How To Hydrate And Brighten Hungover Skin

Christmas may have come and gone for 2022 but the party season is only just ramping up. And while we closely link drinking one too many champagnes or Aperol spritzes with our liver, there’s actually one much larger organ that wears the impact of a dusty hangover: our skin.

So, in the interest of keeping our skin looking fresh (even when all the odds are against us), here are our tried-and-true tips for disguising the impacts of a hangover – outside of just painting our dark circles with concealer.

#1 Cleanse, properly

We’re not accusing you of committing the biggest beauty sin (sleeping in your makeup), but thoroughly cleansing your skin the next morning is still essential.

Why? Because despite our best efforts, whether it’s because we’re tipsy, tired or just generally desperate to get into bed, there’s a large chance we’ll wake up with smudged dark eye makeup and foundation residue on our skin. So, as our first order of business, head to the sink and treat your skin to a thorough, nourishing cleanse.

#2 Apply a de-puffing sheet mask

We typically reserve sheet masks for pre-event skin hydration. However, in the case of morning after skin, you’ll need one post-event too. Upon waking up, make yourself a cup of herbal tea and pop on a sheet mask that’s been infused with super-nourishers like hyaluronic acid, green tea, niacinamide or caffeine, to help restore lost moisture to the skin and provide some much needed brightening and de-puffing.

Our sheet mask recommendations?

1. Garnier Hydra Bomb Hyaluronic Acid + Green Tea Sheet Mask, $3.99 at Chemist Warehouse
   
2. Ella Baché Intensive Extreme Regeneration Mask, $31 at Adore Beauty
   
3. La Roche-Posay Cicaplast B5 Mask, $11.99 at Chemist Warehouse
   
4. Olay Niacinamide + Hyaluronic Sheet Mask, $6.39 at Chemist Warehouse

#3 Exercise

Sorry to be the bearers of bad news but exercise increases circulation, sending much needed oxygen to our skin.

Forget pushing yourself too hard, though. If you’re severely dehydrated after a late night, this will only work against you. Light to moderate exercise, however? Excellent. Whether it’s a walk or a swim, getting your blood pumping will do wonders for returning colour and glow to your complexion.

#4 Eat an antioxidant and protein-rich diet

We understand. Your body is urging you to lash out and order all the fatty, fried food that you can possibly get your hands on. However, if you want to restore some much needed radiance to your skin, it’s in your best interest to resist. Instead, whip yourself up an antioxidant-rich smoothie abundant in bananas, spinach and berries.

@goop

For something more substantial, eggs and avocado on toast will give your body a much needed hit of glutatione, potassium and cysteine. All of which are depleted when we drink alcohol in excess and contribute to clearing our body of the very chemicals that trigger headaches and other hangover symptoms. Plus, this will sustain your energy far longer than a 12-pack of chicken nuggets ever will.

#5 Give your face a massage

Lymphatic drainage is the secret to beating alcohol-induced puff. If you can book yourself in for a professional treatment, do. If you’re going to have a go at home, enlist the help of a jade roller, gua sha (like the Nutrimetics Rose Quartz Gua Sha, $30 at My Wellness) or just your fingers will do the trick.

Tap around your eye sockets, run your knuckles in an upward direction along your cheekbones and pinch your jawline. The results? A rise in blood and oxygen to the skin’s surface.

#6 Target your dark circles

Even if you’ve had your blinds drawn ’til noon, there’s still a huge chance you’ll roll out of bed with dark circles. Despite feeling as though you’re in a deep slumber as soon as your head hits the pillow, alcohol has been proven to disrupt sleep. So while you might fall asleep quickly, your sleep quality throughout the night suffers.

To help combat the impact of a restless night, treat your sleepy eyes to these illuminating eye patches. Formulated with vitamin C, green tea and coffee, Skin Republic‘s Brightening Under Eye Masks ($9.99, Skin Republic) will work to visibly reduce the appearance of puffiness and dark circles.

Main image credit: @christinanadin

Do you have any tips for beating hungover skin?