My Brickell Post-Holiday Skincare Routine

Disclosure

This post is sponsored by Brickell Men’s Products and contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. All opinions are my own.

After nearly a month in the south of France, I am starting to think about going home.

I love this part of the world, and I am certainly not in a rush to exchange the mountains, warm evenings and swimming pool for my desk back in England. But by this stage of the holiday, I can also see what several weeks outdoors have done to my skin and hair.

There has been plenty of sunshine, temperatures regularly around 35°C, swimming in chlorinated water and the very dry air we get here close to the Pyrenees. I have been applying sunscreen, of course, but that does not stop my skin from feeling noticeably drier than it did when I arrived.

My hair feels different too. Between the pool, the heat and washing it more often than usual, it has become slightly rougher and less manageable.

So before I go back to work, I have put together a simple Brickell routine with one main objective: get some moisture back into my skin and hair and return home looking a little less like I have spent four weeks permanently beside a swimming pool.

This isn't about trying to undo a summer in the sun overnight. No skincare product can do that. For me, it is simply about giving dry, tired-looking skin a little extra attention and getting back into a good routine.

First: I Am Keeping Things Gentle

It can be tempting after a holiday to reach immediately for scrubs, exfoliating acids and stronger anti-ageing products.

I'm doing almost the opposite.

When my skin already feels slightly dry and tight, the last thing I want to do is attack it with an aggressive routine. My priority for the first couple of weeks is cleansing, hydration, moisturising and sun protection.

That's why I have kept this routine deliberately simple.

There are only a few products involved, and most of them take seconds to use.

Brickell Purifying Charcoal Face Wash

My first step is the Brickell Purifying Charcoal Face Wash.

The Purifying Charcoal Face Wash is designed to clean the skin without stripping it too aggressively. It uses activated charcoal alongside ingredients including jojoba and olive oil.

For my post-holiday routine, that makes more sense than using something very strong.

In the morning I simply wash my face with warm water and a small amount of cleanser. I do the same again at night, particularly because I have normally been wearing sunscreen during the day.

My skin feels clean afterwards, but importantly it doesn't feel uncomfortable.

And right now, that is exactly what I want.

The Product My Skin Probably Needs Most: Hyaluronic Acid Booster

If I had to choose one product that really fits this routine, it would probably be the Brickell Hyaluronic Acid Booster.

Hyaluronic acid is one of those skincare ingredients that sounds more complicated than it really is. Its main job here is hydration.

And hydration is exactly what my skin needs.

After several weeks of hot weather and dry air, I can particularly notice dryness around my cheeks and forehead. My skin doesn't necessarily look dramatically different when I first look in the mirror, but it feels different.

It is slightly rougher and less comfortable.

I apply a few drops of the Hyaluronic Acid Booster after cleansing while my skin still has a little moisture on it.

It is very lightweight and doesn't leave the heavy or greasy finish that some men associate with using a serum.

That's important for me because I don't particularly enjoy having several noticeable layers of skincare sitting on my face.

This disappears quickly, and then I follow with moisturiser.

It's probably the easiest addition to the routine, but also the one that makes the biggest difference to how comfortable my skin feels.

At Night: Brickell Revitalizing Anti-Aging Cream

My evening routine is only slightly different.

After cleansing and using the Hyaluronic Acid Booster, I apply the Brickell Revitalizing Anti-Aging Cream.

I have reached the age where anti-ageing skincare is no longer something I use occasionally. But I also don't expect miracles from a jar of moisturiser.

What I want is something that keeps my skin properly hydrated, makes it feel comfortable and helps it look healthier.

The Revitalizing Anti-Aging Cream contains ingredients including hyaluronic acid, vitamin C and green tea, and I think it works particularly well as the final step before bed.

The texture is richer than a daytime moisturiser, which suits this routine.

After spending much of the day outdoors, I quite like applying something more substantial in the evening and simply leaving my skin alone until morning.

One thing I'm deliberately not adding at this stage is retinol or a strong exfoliating treatment.

Those products can certainly have a place in an anti-ageing routine, but immediately after weeks of sunshine, swimming and dry weather, I would rather concentrate on getting my skin comfortable again first.

