Managing Your Winter Skin Woes

Cold winds, icy temperatures and central heating can all play havoc with your skin during the winter. If you don’t change your skincare for the winter months, you can’t expect to see a difference, so we’ve compiled some of the best advice for helping your skin to cope in the cold.

Cleansing

Your skin needs all the moisture it can get during the winter (even if you have oily skin) as all skin types are prone to dehydration, even if your skin isn’t dry; note that there is a difference between the two. Over-cleansing in the winter is a huge no-no, and foaming face washes should be discarded at this time of year as they are far too stripping. A natural, oil-based balm cleanser will help to keep your skin happy during the winter, but make sure you avoid any that contain mineral oil, as this will form a barrier between the nourishing oils and your skin, meaning they can’t work their magic.

Toning: Hydrate and Exfoliate

Toners are more sophisticated than they have ever been before. These days, they don’t serve to remove the last traces of your makeup; if you’re using a good cleanser that should already be covered. Instead, the modern way to use toners is to exfoliate and hydrate the skin.

Exfoliating: Scrubs are old news, so switch yours for a liquid exfoliator. Toners containing AHA acids (which are a lot gentler than they sound) should be swept across clean skin twice a day before a hydrating toner.

Hydrating: Following a liquid exfoliator, you should be using a hydrating toner to help winter skin, so look for glycerin or hyaluronic acid on the ingredients list.

Moisturising

If you use a lighter moisturiser in the summer, switch it for something more hydrating in the winter. The trick is to layer your skincare in the colder months, so if moisturisers are absorbing as soon as you apply them, keep going.

Using a facial oil layered over a serum on an evening will hydrate the skin and lock in moisture, but reserve oils for bedtime as they don’t always make a great base for makeup. During the day, your serum, followed by your moisturiser to lock in moisture should be your skincare wardrobe of choice.

So, when winter comes around, stock up your skincare wardrobe at somewhere like Capital Hair & Beauty, up your water intake and don’t forget your vitamin D – your skin needs it, especially in the winter.