Have you ever looked in the mirror and realised your skin just wasn’t doing it today? Pale, lifeless, dull?

We’ve all been there: bad skin days that have you looking tired and pale. It can get frustrating, especially if you’ve been on your A-game skincare wise—but we’re happy to help you. 

Let’s discuss how you can get you skin’s glow back. Read on to find out how you can revive and rejuvenate your complexion, and discover simple habits you can get into for happier and healthier skin.

What causes dull skin

Before we get into the hows of rejuvenating your skin, let's understand why your complexion is in this mess in the first place. These are the most common reasons for dull skin:

1.     You’re dehydrated, bestie

Both you and your skin need proper hydration. If you don’t drink enough water and you don’t hydrate your skin properly, then your skin will look dull, pale, and oily. Yes, you heard us right: oily. When your skin lacks hydration, it compensates by creating sebum which, in turn, leaves your face oily and dull.

2.     Moisture, moisture—where art thou, moisture?

Moisturising your skin regularly is essential in keeping it healthy, bouncy, and glowing. Dry skin causes little cracks and fissures that can lead to a build up of dead skin cells.

3.     Dead skin cells: we don’t want them

A build-up of dead skin cells is one of the major contributors to your dull complexion and uneven skin tone. It’s like havinga layer of dirt on top of your face!

4.     You lack some beauty sleep

Sleep deprivation can cause dull skin, dark eyebags, and overall just a bad time for you. The lack of rest can lead to health complications inside and out so make sure you have enough shut-eye every night. 

5.     Environmental factors

Changing seasons, pollution, low humidity, and sun exposure all contribute to dull skin. They are all unfortunately unavoidable but you can still help your skin with proper care. Read on as we discuss tips on getting back your skin’s glow!

How to brighten dull skin

Now that we know why you have dull skin, let's enumerate some tips and tricks that you can add into your everyday routine try to bring back that healthy, fresh glow to your skin.

1. Wash your face with lukewarm water

Using hot water can be bad for your skin. High temperatures can strip it of natural oils which are good for you, causing dryness and irritation. It’s best to use lukewarm or room temperature water for your face to avoid damage to your skin barrier.

2. Double cleanse every night

Discover the magic of double cleansing and keep your skin fresh. This skincare technique lets you gently and thoroughly cleanse your face, unclogging your pores and sloughing off dead skin cells in the process. Double-cleansing regularly is a refreshing way to improve your complexion—leaving a bright and radiant glow.

How do you double cleanse? First, use an oil-based cleanser (this can be a balm or oil) and then emulsify with water before thoroughly rinsing it off. Follow this up with a water-based cleanser. Lather this on your hands first before using it to cleanse your face. Don’t forget to, again, rinse this off thoroughly!

3. Get that juicy, juicy glow with antioxidants

We’ve talked about antioxidants and sunscreen before but how does that relate to dull skin? Well, antioxidants can help brighten and even out your skin by protecting you against free radicals and environmental stressors. This means that antioxidants will work double time to protect your skin and help repair damage that has already been done. Start incorporating them into your morning skincare routine for healthier skin and a brighter complexion.

Rice or rice water is rich in antioxidants, which means incorporating it into your skincare routine can help brighten your complexion, prevent premature aging, and boost the protection you get from your SPF. Rice has been a trusted beauty ingredient in Asia for centuries; it is known for hydrating your skin, soothing irritation, and fading hyperpigmentation.

Another option for you is vitamin C—one of the most powerful and studied antioxidants, best known for brightening skin. It can, however, be irritating for some people with sensitive skin because of how difficult it is to formulate. If you cannot tolerate vitamin C, try using any of its derivatives since they are developed to be more stable and gentler on skin.

🍑 Discover more on why we love antioxidants and how it can help improve your skin’s health here. 

4. Glug, glug, glug—HYDRATE!

As we mentioned, dehydration is one of the main causes of dull and pale-looking skin. Water is your body’s best friend—so hydrate and drink up. The recommended amount of water per person depends on your lifestyle but Harvard Health says the baseline for healthy individuals is 11.5 cups for women and 15.5 cups for men.

