The Beauty Edit: December // Blue Light owen, 07/13/202302/27/2024 For this month’s Beauty Edit, I wanted to talk more about something I’ve been researching (and worrying about) lately: BLUE LIGHT. A little over a year ago, I was introduced to a term called “blue light” (I believe it was Krista’s blog where I first read about it). I had been getting really awful migraines, and once I started wearing blue light lenses, it was all fixed. I was shocked at how my eyesight and motor skills were being impacted by all of the screen time. I even wrote a post about it here . I’m so reliant on my blue light lenses that I have pairs at my office, my home office, and at Matt’s! I highly recommend for anyone that is constantly on their phones and computers! About a week ago, I was looking through Instagram Stories and stumbled upon Helena’s post about HEV (the fancy term for blue light) light, and I instantly started freaking out. Why you might ask? Because blue light not only affects your eyes, but also your SKIN . I’ve been making a conscious effort to take really good care of my skin this year, so when I read this, I started to panic and read more about it. I obviously know just how much time we spend on our phones (thanks to the new Screen Time feature -_-), but I didn’t realize that spending four eight-hour workdays in front of a computer exposes you to the same amount of energy as 20 minutes in the mid-day sun . SAY WHAT?! So how does blue light affect your skin exactly? Ages your skin faster Pigmentation Disrupts sleep Dark circles under eyes UM. THANK U, NEXT. Am I right? So…how can we help reverse damage that blue light does to our skin? Get. Off. The. Devices. Okay, that’s never going to happen. But it’ll be the easiest way to help protect your eyes AND your skin. Use night mode on both your phone and laptop Ever been in bed, ready to go to sleep, but then you pick up your phone? And suddenly you’re awake for 3 more hours AND don’t get a good night’s sleep? Yup. Thanks phone. For a while, I only had my night mode going on my iPhone at 10PM. Now, I pretty much have it on at all times. I also recently discovered that my laptop has a night mode…so I keep that on 24/7 as well! Most devices have this feature now (which goes to show you that there’s obviously a REASON for it), but if it doesn’t, Amazon has some screen filters. And yes, I still wear my blue light lenses too! Defense beauty products When I saw Helena’s post (up above), I realized I really needed to do more research on things for my skin. There are a few products I’m looking at right now, but it’s looking like Murad products are going to be the winner. Their City Skin products have active ingredients that block blue light from affecting your skin. Topical antioxidants are an absolute must when it comes to protecting our skin from blue light — that’s why a good nighttime topical cream needs to make its way into your bathroom! When it comes to the daytime, you must apply an SPF with antioxidant-rich ingredients as well. This will help put up the barrier when environmental pollutants find your skin. So there you have it — WOOF. Maybe I’m blowing it out of proportion, but I ain’t taking any chances! Did you have any idea about blue light affecting your skin?! Or even blue light at all? Sustainable