Finding a good winter skin care routine isn't easy! If you live in cold climate --between the cold, the wind, and dry heated air, your skin can take a pounding. If your skin gets very dried out on your face or your body, it can make you look quite aged and tired. If you are younger your skin can look red and irritated due to the winter elements. As we age our skin does not turn over as quickly and this can make skin look dull and lifeless, and who wants that?
Here are some tips for a winter skin care routine for dry skin, which helps your skin stay hydrated and protected throughout the winter, and this applies to all (cis and trans) men and women and young adults.
First and foremost, protect your skin from the elements. Think of your skin like you would think of a baby. You would never expose a babies skin to wind, cold, and snow - yet we do it to ourselves all the time. Protect your face with a scarf and wear sunscreen and/or heavy moisturizer (think of it like a BARRIER against the harsh winter). Cold and wind will negatively harm your skin.
Here are my rules for keeping skin healthy and vibrant any time of year.
Skincare Routine for Face:
1. Exfoliate twice a week, this will remove the dead skin and help with skin turnover so your skin does not look lifeless and dull.
2. Use retinol or Retin-A at least twice a week. Exfoliating and Retin-A products help the skin turnover more quickly, retinol products also help increase collagen content of skin, which literally reduces wrinkles. This also allows your skin to absorb more moisture.
3. Moisturize and then moisturize more! You can spend a lot of money on facial creams that promise a great deal. The fact is that many contain the same ingredients. I really like facial oils, but choose something you like, and will use, and will use often. Use something you like the feel and aroma of, and use it at least three times a day. Get a little glass or plastic container to add a small amount so you can carry it with you and reapply during the day.
4. Use Hyaluronic Acid - which sounds scary from the "acid" in the name but is not harsh at all, and in fact helps your skin hold onto moisture. Use daily. It is a powerful humectant (moisture-binding ingredient) that keeps skin plump and hydrated and, yes, young-looking. Hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring polysaccharide (carbohydrate) in the human body. This allows your skin to hold onto the moisture....really important in winter!!
5. Sunscreen - I know, I totally hate sunscreen too. I will do an entire blog on sunscreen and what works, and is not hideous and wont ruin your clothes, or make you look like a ghost.
There are some nice aspects about winter, but having dewy and supple skin in the winter takes work!