Main Causes of Dull Skin

Have you taken a look in the mirror lately to see your usual glow start to fade? This is something we never want to happen, but there are certain factors both internal and external that contribute to having dull skin. 

In today’s article, we’ll cover the main causes of dull skin and what you can do to bring your glow back!

8 Causes Of Dull Skin

A lot of things can cause dull skin, a good rule of thumb is to be kind to your body and consider these factors when trying to understand what possibly triggered your skin to become dull.

 If you think a certain item is the cause of your dull skin, consider our recommendations of what to do as well.

1. Dehydrated Skin 

Dehydrated skin highlights all flaws, starting with your skin looking dull instead of radiant.

As you age, your skin produces less oil and moisture. Over time, this accelerated aging will come in the form of wrinkles and fine lines. 

What to do:

• Consider your hydration levels: Are you getting enough water or are you taking too much of something that dehydrates like alcohol or too much coffee?
• Make sure you are doing a simple skincare routine to maintain moisture in the face: like using a gentle foaming cleanser, followed by a serum and end with a moisturizer. (Doing this consistently will make sure your skin is holding water better, which leads to more even color and tone in your face).

2. Things regarding your makeup

There could be a couple factors regarding your makeup that can make your skin look dull. While nobody wants to have a shiny face after applying all their makeup, going too much in the other direction will lead to your face looking a bit dull and lifeless. 

Another reason could be if you aren’t taking it off every night before bed, the build up of makeup will clog your pores which makes your skin look dull too.

What to do:

• Don’t go too hard in trying to cover up naturally oily skin with matte makeup, instead try to find makeup that will highlight your natural glow like a lighter coverage foundation.
• Make sure you’re taking off your makeup before bed, not only to prevent dull looking skin but any other potential breakouts of acne.

3. Diet

Be wary of foods that rob your body of natural moisture and hydration because it will take away your glow too. Too much of any foods that dehydrate can make your skin look dull. These types of foods include fried foods, foods with a lot of salt or sodium, sugar, simple carbs like white bread, and highly caffeinated products.

What to do:

Of course limiting your intake of dehydrating foods is one way to look at it, but you can also add more foods that hydrate you as well like cucumbers, avocados, fish and nuts.

4. Exfoliation Issues

Whether you are exfoliating too little or too much, either way it can lead to dull skin. If you are doing it too little then dead skin will accumulate on your face, which will inhibit the absorption of any skincare product you try to apply to your face.

If you’re exfoliating too much on the other hand it will just rob your face of moisture, which we already have mentioned is a key factor in why your skin is looking dull.

What to do:

Dry skin types should exfoliate less than oily or combination skin types, but more than 3 times weekly is too much. Consider your skin tone and exfoliation type based on your skin sensitivity.

5. Lifestyle Habits

Smoking and drinking too much will dehydrate the skin leading to a dull complexion as we all know, and other things like tanning without sunscreen can lead to sun damage and accentuate aging.

What to do:

Be cognizant of lifestyle and consider its effects in your skin, if you’re committed to getting the most radiant glow, consider limiting less healthy lifestyle choices.

6.  Environmental Pollutants

When you live in a big city your exposure to smog, pollution from the city, will make you feel a bit grimey and make your skin look dull.

While pollution and its effect on your skin is inevitable in areas of high population, if you just moved to the city and your skin is duller than usual, this could be why.

What to do:

Along with any normal skin care routine, consider doing an extra face wash when you get home to clean the pores and restore your internal glow that city pollution will mask.

7. Stress

Stress leads to all kinds of skin conditions from inflammatory things like eczema and breakouts of acne, to a dull complexion.

What to do:

Depending on what level of stress you’re experiencing, it may not be easy to just “stop being stressed” but treating skin care as thoughtful self-care can add purpose and help you have a better perspective. Taking your time and relaxing while performing your routine can help alleviate some of your stress.

8. Lack of Sleep

There’s a reason why people look like total zombies when they are going on extended periods of time without sleep. Even if you aren’t pulling an all nighter, but the loss of sleep is gradual, your skin will also gradually start to feel the effects of poor sleep.

Along with the dull complexion, lack of sleep is going to lead to dark circles, puffy eyes and a drooping sag to the skin which gives you a look that isn’t a “radiant glow” by any means. 

What to do:

Do your part and get enough sleep, a good 6-7 hours is solid. Try to keep a consistent schedule and don’t let yourself be completely irregular as your body will never get the time to adapt since you are always changing the time you sleep.

The bottom line for dealing with dull skin

Once you’ve figured out your triggers for dull skin make sure a few things:

• You’re staying hydrated
• You’re taking care of your body in terms of sleep and lifestyle choices
• You have a normal skincare routine in place
• Exfoliate as needed

If you’re ready to unleash the next level of radiant glow then consider grabbing a 3 month subscription to our retinol gummy. 

Retinol helps bring new, fresh, vibrant skin cells front and center to the top layer of your skin: helping add the heightened glow you have been looking for.