1. Oil up! You know I love oils, and I’m going to recommend them again. After a night of drinking, our skin is prey to massive dehydration. Slather your face in oil before going to bed and it will prevent flakes, dehydration lines and breakouts. Yep, many of us break out from dehydration, so this quick step will help you bypass blemishes through skin nourishment. I know some of you out there get home so late you go to bed without washing your face (tsk, tsk); but if this happens, still oil up — on top of your makeup and all. While not cleansing is a big no-no for me, heavy moisturisation in any circumstance will always help. Pure + Simple has a variety of skin-specific oils that you can choose from here.
2. Scrub the gunk outta your pores. Even if you do wash and moisturize your skin after a night of partying, a great way to vivify the morning after is to exfoliate. Shed last night’s grime through a deep pore purge to prevent clogging and dullness. Getting rid of dead skin cells really helps your skin look bright and healthy. No one will know you are running on so little sleep. Exfoliation usually also helps with stimulating circulation. Increased blood flow will combat post-party puffiness. Take a few minutes to do some pressure points around your eyes while you scrub away to aid under eye bags. Since you will want to relax post-party, a great choice is using Pure + Simple’s Sensitive Skin Exfoliant + Mask — an excellent 2-in-1 product that you leave on after scrubbing as a mask to help brighten and soften your skin.
3. Take an Ayurvedic hangover remedy. According to Ayurveda, alcohol is heating. This is why when we get hangovers, we usually feel it in our temples (temporal headaches are said to be from increased heat). So while drinking water and hydrating is essential, also try to eat and drink cooling foods substances. Bananas, with their creamy, grounding properties, are said to be an excellent Ayurvedic hangover snack, as is a little frozen yogurt. A more specific drink that helps hangovers is a little lime (cooling) and water with a teaspoon of agave and pinch of salt (help us retain water/hydration). Dr. Lad, the President of the Ayurvedic Institute in New Mexico, has a special hangover recipe that is similar to this that I’m currently looking for in my lecture notes (I think he adds some grated ginger to dispel toxins), but the above will do the trick!
4. Apply a clay hair mask. I’m so glad Toronto has a smoke-free policy for bars and restos. But if you live in a city that doesn’t or you are spending time with friends who smoke, a clay mask is your best friend. Clay really helps purify and absorb smoke odors, so applying a clay-based hair mask will get the stink out of your hair. You can use a clay face mask if you can’t find one for hair in particular. If you have the luxury of taking it easy the morning after a big night, a nice long bath where you can sit back with a clay mask in your hair and exfoliating mask on your face will be post-party renewal. Because we all know the best beauty recuperation is rest and relaxation.
Kristen Ma is the co-owner of Pure + Simple Inc., a group of Holistic Spas with its own line of Natural Skincare and Mineral Make-up. She is an Ayurvedic Practitioner who has studied in Canada, the United States and India. She is also a Certified Esthetician with eight years of practical experience, having worked in Canada as well as Australia. Most recently, Kristen has authored “Beauty: Pure + Simple” which was published by Mc Arthur and Company. Kristen has written on the subject of Holistic Beauty for Vitality Magazine, Blink and Jasmine. She is also a regular contributor to B Magazine, Tonic and Sweat Equity Magazine.