You can also use skincare with humectants to hydrate your skin topically. Humectants increase the water content of the skin by attracting water molecules. They help draw moisture from the deeper layers of your skin to the surface.

Humectants in skincare:

• Hyaluronic acid
• Glycerin
• Honey
• Collagen
• Amino acids and peptides
• Aloe vera
• AHAs
• Urea

In addition to drinking more and choosing hydrating ingredients, you can also incorporate a toner into your daily skincare routine. With its lightweight formula, you can apply as many layers as your skin needs. For dull and dehydrated skin, we recommend the 7-skin method. This skincare technique is simple; all you have to do is gently pat on three to seven layers of toner during your nightime routine (Writer J: I personally use this method whenever my skin feels dehydrated. I have combination-oily skin ✌️).

🍑 For more tips on hydrating your skin, read our guide here.

5. Lock in and moisturise

Now that we’ve discussed proper hydration, let’s work on sealing all that in with a moisturiser. Moisturising regularly helps your skin remain glowing, plump, and soft—so make sure you don’t skip this step! We recommend adding a thin layer in the morning before your sunscreen. At night, apply thin layers one at a time to prevent clumping and putting on too much product. 

Why do I need to moisturise after hydrating my skin?

Hydration is all about increasing the water content in your skin. Meanwhile, moisturising is for sealing in the hydration and making sure they don’t easily evaporate due to the environment and other factors. This prevents dehydrated, dull, and dry skin.

6. Relax with a clay mask

Like rice, clay is a skincare ingredient that withstands the test of time. For years now, it has been used to reset and balance out skin—purifying pores, absorbing excess sebum, and brightening your complexion. It’s a great way to gently exfoliate and get rid off the layer of dead skin cells that cause dullness. HOWEVER, limit your use of clay masks to twice or thrice a week only. Remember: over-exfoliating is not good for your skin. Stick to a schedule!

If you have dry or sensitive skin on top of dullness, then you can skip this mask and go for a gel one instead. It provides similar benefits to a clay mask with an added focus on hydration and soothing skin.

🍑 Want to know more about popular face masks? Click here. 

7. Enter the world of retinol

With dull skin, your nemesis is the layer of dead skin cells on your face. Luckily, retinol can help you enjoy youthful, glowing skin.

Retinol encourages skin cell turnover, pushing your skin to replace dead and damaged cells with healthy new ones—and letting you say bye-bye to your dull complexion. Retinol is also known for its well-aging benefits. If you want to deal with hyperpigmentation, fine lines, and wrinkles, then reaching for a retinol serum or cream is the way to go.

As a catch, retinol can be irritating so it’s best to slowly introduce it to your skin. Read our beginner’s guide here for the basics of retinol and how to safely add it into your skincare routine. 

🍑 Bakuchiol is a gentler plant-based alternative to retinol. 

8. Enjoy some TLC with sheet masks

When it comes to instant glow-ups, there is nothing faster or more convenient than a good sheet mask. Sheet masks give your skin an instant boost in hydration and a shot of skincare actives that leaves you with smooth, plump, and glowing skin after only a few minutes. Whenever your skin looks and feels like it needs some extra love, treat yourself to a sheet mask.

9. Slather on your sunscreen

Protection is the best form of skincare. Sunscreen is one of the most effective ways to prevent dullness, and to help your skin recover from it. Wear at least a dime-sized amount or two-fingers' worth of SPF every day to make sure your skin is guarded from UV rays.

10. Get your beauty sleep and glowing skin

Good sleep doesn’t only feel great—it makes you look great, too! Getting some quality shut-eye gives your body the chance to rest and recover which, in turn, prevents dehydration, dry skin, and dark under-eyes. If you have dull skin, go to bed and sleep at least seven hours a day, bestie. Your body will thank you.

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Dull skin does not mean bad skin days forever. Sometimes, you just need to re-adjust your habits and focus on keeping yourself healthy and happy. It’s going to take time and effort but trust the process—the resulting glow will be worth it.