SK-II cream and facial treatment mask to keep your skin hydrated in the winter

REGIMEN HELP

Winter skincare tips to keep dry skin hydrated

As the humidity and temperature drops, your skin can become prone to dryness. Switch up your skincare regimen to counter these harsh conditions for clear, healthy-looking skin.

Snowy landscapes. Sweater weather. While these may all be beautiful and romantic, winter’s severe elements and harsh conditions can also mess with your usual glow. Prep well by learning what happens to your skin in winter and adapting the products you use to keep your skin happy all season.

Your skin gets super dry and needs hydration

The porous nature of skin means that your skin is constantly losing moisture via evaporation – in winter, the lower humidity and chilling winds accelerate this water loss.

Thinking of a long hot bath? Both hot air and water strips your skin of moisture even more, so keep your showers short and use a humidifier.

Save that cleansing oil for spring and summer, and replace it with a gel cleanser that conditions skin while removing impurities and makeup gently. For your moisturiser, use a rich cream-based formula instead of lighter emulsions or lotions to better nourish and seal moisture in. Your skin will soak in all the hydrating goodness.

Switch up your: cleanser and moisturiser.

Your cheeks tend to be more sensitive to dryness. Try layering a nourishing facial oil over your moisturiser to keep this area hydrated and happy.

Your cheeks are more sensitive to sudden temperature changes

As your skin loses moisture, its top layer loses the ability to function as a protective barrier. Your skin barrier consists of dead cells and lipids to both prevent water loss and irritants from entering your skin. However, when it gets damaged, your skin becomes sensitive and irritated. During the winter season, we also often go from chilly outdoor weather to toasty centrally-heated spaces – this sudden temperature change forces face capillaries to expand and contract quickly, further aggravating skin dryness.

Look for an essence that contains NMFs (Natural Moisturising Factors), which naturally exist on the top layer of skin to lock in moisture and keep skin hydrated. Add a moisturising facial oil to your routine to nourish skin either as a spot treatment over areas that need more TLC like your cheeks or as a second moisturiser. A good oil option is Squalane, an emollient known to seal in moisture.

Switch up your: essence and oil.

Your fine lines are more visible

Winter may be tough on your skin but even more so on the eye area. As the skin around your eyes is thinner than the rest of your face, it’s more susceptible to dryness and dehydration. When that happens, fine lines become more visible, skin gets flaky in some areas, and your usual makeup just doesn’t seem to go on as smoothly as before.

Switch your eye product to a heavier oil-based cream that is able to keep the delicate area moisturised for longer. Adding a drop of facial oil to every application can also help prevent dry flakes or patchy areas

Switch up your: eye cream and oil.

What are fine lines?

Fine lines are early signs of wrinkle formation. They are usually found in the most expressive and most used areas of your face — around your eyes, mouth and forehead

Your skin looks dull

While you need to be extra gentle with your skin this season, it doesn’t mean skipping out on exfoliation. Leaving dead skin cells to build up on the surface will make your skin look dull. Sun protection also continues to be an essential, even on the most overcast days. UVB rays are what you see as ‘sunshine’ during the day, and they are the key cause of sunburns and skin cancer. UVA rays, however, are around all the time and play a major part in skin aging and wrinkling. Unprotected exposure can make your skin look way duller than usual.

Clarifying toners can help remove dead skin cells from the surface, keeping your skin radiant.

Replace your alcohol-based astringent toner to one with alpha hydroxy acids (AHA) that can gently remove dead or old skin cells from the surface with a cotton pad. Look for a sunscreen that is at least SPF30, which blocks UVB rays, and PA++, which blocks UVA rays, to keep your skin hydrated while protecting it. If there is snow or you’re outdoors skiing, bump that up to SPF50 and PA+++ as snow doubles a person’s UV exposure.

These easy changes to your everyday beauty routine address your skin’s changing needs in winter so that you can keep it looking crystal clear.

Switch up your: toner and sunscreen.