It is not an easy task to winterize your closet. It involves many steps, including a donation bag, back-and-forth discussions with dry cleaners, and finding space for all the coats that you have taken out of storage. It’s much more fun and easier to do a little refresh on your skin-care routine.
You can stick to the routine you have established and use products that you like. But, to get ahead of most common colder-weather skin concerns – shriveled-up lips and breakouts brought about by a combination of red wine, stress, and dehydration – you can make a few, careful tweaks to what you’re doing now, to ensure that you’re entering cuffing season, holidays, and potential back-to-office plans without having to worry about your skin. You’ll be glowing with a healthy glow that will last even if things don’t go according to plan.
Here are five tips to help you transition your skin care routine from summer to fall or winter.
A Gentle, Brightening Cleanser
Marius Morariu is the CEO and cofounder of Tracie Marien says that his top tip in summer-fall-winter skin care is to deal with any sunburns. He says, “You want to lighten the skin but not in a harsh way.” It is made with Amla, which is a naturally-derived form o Vitamin C. Tinx also uses it because it smells amazing. She also claims that it makes her skin look “less reddened” and clears up any acne she may have.
Tracie Martyn Amla Purifying Cleanser, $65.00, available at Tracie Martyn.
A bedside-table humidifier
If you do nothing else, get a damn humidifier. They come cute and tiny now. Most dermatologists who work in four-season states agree that dry heat from your apartment or house is bad for your skin. “In those heated, low-humidity environments, we lose more moisture from our skin into the air,” explains New York-based dermatologist Dr. Hadley King. A humidifier can be placed in your bedroom at night or in other rooms where you spend a lot of time. It will prevent you from feeling irritated or scratchy.
Hey Dewy Portable Facial Humidifier, $39.00, available at Revolve.
A Ceramide Moisturizer
The next time you run out of moisturizer, which tends to happen at a breakneck pace in the fall and winter, make sure your next one contains ceramides, fatty acids that help your skin retain moisture. “Adding in a moisturizer that has ceramides in it is something I highly recommend, across the board,” explains NYC-based aesthetician Joanna Vargas. “Ceramides repair, super-hydrate, heal the skin barrier. This is particularly important when you move into the colder months.”
Joanna Vargas Eden Hydrating Pro Moisturizer, $90.00, available at Joanna Vargas.
A lightweight oil
Consider adding a few drops to your daily skin care routine if you have dry skin. Vargas explains that oils help retain hydration in skin. “If you’re using a hyaluronic-acid serum, use that first, and then put a face oil over, and then your light ceramide cream on top. To help with acne, I recommend that you use retinol at bedtime.”
Summer Fridays Heavenly Sixteen All-In-One Face Oil, $54.00, available at Sephora.
A Enzyme Exfoliant
You shouldn’t stop exfoliating in fall, cell turnover is vital. However, you may be able to reduce the frequency a bit. You might consider reducing the frequency of exfoliating by using a peel or physical scrub once a week. You might also consider using something gentle like this one with pineapple enzymes or kojic acid (derived from mushrooms). It is also used by loyalists as a spot treatment.
Tracie Martyn Enzyme Exfoliant Mask, $90.00, available at Tracie Martyn.
A lip mask
Vargas refers to “shriveled lips” as the biggest skin problem that will affect us all over the next six-months. You could buy a new tube Chapstick. Vargas and Dr. King love Sara Happ lipbalm. Vargas said, “I like that the lip balm is a little greasy. Every facial we do at the spa ends with a layer of this lip balm,” Vargas says.
Sara Happ The Lip Slip(r) Balm, $28.00, available at Amazon.
