Five Easy Skin Tips for Winter
As we are fully into autumn and winter is fast approaching, you might notice slight skin changes coming with the colder weather. In chilly, dry temperatures your skin can easily become more dehydrated. Even when we step indoors into warm, heated rooms, the air is still very drying!
We’ve put together a few quick, simple tips to help support your skin during the colder months.
1. Use a Gentle Cleanser
Overwashing your skin can easily contribute to drying if you strip it of its natural lipid barrier. If you’re particularly prone to this, switching to a gentle or creamy cleanser is a good option. Focus on one that has barrier-protecting ingredients like ceramides or hyaluronic acids.
2. Layer Hydrating Products
While in the summer months a light moisturiser might be more than enough for your, think about adding in hydrating serums, oils (if not acne prone), or even switching to a richer moisturiser in the winter. Look at our article on Skincare Ingredients for Sensitive Skin to see what ingredients will help protect your skin barrier.
3. Give Your Skin Extra Attention if You’re Exposed to Cold Weather
Do you love skiing? Do you still love getting as much time in the outdoors as possible, even if your skin is exposed to extra wind or snow? That’s fine, but just recognise your skin might need a little extra attention. Use hydrating face masks or rescue cream after exposure to give your skin time to recover.
4. Consider Reducing Your Actives and Exfoliators
While we love our active ingredients, know what you can push your skin a bit too hard. When your skin is feeling more dehydrated and more sensitive, it’s perfectly acceptable to reduce the frequency of your actives or even take a break from them completely.
5. Never Neglect Your Sunscreen
Yes, this will always be repeated and we cover more of the science behind this in our article on SPF Myths.
But the bottom line is there is always UV radiation throughout the year, and especially if you’re in a snowy climate the snow will reflect and amplify the effects of sunlight on your skin.
You might have seen it all over the media recently - the EU is apparently banning retinol?! What is going on?
Well don't panic - retinol isn't disappearing completely! Instead, there are new rules that are going to regulate its percentages in cosmetic, over-the-counter products - and this does not apply to the use of these vitamin A derivatives (prescription retinoids) by healthcare professionals.
So let’s explore what’s happening.