Best Skin Care For Cold Weather
The winter weather can be absolutely awful for your skin. The dry weather is really something, with the extra dry heat pumping in your home and office, and then that cold wind against your skin anytime you’re outside - yikes! If you are older, this really makes it difficult to keep the moisture alive in the dead of winter! It’s truly the perfect environment for a skin disaster.
If you experience sensitive skin on your face, or even on your body, hand and legs, then your skin is most likely pretty miserable this time of year.
In the dead of winter, your skin can very quickly become dry, chapped, rough and flaky. You want to try to maintain as much moisture and hydration as possible during the dry winter months. This has always been a challenge for me, especially when I travel someplace warm and covert back to the cold. My skin really takes a beating!
I’m sharing some tried and true skin care tips for the cold weather, so you can ensure that your skin stays hydrated, healthy and happy.
I was talking to my girlfriend the other day about wardrobe changes with the seasons and what we do with our summer clothes versus our winter clothes, and it reminded me that if our wardrobe changes with the seasons, so should your skin care routine. Think of your products like your clothes from season to season, you want to have different ingredients, products, tools, oils for hydration and more. Here are some of my best tips for making sure your skin’s natural moisture stays intact when the cold weather strikes.
Best Skin Care For Cold Weather
Get A Humidifier
Is using a humidifier good for your skin?
Keeping the skin and hair moist is so good for you during the super dry months and drier temps in our homes.
Cold air outside can dry out the skin. Using a humidifier to add moisture to the indoor air may help to reduce the occurrence of dry, cracked, scaly skin.
To help combat the dry air inside your house, try using a humidifier to add moisture to the air. I use one while I sleep, and it’s been a game changer for my skin and airways while I sleep. If you work from home, I’d also add one to your office area or wherever you spend the majority of your day. This alone can make such a difference in your skin’s natural moisture.
Use A Hyaluronic Acid Serum
HA otherwise known as hyaluronic serum is known for its benefits to help treat dry, sensitive skin. Hyaluronic acid can save dry, aging skin. Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a carbohydrate molecule that can hold a thousand times its weight in water, and is naturally found in our skin to retain moisture and keep it hydrated. It is a humectant, which means that it acts as a moisture magnet, extracting water from the environment and delivering it to the cells. Adding a HA serum can be such an important step and product for your skincare routine. Side note, serums go on after you’ve cleansed and toned, and before you moisturize. They truly pack a punch and are usually the most potent in terms of ingredients in your 4-step regimen. Hyaluronic acid is probably the #1 ingredient you should be looking for to help your skin’s natural moisture barrier. Use it in a serum and underneath a rich moisturizing cream to ensure massive hydration.
In addition to a face serum, I really love the Clean Swipe Hyaluronic Lip Balm that’s packed with hyaluronic acid.
This is great to put on when your lips are a bit dryer in the winter, and you want a hint of color as well. You can see how sheer the colors are while packing a massive hydrating punch for your lips. From left to right we have Nada which is translucent, Pinch: Rosy Pink, Bitten: Warm Berry, Plush: Warm Pink.
Cover Your Skin When Outdoors
When winter hits, and it starts to get freezing, my skin, hands and feet dry out instantly. And when I’m skinning outside or walking in the woods, I make sure I have protected clothing on always. I make sure to cover up my neck, and head including my forehead, so I’m not exposing my skin. You want to cover your skin in the dry, windy and cold weather otherwise it will wreak havoc on your skin and cause it to crack and be irritated. My tip is to cover your skin whenever possible when you’re outdoors. It makes such a difference in my skin when I dress properly.
I’m skinning in Maine wearing my favorite winter gear from Skida.
Moisturize Immediately After Washing
When we wash our body every day, including our face and hands, we are stripping the natural oils from our skin. I make sure when washing my body and hands every day, I’m not using something laden with chemicals because it makes my skin so much dryer. Just like you shampoo your hair, and then immediately condition afterward, you want to do the same with your skin. After you cleanse your skin, immediately hydrate it. I like to use a hydrating oil in the winter on my skin to help combat the dryness. This goes for your hands, face and body. I keep a safer hand wash and hand cream at all of my sinks to ensure I’m moisturizing often. After you shower, make sure to always moisturize. If you like steamy hot showers like I do in the winter time, make sure to use a good moisturizer. The heat strips our skin’s natural oils as well, so it’s best to try to avoid this.
Change Your Cleanser
Depending on your skin type, you may have a different cleanser for different seasons. And if you don’t, you may want to consider this one. I’m quite sensitive and a little oily during the summer months, which means my skin creates excess oil thanks to sweat and heat, I tend to gravitate to an exfoliating cleanser to help combat the excess oil. Once winter hits, all bets are off! I don’t produce as much oil, and run dryer plus sensitive, so I switch my exfoliating cleanser to a cream-based one. If you run really dry, it may be beneficial for you to avoid acids like salicylic acid and AHAs. Instead, search for cleanser ingredients that include hyaluronic acid, glycerin, ceramides, and niacinamide for the skin barrier. I especially love HA because Hyaluronic acid regenerates the lipids in the skin's barrier, which helps the skin hold water more effectively. The skin's barrier, thus, works best by helping keep the cells in balance. Hyaluronic acid also protects the skin from free radicals and other external toxins.
Countermatch Hyaluronic sensitive skin cleanser
Use Sunscreen
Do I really need to worry about sun protection in winter? Yes! While the sun's rays may not feel as warm or strong on your skin during the winter, its ultraviolet (UV) rays break down your skin cells at a faster rate regardless of the season. The days may be shorter, and you may not be outside as much, you still need to protect yourself from the UV rays. You want to avoid stressing your skin as much as possible, which can affect your moisture barrier. So lather up with SPF every single day. Period. No excuses.
Add A Nourishing Cream
Switch up your moisturizer with a more nourishing-rich cream that’s packed with ingredients for dry skin. Swap out your lighter moisturizer for something a little thicker, richer and more emollient. The cold winter weather, with strong winds and indoor dry air, can really dry out your skin and take a toll on its texture. You want to use this after you cleanse, tone and add your serum. Or add in a thick a night cream for added hydration while you sleep, if you are just using one moisturizer for both am and pm. Watch and note, these are the ingredients to look for: hyaluronic acid, glycerin, coconut oil, niacinamide, ceramides, and aloe vera.
Choose Non-irritating clothes and laundry detergent
When our skin is dry and raw, even clothes and laundry detergent can be irritating. To avoid this and wear things like cotton or silk under your clothing made of wool if you can tolerate it. Use laundry detergent labeled “hypoallergenic.” My favorite brand is called Molly Suds. It’s safer for you without and made in the USA with plant and earth-based ingredients that are peanut free, vegan, and certified cruelty-free that leave no residue and rinse clean. Septic and gray water safe, soil tested. Available unscented or lightly scented, so clothes smell fresh. Safe for all mothers, babies, people, skin sensitivities, and planet for cleaning power with compassion.
Afterthoughts:
I’ve used all the products mentioned above for over three years now, and I can safely say that I can 100% recommend them. I even used all of these throughout my health journey. It’s one thing to call products safe, but a whole other thing when they’re safe and actually work. To shop more clean products and add them to your cart, click here.
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