6 Winter Skincare Tips
- By Yelena B
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Our skin is stressed in winter and therefore requires special care during the cold season.
Temperature differences – frost outside and dry heating air indoors – can make our skin dry and rough. In winter, the skin receives less nutrients and oxygen.
There are 6 basic winter skincare tips to follow to keep your skin fresh and glowing despite the cold and wind outside your window.
Winter Skincare: Practical Tips
First, let’s look at why our skin looks a little tired, pale and sometimes has an unhealthy gray hue during the cold season.
Causes of dry skin in the cold season:
- During the cold season, the lipid film that protects the skin from external influences and prevents the evaporation of moisture from the surface of the skin is thinning and cannot fully perform its barrier function;
- In winter, as a rule, we start to consume less fluids and skin cells are not sufficiently moisturized from the inside;
- In cold temperatures, blood vessels constrict to keep heat inside the body and our blood supply is impaired. Therefore, the skin does not get enough nutrients.
- With the onset of winter, our diet also becomes less scarce. Our body tries to store fats to protect itself from the cold and we prefer more caloric food, sometimes not quite healthy.
- All of the above factors affect the production of elastin, collagen and hyaluronic acid – impairing the skin’s ability to repair itself.
6 Winter Skin Care Rules
Protection from UV rays. Many of us make the mistake of putting SPF creams aside until summer. Using sunscreen in the winter provides protection from the sun’s unexpected rays and helps shield your skin from UV radiation that can penetrate through clouds and contribute to long-term damage including skin aging, photosensitivity, and future pigmentation problems. In addition to SPF, another benefit of face sunscreen in the winter is that it can help combat dry skin.
Favor cleansers with a creamy or oil-based texture. In winter, the skin produces less sebum, which protects the upper layers of the epidermis from drying out. Excessive removal of sebum in winter will help trigger a breakdown in hydrolipidic protection, leading to an oil balance disruption and increased skin dryness.
Gentle exfoliation. Exfoliating procedures should be carried out all year round. But if in summer we can afford peels and scrubs, then in winter it is better to refuse such aggressive means and give preference to soft creams-exfoliants or gommages. Remember that in winter our skin is less elastic and more sensitive to irritants.
Vitamin C creams and serums. First of all, Vitamin C stimulates collagen production, which will help your skin retain moisture better. Secondly, Vitamin C will protect your skin from external aggressors. And on top of all that, including Vitamin C in your winter facial skin care will help your skin recover from summer UV damage if you’re a fan of tanning or sitting in the sun.
Enhanced moisturizing. In the summer, we generally try to avoid overloading our skin, favoring water-based foundations and light, subtle textures. Winter moisturizer should be thicker and contain moisture-retaining ingredients. In addition to moisturizing, you also need to nourish your skin. Therefore, a good tandem in winter is a nourishing day cream and a well-moisturizing night serum and cream containing oils.
Dense textured night products should be applied at least 2 hours before going to bed. This will help avoid puffiness in the morning.
- Don’t get carried away with hot water. Naturally, we all want to take a hot shower in winter. However, hot water quickly dries out the skin. Warm up with warm tea and a cozy plaid, but when washing and showering, still use a comfortable temperature for your skin. After showering, apply moisturizers immediately to avoid peeling and cracking.
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