Hey Lovely,
Have you fired up the furnace? As the temperature starts to dip below 0, for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, winter skin care can be a real issue.
It can be hard to know where to start when you’re trying to get your skin back on track.
Ideally, as the season's begin to shift, so should the way you care for your skin.
These are 6 of the most common winter skin concerns/conditions I see, and how to get the glow.
1. SORE DRY CHAPPED LIPS
Our lips are different from the rest of our skin- they don’t produce oil! This and with the fact that they get A LOT of attention. From conversations to enjoying good foods. Chilly temps and maybe even, a little mistletoe action.💋 It can be a real challenge to keep them hydrated!
SOLUTION
- Look for a lip balm with occlusive ingredients. This includes ingredients like shea butter or avocado oil. These will create a protective seal over the lips to keep moisture in.
- Try a gentle sugar scrub or gentle washcloth. This will remove dead, flaky skin that’s built up so your lip balm can be more effective. You can also use a soft, damp washcloth and gently wipe over the lips to remove superficial dryness. Protect your lips with SPF. So important!
- A lot of people overlook this, but sun exposure can cause irritation and dryness. It’s best to wear a lip product with an SPF every day.
- Try sleeping with a humidifier in your bedroom. This can help address the root cause of dry winter lips and “recharge” your moisture levels so you’re ready for the day ahead!
- Do not pull off dry skin. It’s tempting when the skin is dry to want to pull it off but as you have maybe experienced before, this can make the lips bleed if you remove skin that is still attached to live skin cells. Ouch!
Keep in mind, it’s not just about how you treat chapped lips. It’s also about what you do to prevent them from getting there in the first place. DRINK YOUR WATER.
2. CRACKED HEELS
Cracked heels seem to get worse and worse as winter drags on, and this can be a real annoyance come spring once it’s time to wear sandals again. The feet don’t naturally retain much moisture, so once the air gets cold and dry, cracked heels are almost inevitable. Staying on top of them and preventing cracking in the first place is so much easier than trying to correct dry, damaged heels all at once.
SOLUTION
Stay on top of your heels! Use a healing file in the shower at least every other night.
Every night, slather a thick ointment on your feet , paying special attention to make sure your heels are fully saturated. Seal the moisture with a pair of cotton socks - wear overnight. (Cringe, I know) This prevents moisture from escaping and really helps force the ointment to soak into your feet.
Shoes can surprisingly make a big difference to. Where you can opt for natural fibres like leathers and cotton. This helps keep your natural moisture barrier.
Bonus: Start your day with a foot cream too.
order a pedicure kit!
3. DRY FLAKY FACE
This has to be one of the most common skincare complaints I hear from clients during winter. It’s not always easy to identify what’s causing dry, flaky skin on someone’s face, but the fact is, a damaged moisture barrier almost always comes into play. It can be really challenging to keep your skin’s natural moisture barrier intact during this unforgiving season.
Cold temperatures and low humidity cause the dry air to pull water out of your skin (dry air is greedy and will steal moisture from anywhere it can). This damages your barrier and causes tiny, invisible cracks in the skin. Moisture escapes through these cracks making it even harder for your skin to retain it. It’s truly a vicious cycle.
Solution:
The best solution is to
1) exfoliate regularly with facial scrub
2) applying all the serums, moisturizer, and SPF
Exfoliating will lift off surface dryness (digest all the dead skin cells) so that your hydrating products can get straight to work instead of sitting on top of a layer of dead skin.
4. Dullness
4 things that truly give skin a “glowy” appearance:
• small pores and smooth texture
• good blood circulation
• an even skin tone
• moisture in the skin
Solution:
Getting moisture levels up in your skin is key if you want a glow, so you’ll definitely want to focus on maintaining a healthy moisture barrier.
To do that you have to make sure your serums are applied generously and in the order that you were explained to apply them. Check out our post on the beat order to apply your skin care.
5. Dry Skin on the Body
It’s not just our faces and décolletage that suffer from dry skin during winter! It’s easy to neglect the skin on the rest of your body, but you’ll want to step it up once the temperatures go down. The main problems you want to avoid are itchy and/or bumpy skin. Itchy, flaky skin is uncomfortable and no fun, but beyond that, excessive scratching may damage your skin. When the skin gets dry, it can also get bumpy (especially on the arms and legs). I prefer to stay on top of this so that, come spring, my skin is ready for warmer-weather clothes again!
Solution
For starters, you’ll want to remove dry, dead skin cells a few times a week by gently scrubbing them off. This can be done in the shower using an exfoliating glove or sea salt/sugar scrub.
If you’re prone to bumps and need a little extra help, you may want to reach for a cleanser that contains glycolic for smoothing the skin (yes they can be used on the body too).
6. Redness and Sensitivity
If you have sensitive skin—or conditions like eczema or rosacea which cause sensitivity—this can be a hard time of year. Even if you don’t normally suffer from sensitivity, winter has a tendency to bring it out. The most common type of sensitivity during the winter is dry/dehydrated sensitivity.
Solution:
- If you’re experiencing heightened redness, tightness, rough texture, or a stinging/burning sensation, here’s what I suggest.
- Cut back on exfoliation. Sensitive skin is inflamed skin, and exfoliating already inflamed skin can definitely make things worse. Cut back for a bit until things are under control.
- Use a gentle milky cleanser. I prefer a cleansing oil
- Start using a toner and serum to repair the skin barrier. Something soothing and hydrating like Facial oil is great, even for oilier skin types.
- Use a moisturizer with barrier-repairing ingredients and SPF
Book your consultation now, I’d love to help you get the glow.
xo A