Hacking the Cold: Your Complete Winter Skincare Guide
You’ve heard of the capsule wardrobe, but have you heard of capsule skincare? Your clothes are not the only thing that you need to switch out to adapt to the seasons.
Think about it. The skincare you use during summer would typically include light formulations like gels and light weight hydrating spritzers. But these aren’t nearly enough when your skin is exposed to the frigid, harsh cold and dry air.
Using your summer skincare products, despite them being efficient and reliable, during winter will offer no benefits and may even worsen your skin.
This is why it’s important to understand that the changes in temperature and humidity during the winter can have a relentless effect on your skin, which causes your skin to require more nourishment.
Give your skin some extra TLC this winter with our helpful tips on how you can adapt your skincare routine to combat the harsh weather.
Curating Your Winter Skin Care: A Practical Guide
When winter rolls around, with it comes frigid winds, dry air, and frequent exposure to heaters — a combination that can wreak havoc on your skin by stripping your skin’s natural oils and may even cause irritation, redness, dryness, and skin sensitivity.
What you need is an overhaul of your skincare routine. Don’t worry; that doesn’t mean throwing away your summer favourites. All you need to do is swap out a few products to incorporate those better suited for the winter and stick to certain habits that will help strengthen your skin barrier.
#1. Avoid Hot Showers and Reduce Your Shower Time
After spending the day out in the cold, a long, hot bath can be very tempting. But this indulgent, relaxing routine can do more harm than good.
Prolonged exposure to hot water is known to strip the natural moisture and oils from your skin, leaving it more dull, lifeless, and dehydrated.
Instead, opt for short showers using lukewarm water. Make sure you follow it up with a good moisturizer. When your skin is still damp after your shower is the best time to feed your skin with nourishing moisturizers to maintain your skin’s softness.
It is also common to find dry patches and skin flaking during the winter. One way to get rid of persistent dryness is to exfoliate your body gently in the shower and follow up with a moisturizing lotion. Or, you can look into dry brushing, which will not only effectively exfoliate your skin but also promote lymphatic drainage.
#2. Incorporate Cleansing Balms And Milky or Creamy Cleaners
Your regular foaming cleansers are great at getting all the oil and gunk off your face, but they may not be the best option in the cold weather.
During the winter, it’s a better idea to shift to creamier cleansers that are gentle on your skin. Look into incorporating milky, creamy, or gel-based cleansers that do not foam. These cleansers are formulated to clean your skin effectively while maintaining your skin barrier and without causing any skin dryness.
Ensure in the mornings to simply wash your face with a cleanser to get rid of your previous night’s skincare. In the evenings, you can then double cleanse using an oil cleanser or cleansing balm followed by a gentle cleanser.
#3. Swap Out Your Gels and Lotions With Heavier Creams
Winter skincare is all about protecting your skin from external elements. So, while a light gel or lotion is enough for humid summers, you need a thicker, more nourishing cream in the winter.
You want to look for moisturizers with emollient and occlusive ingredients, such as dimethicone, lanolin, mineral oil, ceramide, and shea butter.
#4. Maintain Your Exfoliating Routine
Regular exfoliation is one of the best ways to pave the way to healthier, glowing skin. It helps you to gently get rid of all the dead skin that is exacerbated by the dry winter air.
It will not only help your skin better absorb the serums and moisturizer but exfoliation will also promote skin regeneration, making you look youthful and healthy.
However, it is also worth emphasizing that you should not be over-exfoliating your skin, regardless of whether you’re using a physical or chemical exfoliator. Once a week is good enough or one of our tips of the brand ASAP Skincare is you can simply mix the cleanser with the scrub and use gently but more often to keep those dead skin cells at bay!
#5. Layer Your Skincare Products
Layering your skincare is an effective way to ensure that all products are properly absorbed into your skin, ensuring their effectiveness. Always layer your products based on their consistencies — from the thinnest to the thickest. Start with your watery toners, followed by gels and serums, and finally your moisturizer. Don’t forget your SPF is applied last prior to makeup! Yes SPF all year around.
Layering also allows you to incorporate multiple products with specific ingredients to target specific skin concerns.
Tips to Optimize Your Winter Skincare
Once you have your winter skincare pat-down, it’s time to look into how you can kick it up a few notches! Some additional TLC for your winter-exposed skin will always be welcome.
1. Don’t Ignore Your Body
Skin is often a reflection of your health. Your skincare products can only do so much. Make sure you have a healthy diet with sufficient proteins, fibers, and antioxidants, and drink plenty of water to nourish your body and skin from the inside out.
2. Set Your Thermostat Correctly
When cold winter winds roll around, it’s so tempting to set your thermostat up. But, this only increases dry air in your home, which can lead to cracked, dry, and dull skin.
3. Purchase a Humidifier
A humidifier is an incredible investment, especially for the drier winter months. Dry air is everywhere during winter; yes, that includes inside your home.
With a humidifier, you can be confident that your breathing space has enough moisture to positively impacts your skin’s health and prevent excessive dryness.
4. Try Overnight Masks
Overnight masks, or sleeping masks as they are popularly known, do an excellent job of providing an added layer of protection to your skin. This product is essentially the final step of your night time skincare and is layered on top of your moisturizer, forming an occlusive layer.
Imagine giving your skin the entire night to absorb all the goodness of your serums, moisturizers, oils, and the mask!
5. Don’t Skip Sunscreen
You may think that cloudy, grey skies mean your skin is safe from the damaging sun rays, but you’d be wrong. Sunscreen is one product you should not be skipping, come rain or shine!
Regardless of the season, if you’re spending any time outside, you need to wear SPF.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I keep my lips moisturized during winter?
Your lips are not exempt from the winter cold and dryness, so chapped lips are very much prevalent during these cold months.
Like your skin, you also have to moisturize your lips by religiously applying a hydrating lip balm. You can even look into an SPF lip balm for added protection. We have a large range of lipbalms
Are there foods that I can eat to help my skin during winter?
Yes! Aside from keeping yourself hydrated, there are several foods you can eat during winter that can help your skin.
Boost your Vitamin C-rich food consumption and eat plenty of antioxidant-rich food. They will help improve your immune system as well as enhance your skin’s natural glow and elasticity. These foods can also promote your skin’s collagen synthesis to ensure that the cold won’t severely impact your skin’s bounce and firmness.
Conclusion
Understanding your skin’s needs and keeping your skincare adaptable and flexible plays a major role in ensuring your skin’s health. Especially in winter, you need to be extra careful of your products and try to incorporate more moisturizing and soothing products to keep your skin supple.
Don’t be too rigid with your skincare; check what your skin needs on any given day and adjust your routine accordingly. After all, good skin is supposed to be all year round!
For more information or to book a free skin consultation please contact us on 096308042