was stopping taking my phone to bed. I have found that allowing myself to wake up, even for a short time, without reaching for my phone has given me a much better and less stressful start to the day!
Find your Zen – Why not try a few minutes of meditation each day, for January?
Insight Timer is a free meditation App which I highly recommend. I use the paid version; however, the free one offers thousands of meditations, breathwork exercises, and yoga from teachers worldwide. For beginners, Tara Brach is excellent.
8. DIY facial massage -even before you get up!
I recommend that my clients perform facial and scalp massages at home. Incorporating a few simple massage movements daily is easy and can be adapted to fit your schedule. The benefits include improved blood flow and nutrient delivery to the skin’s tissues, as well as the relaxation and release of connective tissue, known as fascia. Releasing fascial tightness and encouraging this delicate network of fibres to recalibrate can help reduce lines, particularly on the forehead and frown lines. The scalp can also hold considerable tension, as this continuous fascial network has no end and connects all of the body’s tissues.
Here are my favourite ways that you can incorporate massage into your daily routine and take just a minute.
Forehead
Before you get up in the morning, place your fingertips just above your brows and, with firm pressure, slowly move upwards towards your hairline and into your hair, finishing with a few comfortable yet firm circular movements. There is no need to apply massage oil or cream; your fingertips will naturally create some helpful tension. You can think of this movement as ironing out your forehead!
Glabella or 11 lines release: Using your thumbs and index fingers firmly pinch the skin and underlying tissue between your brows. Lift and stretch in an outward direction to release the two small muscles (corrugator and procerus) and underlying connective tissue ( fascia).
Releasing these muscles daily, can effectively soften lines over time.
9. Think Hydration
Drinking 1.2–2 litres of water daily is a general guideline, although hydration requirements vary depending on body size, activity levels, climate, diet, and health conditions. Adequate hydration, alongside a good skincare routine, helps improve skin elasticity and barrier function.
It’s worth knowing that drinking more water than the recommended daily amount doesn’t plump the skin. Maintaining good hydration levels within the skin depends on a strong skin barrier, including optimal lipid content.
10. Healthy eating
The new year often signifies a fresh start towards healthier eating after indulging in rich foods and alcohol during Christmas, which can affect the skin. Our skin health largely depends on our diet and the nutrients we take in or lack. Eating healthily supports your skin from within. Consuming a diverse, colourful diet of whole foods instead of processed foods will not only boost your well-being but also enhance your skin’s appearance. Our skin cells need Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, proteins, and antioxidants to function properly.
Seasonal eating and what to include in your diet for skin health
Here are some seasonal fruits and vegetables to boost your skin health (and body).
Kale, cabbage (red and green), Brussels sprouts, Leeks, Squash, Carrots, Swede, Parsnips, Celeriac, potatoes, sweet potatoes, beetroot, onions, Garlic, parsley, apples and pears.
Nutrients contained in these different foods support collagen synthesis, skin cell turnover, repair, protection, hydration, skin cell metabolism, wound healing, and the fight against oxidative stress and inflammation within the skin.
Nuts & Seeds
- Walnuts – contain Omega-3, which is responsible for skin hydration and is anti-inflammatory.
- Sunflower seeds Vitamin E – antioxidant. Selenium -protects cell membranes (antioxidant)
- Pumpkin Seeds – Zinc – tissue repair. Selenium
Finally, would you benefit from expert advice?
As a Corneotherapist here in Fleet, Hampshire, I help my clients achieve their healthiest skin through corneotherapy. This involves using skincare compatible with the skin’s physiology and treatments that protect the skin barrier, avoid causing skin trauma, and promote more natural, youthful skin behaviour. This approach nurtures healthy skin over time, making it look better each day while also enhancing its resilience against intrinsic and extrinsic factors that contribute to skin ageing. Essentially, it entails working with the skin’s natural systems and optimising their functions for a beautiful and healthy complexion.
If you want to prioritise your skin health in 2026, I would love to guide and support you on your journey. I usually start with a consultation where we discuss your skin’s history and what you aim to achieve. After my studioal assessment, we will explore how I can further assist you. There’s no pressure to buy. You will also receive a personalised skin report, which includes general skin health advice and my personal recommendations for your skin.