How to wake up your skin in the morning with solutions that cost zero extra dollars

Hearing about people’s “morning routines” can often be exhausting. Who has time to wake up, work out, make matcha, whip up breakfast, have mind-blowing sex, meditate, journal, and save the world all before going to work?  Literally no one (unless their work day starts at like 5 p.m.). One thing that’s worth adding to everyone’s morning routine, though? A skin-care regimen that helps to “wake up” skin and get it ready for the day the same way cup of coffee does.

“Many times people sleep on their side or their stomach, and all of their lymphatic fluid pools in certain areas, especially under the eyes, under the chin, the jaw, and below the cheek pads,” says Melanie Simon, founder and CEO of ZIIP Beauty. That’s not all: “As it pertains to morning, skin can be puffy, red, blotchy, dehydrated or oily. Typically, if you’re suffering from sleep deprivation, the effects of restricted blood flow will be reflected in your skin,” adds Sheel Desai Solomon, MD, a board-certified dermatologist.

Because of this, it’s worth adding “wake up your skin” to your morning to-do list (right after you cross all those other things off the list). “Waking up your skin is all about moving those fluids through your lymphatic pathways and increasing your circulation, while also constricting parts of the muscular structure that have become relaxed throughout the sleeping process,” explains Simon. In essence, waking up your skin is a way to give it what it needs to seamlessly make the transition from night to morning—getting the blood flow going if it’s dull, hydrating it if it’s dry, toning if it’s oily. “Waking up skin in the morning is important because it gives your complexion a daily reset routine to arm itself for the rest of the day,” says. Dr. Solomon

Try these zero-dollar in your morning skin routine

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Apply products with cold hands: We all know the jolt that comes as a result of being touched by cold hands (… I actually just shuttered while typing that), and the same principle applies even when those hands are your own.  “Apply a product with cold hands helps to ‘shock’ the face a little to promote circulation,” says Dr. Solomon.

Wash your face in the sink: Add this to the list of reasons why you shouldn’t wash your face in the shower. “Instead of washing your face in the warm shower, wash it at the basin using cool or tepid water to quell puffiness,” says Dr. Solomon. If you do want to wash in the shower, Simon suggests doing it with a cold wash cloth to get the same waking effects.

Embrace caffeine: Sipping in in your coffee isn’t the only way you can use caffeine to help get you going. “Use an under eye cream with caffeine to help the excess fluid under your eyes and increase lymphatic drainage,” says Dr. Solomon, adding that the ingredient is a “vasoconstrictor,” which temporarily narrows the blood vessels to reduce puffiness and dark circles under the eyes.

Refrigerate your moisturizer: As someone who recently received a “skin-care refrigerator” as a gift, I can confirm that there is no greater joy or luxury in life than slathering your face with an ice cold coat of moisturizer, and it turns out there are actual benefits to it, too.  According to dermatologists, storing products in the fridge adds an extra cooling and de-puffing effect, and the cold “restricts the blood vessels, so it instantly reduces puffiness and redness.” Good morning, skin.

Try an ice cube massage: The most efficient facial for waking up your skin costs no money, and is probably already hanging out in your freezer. “Wrap an ice cube in wet gauze and moving it all over the face,” suggests Simon. “By icing, you’re cutting down on the inflammation and you’re rebounding dramatically from the night before.”

Our new favorite skin-care line will save you hundreds on some of the priciest ingredients out there. Plus, why this cleansing facial brush is a savior for sensitive skin. 

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