I am moving to London in less than 2 weeks now and I want to know how best to look after my skin when I go. I don't have the worlds greatest skin anyway but I'm guessing with the added pollution etc. its gonna get worse. So can you give me your tips, products, treatments? Thank you lovelies. x
Skin and The City!
- Thread starter Deborah
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honestly you will just have to see how your skin reacts when you get here. A lot of it also depends where you are coming from - if you are moving from within the UK I doubt there will be much change as long as you wear spf or something that protects your skin daily. I moved from a very dry climate with very little pollution to London which is a lot more humid (and obviously a lot more pollution) and my skin seems to never have fully settled and I have lived here for several years (on and off). My skin is never as happy as when I go back home 
I think those will be the major determinants of how your skin reacts, but a good cleansing routine is always helpful.
I think those will be the major determinants of how your skin reacts, but a good cleansing routine is always helpful.
When I went to Seoul my skin got really dry the first days but later it went back to normal. Also when I went to Paris this one this my skin freaked out which I thought was really weird..I was living in France at that time in Lyon and my skin was totally fine there, so I think it's best to see how your skin reacts to the new environment like Meg said
marcBarna
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I think it's the weather what messes up skin. For example when the climate is really humid I get tiny pimples and sometimes redness so I use a exfoliating cream every night in that period. When the weather is dry and cold I love to use a pretty heavy but oil-free night cream and a lighter one at day (but with a kind of barrier effect). When the weather is hot but dry I get dry as well !
I've no idea why, but when I shave my legs in Tokyo my skin reacts badly with razor burn, but in San Francisco and Europe I have smooth legs...
Any ideas why this may be? My face and other parts of my body are fine.
Maybe similar to MarcBarna's experience with humidity?
Any ideas why this may be? My face and other parts of my body are fine.
Maybe similar to MarcBarna's experience with humidity?
posed to death
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when I moved to London my skin totally changed and got bad. I've never had really dry skin in all my life but suddenly I had to use the heaviest lotions I could find on my face. And the hair.........
I don't think it's the weather because it's not much different from where I come from, and now when I've moved back from London everything is fine again. I really got no tips since I tried so many products there and nothing worked. I guess it's just to hope for the best and try to get away from the city and the pollution as often as possible.
I don't think it's the weather because it's not much different from where I come from, and now when I've moved back from London everything is fine again. I really got no tips since I tried so many products there and nothing worked. I guess it's just to hope for the best and try to get away from the city and the pollution as often as possible.
^
I think your problems are probably related to the water, as Deborah questioned. The water in London is unquestionably very hard. Even though I'm sure it all comes from the processing plant, I do find that in some parts of London it's not as hard as others - not sure why. I have started to do a vinegar hair rinse once a week to deal with scalp issues (I find it can create buildup) and I have been considering getting a Brita water filter just to filter water for skin cleansing. Problems arise because, in brief, soap doesn't rinse away as cleanly in hard water and so it can leave residue behind. There are some shampoo's made specifically for hard water that I might try just because it is such a hassle to deal with
I think your problems are probably related to the water, as Deborah questioned. The water in London is unquestionably very hard. Even though I'm sure it all comes from the processing plant, I do find that in some parts of London it's not as hard as others - not sure why. I have started to do a vinegar hair rinse once a week to deal with scalp issues (I find it can create buildup) and I have been considering getting a Brita water filter just to filter water for skin cleansing. Problems arise because, in brief, soap doesn't rinse away as cleanly in hard water and so it can leave residue behind. There are some shampoo's made specifically for hard water that I might try just because it is such a hassle to deal with
posed to death
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thanks for the explanation! do you just put vinegar in the hair?
CarolineRose
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I do a vinegar rinse every few weeks just to clear build-up. I massage it into my hair for a few minutes, rinse it out, then shampoo and condition like always. It leaves a bit of smell but your hair is so soft and clean that it's worth it.
I don't know much about water quality in Los Angeles, although think it's decent. My skin likes the dry weather and salty ocean breezes here. When I lived in Germany it was more moist and humid and I broke out a little bit, but I think that most environmental changes can be compensated for by changing your skincare regimen as needed. I do agree with most people here that you just have to wait and see. Maybe your skin won't react at all!
I don't know much about water quality in Los Angeles, although think it's decent. My skin likes the dry weather and salty ocean breezes here. When I lived in Germany it was more moist and humid and I broke out a little bit, but I think that most environmental changes can be compensated for by changing your skincare regimen as needed. I do agree with most people here that you just have to wait and see. Maybe your skin won't react at all!
Thanks for the link to the hard water thread! I got the vinegar/water ratio from a website but I think it's basically 2 tbsp. of vinegar (I use apple cider vinegar) to 1 pint of water. If you just google 'vinegar hair rinse' you'll find loads. I also make sure to use distilled water so that I'm not battling hard water with more hard water. I shampoo and condition my hair and then I do the rinse. I try to make sure it gets all over my scalp and then I quickly rinse my hair (but not my scalp) under the showerhead. But I don't rinse it totally out because there is no point using a vinegar rinse and then using hard water after. Plus the vinegar smell isn't that strong and evaporates as your hair dries.
You can try Bumble & Bumble's SUNDAY shampoo! It's a weekly cleansing shampoo that removes build up. I really do love this.
I used to live in South London, but have moved to Coventry, where the water isn't as bad. An advice I can give you is to use filtered water to 'final rinse' your hair/face. Sure, it is bloody cold, but it works to remove the salt crystals that might be left on your skin/hair.
As for going out into the city, I try not to take the tube as much as possible. I find buses a lot less dirty! Always use an antioxidant product and a hell lot of sunscreen/foundation when you go into the city. And yes, even at night. The antioxidant product will help counter any damaging pollutants and combat any free radicals. Sunscreen/foundation provides a physical barrier against any particles from entering your skin pores. However, do take note that removal is VITAL! Bioderma does one of the best gentle, yet effective make up removers!
Best of luck!
I used to live in South London, but have moved to Coventry, where the water isn't as bad. An advice I can give you is to use filtered water to 'final rinse' your hair/face. Sure, it is bloody cold, but it works to remove the salt crystals that might be left on your skin/hair.
As for going out into the city, I try not to take the tube as much as possible. I find buses a lot less dirty! Always use an antioxidant product and a hell lot of sunscreen/foundation when you go into the city. And yes, even at night. The antioxidant product will help counter any damaging pollutants and combat any free radicals. Sunscreen/foundation provides a physical barrier against any particles from entering your skin pores. However, do take note that removal is VITAL! Bioderma does one of the best gentle, yet effective make up removers!
Best of luck!
