Hydration, hydration, hydration! It might sound like a given but it’s key when it comes to your winter skin care routine.
Winter.
Where do I begin with winter and skin care?
Let me begin by saying, although I am a winter baby, born smack dab in the middle of January and that fact that I was born in Canada, doesn’t mean I love the season. It wrecks havoc on me in more ways than one- my mood, eating habits, sleep schedule and overall my whole routine need adapting. From December to April-ish, I am miserable. As is my skin.
It may seem obvious that your daily/weekly skin routine shouldn’t be the same as it is in the other seasons particularly the summer. In the winter you’re constantly faced with dry air. From the cold gusts of wind outside to the heaters inside. That’s also not to mention that what you’re putting on your face could also be drying you out. That mattifying foundation you loved so much in the summer certainly won’t be your friend in February.
Fear not! With some small swaps you can be sure that dry, itchy skin will be in the distant past.
Swap your cleanser + body wash.
If after you step out of the shower, or after you’ve removed your make-up your skin feels tight, you need to change the product you are using…stat! Foamy soap and cleaners, although offer that squeaky clean feeling isn’t doing you any service. The ingredients required for creating that foam is incredibly drying for you skin and is stripping if of natural and necessary hydrating oils. Same goes for anything that hosts acid ingredients as well. Swap out for in an oil-based wash or a milky or gel cleanser for your face and body.
Dry Brush
I know it sounds totally counter intuitive to take dry bristles to your delicate skin but the practice of dry brushing really helps exfoliate all that dead dry skin to make way for new! If the bristles are too coarse for you, add some oil to them and brush away. Remember to start with your legs working in circular motions and brushing up towards your heart.
Look for good ol’ H2O for moisturizer.
The best way to make sure your skin is getting enough to drink? Water-based moisturizer! While you may want to reach for the super-heavy balms and creams to combat dry skin, my advice is to actually lean into non-comedogenic serums, water-based moisturizers and hyaluronic acid — all of which will help draw moisture into the skin and keep it there.
Don’t ignore the rest of your body.
Yes, your face is the most visible and also the most likely to feel the wrath of the cold winter weather, but that doesn’t mean the rest of your skin won’t benefit from a change to your usual routine. The body lotion you swear by during the rest of the year isn’t going to cut it from December to March — it doesn’t have the staying power you want during the winter. A great body oil which will quench even the most parched skin by protecting the skin’s lipid barrier and trapping moisture, preventing it from evaporating. I usually reach for apricot oil which does a magnificent job. Another personal favourite when my skin is drier than the Sahara is raw shea butter.
Drink up!
Yeah right, you really thought I’d get to the end of a piece about keeping your skin hydrated and not remind to constantly be drinking water? Morning. Noon. Night. In between. Winter. Spring. Summer. Fall. Get yourself a cute reusable water bottle and DRINK!
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