With New Years Eve rounding out the end of the holiday season, you might be feeling full and possibly pickled after all the eating and drinking over the past few months. Inspired by my recent contribution to Hannah Frye’s MindBodyGreen article, I thought I’d share a few tips on how to keep your skin hydrated and glowing, despite all the cocktails.

Alcohol & Skin Health

Alcohol dehydrates the body, creates inflammation, lowers immunity, and interferes with nutrient absorption, all of which directly affects the health of your skin, leaving it dry, dehydrated, and dull. Not to mention if you happened to fall asleep with your makeup on which increases your risk for breakouts and further disrupts skin health.

Because dehydrated skin tends to be more sensitive and prone to inflammation, avoid using harsh actives that can create additional sensitivities in the skin. While I love an enzyme the day after a big night out, I’d avoid using a high percentage salicylic or glycolic acid which can cause irritation when applied to dehydrated skin. Look to soothing, hydrating skincare, instead of strong active treatments the day after a night of drinking.

While it might feel necessary to deeply cleanse and detoxify your skin with a clay mask, you need to be careful you’re not stripping your skin. Clay draws out impurities but it also pulls out oil which is necessary to keep skin moisturized.  If you use a clay mask, make sure to follow it up with a hydrating mask or sheet mask to counteract any additional dehydration.

Alcohol impairs the body’s absorption of vitamins while depleting vitamin stores. Therefore, it might seem like a good idea to use a retinol after drinking, however this can cause further irritation when applied to dry dehydrated skin. Instead opt for oils rich in vitamins, like rosehip seed oil, which has high levels of vitamin c but is also fantastic at calming sensitivity and healing wounded skin. I love Luzern’s Sublime Oil as it blends organic rosehip seed with jojoba and sugar cane derived squalene, which work together to restore healthy barrier function. Plus, it makes great slip for using with a gua sha, my favorite way to de-puff the face!

I love using a gentle enzymatic exfoliation, like pumpkin enzyme ferments, to dissolve dead skin cells sitting on the surface of the skin. This will allow for hydrating products to penetrate better without causing additional irritation, since enzymes don’t dive into the deeper layers of the skin. Applying a Hyaluronic Acid based serum or mask is key to help replenish the skin’s hydration. Antioxidants like alpha lipoid acid and CoQ10 work to reduce inflammation, protect against stressors, and helps your skin retain moisture. 

Put It All Together

1. Start by gently cleansing your skin with a creamy cleanser, like the Cleansing Creme.

2. Balance your skin’s pH and add hydration with The Essence.

3. Gently dissolve build up with an enzyme treatment like the Hydra Enzyme Masque or Green Apple Peel.

4. After removing the mask, balance your skin’s pH and add hydration with The Essence.

5. Apply a hydrating serum like Serum Absolute Rehydrate or Bio Placenta.

6. Mask it up! Apply a hydrating sheet mask to soothe your skin. Feel free to use ice globes or a gemstone roller to de-puff your face and create a luxurious treatment.

7. Optionally, apply a nourishing facial oil, like the Sublime Oil, and de-puff your face using a gua sha tool.

8. Apply an eye cream to moisturize and protect the delicate tissue around the eyes.

9. Lock it all in with a protective moisturizer like Force de Vie Creme Luxe or Ultra Peptide Cream.

Remember to wash your face before going to bed NYE and bonus points for at least putting on a moisturizer!

Brownie Points

Using modalities like LED Light Therapy and Microcurrent are fantastic ways of keeping your skin healthy, no matter your vices. Both of these technologies increase ATP, adenosine triphosphate, your body’s cellular energy and a key component of mitochondrial health.

I love using my Omnilux Contour Face Mask to keep my skin healthy and to energize and de-puff after a long night. It uses a blend of red and infrared light waves to decrease inflammation and stimulate collagen production.

Microcurrent devices like the Myolift Mini and the Ziip, help to not only energize cells but lift and tontour the face. I love my Mini for lengthening muscles to erase fine lines and the Ziip has a special program, called Problem Solver, to fix irritable, reactive, uneven skin.

Use code ZIIPKATIE for 25% off at ziipbeauty.com.

Internal Tips

I love supplements and I talk about them here on the blog fairly often. But if there was one single thing I had to pick to use daily, other than Dr. Schulz Intestinal Formula #1, is Glutathione! I swear by this supplement. I take it daily as an antioxidant to help optimize liver function but increase my dosage when having a few drinks.  It supports detoxification, reduces cell damage, offers mitochondrial protection, reduces inflammation, and can even reduces hangover symptoms when taken after a few drinks too many. My favorite is Safe Cell from Tesseract Medical but Cymbiotika makes a great option as well.

In addition to taking Glutathione before heading to bed, I love starting the following day with green juice.  Packed with vitamins and minerals, green juice helps to alkalize the acid environment alcohol creates internally, while reducing inflammation. Napa FINALLY has a cold pressed juice spot and I keep a stock of their Popeye Power in the fridge (a blend of organic celery, cucumber, spinach, parsley, and lemon). If cold pressed juice is not an option for you, try a greens blend, like this, that you can add to water or smoothies.

Looking forward to seeing you all in 2023! Have fun & be safe this New Year’s Eve!

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