Simple sometimes works better.

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Going Home Doesn't Mean I Stop Wearing SPF

This is probably the most important part of the entire routine.

When the holiday finishes, sunscreen shouldn't.

For the morning, I am using the Brickell Element Defense Moisturizer SPF 45.

It combines moisturising ingredients with broad-spectrum SPF 45 protection using zinc oxide.

I like products like this because they remove one step from the morning routine.

I don't have to apply a moisturiser, wait, and then remember another sunscreen afterwards. Once I'm back at my desk and dealing with work, emails and the normal morning rush, the simpler my routine is, the more likely I am to actually follow it.

And although Bristol is unlikely to greet me with the same 30-degree sunshine I've been enjoying in France, UV exposure doesn't disappear just because summer is ending.

If anything, getting into the habit of wearing SPF every morning is probably more useful than buying another complicated anti-ageing treatment.

My Hair Needs Some Attention Too

Skincare gets most of the attention after a summer holiday, but my hair has probably suffered just as much.

I've been swimming regularly during this trip, and chlorine has a very obvious effect on my hair.

After several weeks, it feels drier and slightly rougher. Add sunshine, heat and more frequent washing, and it starts to lose some of its softness.

So I am treating my hair routine in exactly the same way as my face: clean it properly, then put some moisture back in.

For that, I am using two Brickell products.

Brickell Daily Strengthening Shampoo

The Brickell Daily Strengthening Shampoo is my first step.

I simply want a shampoo that removes sweat, sunscreen residue and whatever the swimming pool has left behind without making my hair feel even drier.

I also don't use a huge amount.

One thing I have learned over the years is that using twice as much shampoo rarely gives you twice as clean hair. A relatively small amount is enough, particularly when washing regularly.

I concentrate it mainly around the scalp and then rinse thoroughly.

Brickell Revitalizing Hair & Scalp Conditioner

The Revitalizing Hair & Scalp Conditioner is perhaps even more important for me right now.

This contains ingredients including aloe vera, avocado oil and borage oil, and its purpose in my routine is very simple: moisture and softness.

I apply it after shampooing, leave it on briefly and then rinse.

My hair immediately feels easier to manage afterwards.

This is also one of those products that I think many men still skip because conditioner can seem unnecessary if you have relatively short hair.

I used to think the same.

But once hair becomes dry from swimming, sunshine or simply washing it frequently, the difference between using shampoo alone and following with a conditioner is surprisingly noticeable.

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My Simple Post-Holiday Routine

So once I am back home, this is the routine I will be following.

My Post-Holiday Reset

A Simple Skin & Hair Routine

After weeks of sunshine, swimming and dry mountain air, I am keeping things simple: gentle cleansing, plenty of hydration, daily SPF and a little extra care for my hair.

Morning

• Purifying Charcoal Face Wash
• Hyaluronic Acid Booster
• Element Defense Moisturizer SPF 45

Evening

• Purifying Charcoal Face Wash
• Hyaluronic Acid Booster
• Revitalizing Anti-Aging Cream

Hair

• Daily Strengthening Shampoo
• Revitalizing Hair & Scalp Conditioner

I don't think returning from holiday requires ten different skincare products and an hour in the bathroom every evening.

For me, the useful part is simply recognising that my skin has different needs right now.

Final Thoughts: A Reset Rather Than a Repair

A few weeks in the sun inevitably leaves its mark.

My skin feels drier. My hair has had enough chlorine for one summer. And I know that when I return home, it will take a little time before everything feels completely normal again.

But I also don't believe in the idea of suddenly “repairing” your skin with one miracle product.

What makes more sense to me is a reset.

Clean the skin gently. Restore some hydration. Use a good moisturiser. Continue protecting it from the sun. Give dry hair a little more conditioning than usual.

Then stick with it.

That is essentially what I like about this Brickell routine. There is nothing particularly difficult about it, and none of these products requires me to completely change the way I look after myself.

They simply give my skin and hair a little extra help after a very good — but very hot — month in France.

And with my holiday almost over, I suppose that also means I have officially run out of excuses not to start thinking about work again.

Jerome