12 Amazing Winter Skincare Tips – Keep Skin Healthy This Chilly Season
Winter is upon us and that means cold air, cozy blankets, and changes in your current skincare routine. Here are some useful winter skin care tips that can help anyone, no matter your skin type or concern.
Everyone and their mother should have a skincare routine. Keep reading to find out what changes you should make in colder months the health of your skin. Find out what winter skin care tips can help boost the health of the skin, the only defense your insides have against the outside world!
Why Does Skin Dry Out More in the Winter
So, you may be asking yourself, why does our skincare routine need to be seasonal? Well, this is primarily due to changes in weather. Once dry and cold weather comes along, there’s less moisture to be found in the air. This lack of moisture in the environment can cause moisture loss from the upper layers of your skin. Any heating indoors or from furnaces or fireplaces can also lead to more moisture loss in the skin. This is a recipe for dry, cracking, brittle skin.
If your skincare routine contains humectants, this may also dry out your skin. Humectants draw water from the air into your skin and are much less effective in drier environments. Even if you cover up, exposed skin on your hands, face, and neck can all become affected by the dry and cold environment. This leads to a compromised skin barrier that may become flaky, dry, irritated, red, or itchy.
This is where winter skin care tips come into play. Once you change your skincare routine to match the seasonal changes, you are better able to deal with it and keep your skin healthy!
Winter Skincare Tips
Let’s jump right into it, here are 12 essential winter skincare tips that you need to try immediately. Do yourself and your skin a favor and follow these tips today.
1. Cleanse Better
In the winter, it’s time to cleanse better. This does not mean cleansing more. Quite the contrary, it may be beneficial to reduce cleansing your face as much. If you usually do it twice a day, aim for once at night. This is because cleansers May be harsh on the skin. If you want to continue cleansing often, then all you need to do is change your cleanser for a gentle one that will not dry out the skin.
2. Damp Moisturizing
One of the best ways to get moisturizer to penetrate deep into your skin is to apply it right after you shower or cleanse your face. When your skin is damp it will readily absorb moisture with ease, allowing all the beneficial ingredients to seep in. This will also help seal that dampness into your skin as well.
3. Ceramides
Ceramides are an amazing ingredient. They are fats that are normally found in the skin, making up about 40% of the skin. It’s like the glue that holds your skin cells together. When you see ceramides in moisturizers and serums, that’s when you know you have a hit. These ingredients help to restore and repair the skin and can improve moisture and hydration effectively. Adding in more products with ceramides is a great tip for your skincare routine at any season, but especially in the wintertime!
4. SPF Matters
Protection from the Sun is still a must even in the winter. People tend to think that it’s less likely to be needed in colder months since it doesn’t feel all that hot. On the contrary, many individuals experience more sunburns in the winter because they stop using sun protection. Even the reflection of the sun on the snow is enough to cause damage to your skin. The UV rays from the Sun on the snow have a huge impact on your skin, just like direct sunlight. Make sure you are using sun protection on any part of your skin that is exposed when you’re going outside.
5. Emollients
Emollients are skincare ingredients that seal in hydration. They are usually found in moisturizers. Some examples of emollients include silicones, mineral oils, facial oils, petroleum, and other lipids such as shea butter or cocoa butter. These are a great addition to a winter skincare routine because they help to keep the skin hydrated, trapping water in the layers of your skin. Look for a moisturizer that contains emollients or try adding a facial oil into your skincare routine.
6. Avoid Hot Water
I know, I know, horrible tip. A super hot shower after a long and cold day is everyone’s dream, but it may damage your skin. When water is too hot it tends to strip the skin of essential oils and lipids that protect the skin barrier. This causes the skin to become dry and flaky, especially in the wintertime. Try to shower with warm water, not scaling hot water. Avoid excessive scrubbing and try to simply Pat the skin dry instead of rubbing excessively. And no, please don’t take cold showers in the winter, that’s wild!
7. Get Rid of Irritants
Sometimes, we’re able to use some ingredients in the summer and not in the winter. This may include skin care with common irritants such as fragrance. This is because the skin may be more sensitive in colder months. Try to remove irritants from skincare that may increase dryness, irritation, or redness. You can also try to remove these ingredients from your body wash and laundry detergent. Fragrance may increase skin sensitivity. Plus, try to avoid skin care with denatured alcohol, as this can cause more dryness and irritation.
8. Exfoliate Less
Exfoliation is the act of using a chemical or physical exfoliant to remove the dead skin from the surface of the skin barrier. This is usually awesome and a great way to help cells turnover and restore themselves. However, in the winter, too much exfoliation may cause more harm than good. Your skin is already sensitive, and prone to dryness. Physical or mechanical exfoliation like scrubbing, may worsen itchiness, redness, and inflammation. Chemical exfoliation also tends to strip the skin of natural oils and moisture. This sucks in the wintertime as natural oils and moisture is needed for the skin barrier to stay healthy and hydrated. If you ever experience any sensitivity or irritation when you are exfoliating, try to reduce your exfoliation. Some people may only need to exfoliate once a week or even just once a month.
9. Hydrate
Hydration starts from the inside out. Even slight dehydration is a problem. In the winter, you may not notice yourself losing water, but you are. Increase your water intake to increase the hydration of your skin. This is a subtle change, but a little bit goes a long way. Listen to your body and always pay attention when you are thirsty. Thirst tends to be something that we easily ignore. Eat foods that are high in water such as cucumbers, apples, oranges, tomatoes, and other fruits and vegetables. It just so happens that these foods are also high in antioxidants that help the body create healthy skin cells!
10. Drink Less
Confusing? I don’t mean drink less water, I mean drink less alcohol. Alcohol can be tasty when drinking socially, but too much alcohol consumption dehydrates the skin. To break down, process, and remove alcohol from the body, the body uses water. This may lead to a bit of dehydration that can show up in your
11. Create Humidity
In the wintertime, there’s less humidity in the air. So, if there’s no humidity, create your own. Many people benefit a lot from getting a humidifier. This is a great way to add moisture to the air of your home. This allows humectants in your skincare routine to do their job well. A humidifier can replenish up to 60% of any moisture loss from the top layer of your skin and this is without the use of a humectant in skincare.
12. Go for Comfort
It’s all about a cozy comfortable life, even in Winter skincare tips! Choose fabrics that are soft and loose. This can help reduce physical friction on the skin. Fabrics such as wool or rough clothing can lead to skin irritation and can cause redness, flakiness, and dryness in the skin.
The Takeaway
Your skin is awesome, it is your biggest organ and protects your insides from the outside environment, but it also needs support and protection. Try out these winter skin care tips to increase your skin’s ability to do its job, even in the harshest of climates!
Remember that health comes from within. Eat nutritious food, exercise when you can, and take care of your mental health. The small daily habits you cultivate become the basis for overall wellness. Don’t forget about microbiota health too! Gut microbiota affects the entire body, from the skin to muscles, to immune and mental health! Get all the resources you need about microbiota health for free here!
