YOUR BEST WINTER SKIN
The first month of the year can be a beautiful and promising thing. However, it can also wreak havoc on the most protective and largest organ of our body - our skin! The colder temperatures play a huge role in making our skin dehydrated and dull. Now’s the time to make some adjustments to your usual skin care habits. 🥶
While you may believe your skin’s only being affected outside, the truth is, that our environmental factors inside, can be just as (if not more) damaging in the winter. Very warm and dry areas indoors can be sure to mean less humidity, causing our skin to lose even more moisture than usual.
Heighten Hydration with a Toner
Never tried a toner or essence before? Now is a good time to add this step. Using a hydrating toner will help to hydrate the deepest layers of your skin. If you decide to use any of these tips, using a toner to battle winter dryness may be the MOST helpful! My favorites are Beautycounter’s Countertime Hydrating Essence and Herbivore’s Rose Hibiscus Face Mist.
Use a Richer Cream at Night
Do you use the same cream in the day as you do in the night? During winter months, our skin can really benefit from opting in for a much richer cream at night than the one we use during the day. Our skin can absorb more while we’re resting, plus we worry less about wearing heavy products when makeup isn’t in the equation. I also like to switch to a richer eye cream at night, too. A generous amount of hydration is super beneficial for your winter skin while it sleeps. I recommend Beautycounter’s Tetrapeptide Supreme Cream for it’s decadent texture and anti-aging properties.
Pump Up The Jam Body Oil!
Pro Tip here: Add a pump of body oil or squirt of body balm to your body lotion before applying to give it even more hydration. I just mix them together in the palm of my hand! Pumping up the jam on your body lotion will not only give it much more hydration, but it also helps your oil and balm last longer, too! A little of each of these goes a long way, and it definitely makes a difference to my dry skin. My favorites are Weleda’s Sea Buckthorn Body Oil, Beautycounter’s Luminous Hydration Body Oil, Eu’Genia’s Essence of Grapefruit Shea Butter, and Beautycounter’s Body Melting Balm.
Sleep with a Hydrating Lip Treatment
When you sleep, your lips rise in temperature so they can flush out any toxins and produce new skin cells. Plus depending on the humidity of your room, you may find your lips extra dry in the winter. Applying a hydrating lip balm before bedtime will keep your lips quenched and prepared for your new day to come. Seriously, sleeping with a hydrating lip treatment on at night is a chapped-lipped-game-changer, my friends! Try one of these and let me know what you love: Ilia’s Lip Wrap, Weleda’s Skin Food Lip Butter, CV Skin Lab’s Restorative Skin Balm (this is like a clean Aquaphor alternative), and Beautycounter’s Peppermint Lip Conditioner.
Remove the dry skin!
It may seem counterintuitive to exfoliate if you normally find that to be drying, however this is one of the BEST times to exfoliate. Removing the dead skin cells from the top layer of your skin will allow the softer, new skin to be revealed. And your skin won’t have a barrier of dry skin stopping it from absorbing your lovely skincare! A chemical exfoliator can be gentler on the skin than a physical exfoliant, so start there! My favorite is hands-down Beautycounter’s Overnight Resurfacing Peel. (Remember - use a washcloth or gentle physical exfoliator to remove the dead skin cells in the morning!) Depending on your skin, you can do one deeper physical exfoliant (like ExfoliKate Intensive Exfoliating Treatment) per week or you may be able to handle a daily, gentle exfoliating wash. I personally do both!
When you remove the dry flakes, not only does your skin look and feel softer, it allows your makeup to go on much more flawlessly, too. (And while we’re at it - don’t forget to exfoliate your body with a body scrub!)
It might seem difficult to move away from your normal skincare routine in order to master your perfect winter skincare routine, but once you embrace these few tips I just taught you, I guarantee your skin will thank you. The easiest way to make this happen is to find the perfect products for you, then set a bedtime reminder for each night so you can make sure you give your winter skin the pampering it not only deserves, but needs.
Feel like you need more support? I’m here to help you! I offer Makeup & Skincare Shopping Consultations that will leave you with a totally personalized list of clean beauty product recommendations - just for you!