Winter Skin Care Routine To Keep Your Skin Glowing
Consistency is key when it comes to your skincare routine, but sometimes it pays to be a little flexible, too. While the core makeup of your regimen probably won’t change, the cold air and lack of humidity during the winter months can sap your skin of its natural moisture. This can cause dry skin and lead to flare-ups of dryness-related skin conditions or even just severely chapped lips.
“A nourishing routine can help you stay glowy, even when winter weather strikes!”
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Shani Darden, Esthetician
To keep your skin healthy, clear, and glowing, you’ll want to adjust your skincare products slightly to adjust to the change in weather and humanity. So let’s break down everything you need to know about a winter skincare routine.
What’s the Deal With Winter Skin?
Throughout the day, you experience what’s known as trans-epidermal water loss, or TEWL. This just means that while you may start the day off with super hydrated, ultra-dewy skin after your AM routine, when bedtime rolls around, it can be an entirely different story. This goes double during the winter because water loss is accelerated by the low humidity.
Because of this, you’ll likely experience drier skin than you’re used to during the winter. Other things can exacerbate this, too, like frequently going from cold to hot when you walk in and out of a building or central heating sapping your skin of its moisture and natural oils. Additionally, you’re more likely to shower or wash your face with hot water when you’re cold, which can exacerbate dry skin.
Dry skin can also be painful! It can crack or chap, leading to redness and inflammation. Cracking can also make you vulnerable to infection because it creates small cuts and damage to your skin through which bacteria and other impurities can enter.
But what can you do about it? We’ll walk you through a winter skincare routine to keep your skin hydrated and nourish all winter long.
1. Reduce Your Water Temperature
The first thing you should do isn’t about products, but rather how you use your products. When you shower or wash your face, you’ll want to stick to lukewarm water rather than hot. While hot showers may seem even more appealing during the colder months, since the dry air is already sapping your natural moisture, it’s best not to make it worse with hot water.
It’s also good for your skin health and wellness to steer clear of sky-high temperatures! Too-hot water can dry out or even irritate your skin, whereas lukewarm or more neutral water temperatures get you just as clean but without the risk of damage. Cold water can also help to close your pores, preventing breakouts and infection.
2. Use a HydratingCleanser
Many cleansers can be drying, so during the winter especially, you should switch to a gentle cleanser in the form of a balm, oil, or serum. While different cleansers work with different skin types, even those with oily skin should look for a hydrating option like my Cleansing Serum during the winter.
Rather than drying out your skin further and stripping your skin of its natural oils, leaving you feeling raw and tight, my hydratingcleanser uses moisturizing agents like hyaluronic acid and TEWL-resistant oat bran extract to leave your skin clean and clear, but still with the moisture it needs to get through a cold, dry winter day.
3. Add a Chemical Exfoliant
While this may seem counterintuitive since many chemical exfoliants can be drying, the winter is actually a great time to add a chemical exfoliant into your regimen. Chemical exfoliants like glycolic acid or lactic acid can fight dull skin, which can be a real downer in the depths of winter.
Unlike physical exfoliants like scrubs which can be abrasive, chemical exfoliants remove dead skin cells with less irritation. However, especially if you have sensitive skin, you’ll want to gradually introduce ingredients like AHAs or retinol into your skincare routine so as not to irritate your skin.
4. Switch to a Hydrating Serum
It’s possible to layer serums, so if you want to keep your antioxidant-rich vitamin C serum going during the wintertime, more power to you! But during cold weather, you’ll want every part of your routine to work hard to moisturize your skin. Look for a serum that includes hyaluronic acid, or add a specific hyaluronic acid serum to your routine, layered on top of treatment serums you’re using to target your skincare concerns.
Hyaluronic acid is known as a humectant, which means it’s a type of molecule that attracts and binds water molecules to your face. It’s vital to have this miracle molecule on your team when there’s so little water in the air to begin with! Every little bit helps.
5. Moisturize, Moisturize, Moisturize
The best moisturizer for you can depend on your skin type, but in general, skin is drier than normal in the colder months. This dryness, if left unchecked, can cause damage to your skin barrier, making dry winter skin worse. A damaged skin barrier makes it harder for your skin to retain moisture, makes it more likely that you’ll break out, and even leaves you vulnerable to infection.
Look for a moisturizer that uses all of the main moisturizing agents, including emollients, humectants, and occlusives. My Weightless Oil-Free Moisturizer uses humectanthyaluronic acid alongside plumping, restorative collagen to leave you with firmer, more supple skin that defies yearly winter dryness!
If you have dry or normal skin, then you’ll love my Hydration Peptide Cream. This cream features peptides, squalane, and nourishing Hydrosella™ to keep your skin hydrated for up to 72 hours.
Moisturizing properly is also a huge help to any anti-aging routine, so if that’s a priority, moisturizing is a real double threat! Also, make sure to use a body lotion filled with nourishing and moisturizing ingredients like glycerin, aloe, shea butter, and ceramides to help protect the skin on your hands against the winter weather.
6. Sunscreen
Even though it’s winter and you may feel like you never see the sun, you’ll still want to apply SPF daily. Although you may not be able to see the sun, UV rays can certainly see you, so it’s important to remember you’re not immune to sun damage just because it’s cloudy or the sun sets earlier than usual.
In Conclusion
Winter skin can be difficult to deal with, especially when you want a year-round glow. But with some simple adjustments to your routine to prioritize hydration, you’ll have your skin feeling as hydrated, clear, and bright as it does every other month!
Sources:
What to Do About Dry Skin in Winter | Harvard Health
Moisturizers: The Slippery Road | Indian Journal of Dermatology