We’ve just passed midwinter and it’s finally cold enough to snow in most places here in the UK (although annoyingly not where I live!). But seeing as my flat does really feel the cold, plus with the harshness of having central heating on all day, I realised I needed to up my winter skincare game.
Whilst you won’t be facing harsh winds or typical ice cold rain like most winters because of lockdown, your skin can still suffer in winter. Cold weather in general reduces the moisture levels of your skin. Central heating can cause dry air in your home, which can dehydrate your skin as well as make you feel a bit stuffy all round. On top of this, your skin is probably not getting enough Vitamin D with the lack of sunlight which causes dull and uneven skin tones. So using your skincare routine to improve your skin health as well as look is always needed.
Cleanse
First things first is you need to pick a cleanser that both cleans your skin thoroughly but doesn’t risk drying it out even more. Look for products which aim to add moisture back into the skin as you’re cleansing, and look out especially for an oil based cleanser or even a milk based like REN’s Evercalm Gentle Cleansing Milk. Using oils and gentle cleansers can help make sure your skin isn’t being stripped of all natural oils and left to feel dry. Avoid products which can be overly harsh on your skin and drying.
Tone
After cleansing it’s sometimes enticing to just cover your face in moisturising products, but you should always still use a toner before. The most important part of moisturising is the prep that goes in beforehand. Whilst toners can dry your skin out with their ingredients, toners which are also exfoliating, like Clinique’s Clarifying Toner or even Pixi’s Glow Toner, help remove dead skin cells and dry skin to give yourself a better base to work with. Make sure you use a toner which ensures your skin is clean and allows better absorption of products.
Moisturise
After using a toner, make sure you mosisturise. If you can only do one thing on this list, make it be this step as it’s so important to keep your skin moisturised. During colder months, I always turn to thicker moisturisers which take a bit of extra time to sink into your skin after applying for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the cold application can help soothe your skin if it’s feeling irritated similar to many cooling fask masks.
Secondly, when a mosituriser immediately disapears off the skin I question how much work it actually does to moisturise. On top of this, products which just sit on top of the skin and create a layer are more likely to cover the issue of dry skin but not actually help improve the skin after you stop using the product. Finding an in-between moisturiser which works is most beneficial.
Finding a moisturiser which includes an emollient is also important as these soften and smooth the skin, with emollients often having a sealing action to avoid water loss too. Emollient ingredients are often plant oils, mineral oil, shea butter, cocoa butter, petrolatum, fatty acids, triglycerides, benzoates, myristates, palmitates, and stearates on the ingredients list.
Seal it In
For some skin types, moisturising might not be enough to fully hydrate your skin. So the final step of your routine should be to use a noncomedogenic oil all over your face. Noncomedogenic is the important thing as you don’t want to swap your dry skin for blackheads and pimples if you clog your pores. Common noncomedogenic oils used for skincare are sunflower seed, neem, hempseed, grapeseed, sweet almond and rosehip oil (this is what I use!).
Additional Pick-Me-Ups
If you’ve also seen my ultimate guide to skincare you may be thinking this routine is missing a few products that you need. That’s perfectly normal as this is the base routine which you should be adding products to in order to improve other areas of your skin such as for reducing pimples, avoiding blackheads and minimising fine lines.
If you want to have a self-care day with a facemask find a moisturising sheet mask to add to your routine. If skin still feels dry and itchy, include an exfoliator to remove any stubborn dead skin cells and dry patches. Include a serum to give another moisture boost, treate acne, and overall brighten your skin.
Don’t Forget Your Body
We’ve talked a lot about our face routine, but don’t forget your skin is your largest organ and needs to be helped in all areas of your body. Body washes, lotions, butter, and oils can all be used exactly the same way you’d set out your daily skincare routine. Making sure to really those rougher areas like knees, elbows and feet can help improve your confidence too.