If you’re anything like me, after all the holidays are over, the smokey eyes wiped off and the diets ruined, you find yourself left with dull skin and some serious exhaustion. Even though my holidays tend to be a bit more low-key, I still find that the food, makeup and later nights show themselves on my skin.

As a beauty product junky, my first thought is to head to Sephora. But there’s a lot more we can do post-holidays to help our skin (and ourselves) bounce back.

Sleep:

I know everyone tells you to get more sleep, but it does help. Your skin repairs itself while you sleep, so a few extra hours of shut eye really do make all the difference for your skin. Beauty sleep is a very real thing.

Healthy Foods:

As someone who loves desserts, it’s hard for me to admit that the third helping of chocolate cake on Christmas really does show up on my face. This is more for those who are acne-prone, but there’s no denying that clean(er) eating does lead to a clearer complexion.

For me, “clean eating” conjures up images of a yoga-mat toting, LA-living, Whole Foods-shopping health goddess. I do none of those things– well, I guess I have been known to occasionally tote my yoga mat around. But clean eating doesn’t have to be scary or pretentious. Just try to cook your own meals for a few days using fresh ingredients and making sure you know everything that’s on your plate (quinoa, guys, I’m telling you).

It doesn’t have to be a five course, farm to table meal, but colorful veggies and cooking from scratch make all the difference (even if it’s just for a few days until your skin bounces back, no judgement).

Besides desserts and appetizer cheese, though, I don’t tend to over-indulge on holidays, thanks in large part to my vegetarianism. (Fun fact: I celebrated my three years of vegetarianism on Christmas Eve!) Still, I can see a difference when I  clean up my diet a bit.

Exercise: 

Like sleep, exercise is another thing that everyone knows they should do more of. Even though the holidays may be the last time you feel like lacing up your sneakers, even a half hour of exercise will help get a natural glow.

If you’re a yoga-going gal, spending a few minutes a day in a inversion is like an instant face lift. If you haven’t been taught by an instructor, then this is one of those “don’t try this at home” situations (as you can injure your neck if you do it incorrectly).

Hydrate:

Dry, thirsty skin doesn’t look good on anyone. Drink a tall glass of lemon water to help rejuvenate your skin.

Exfoliate:

Anyone who knows me knows that I am absolutely in love with exfoliating. I just love the idea of sloughing off dead skin and de-clogging pores. Though you shouldn’t do it every day, it’s a great way to instantly improve your post-holiday skin.

If you have an exfoliator you swear by (mine is from Jack Black), by all means use that, but if not, there are some great, super-simple DIY versions. My personal favorite is mixing baking soda with water to form a paste. Gently massage it onto it onto your skin for a minute and wash off. So simple!

… Ok, so I also love me some products, which means that I’ll soon be doing a post on some of my favorite post-holiday, skin-renewing products as well. (Get pumped).