Crispness in weather, and pumpkin spiced latte making its debut at Starbucks. Hard to miss all the signs that the winter is coming. With arrival of winter comes dreaded dryness & skin care routine overhaul.
But don’t worry, we’re here to make the winter skin care super easy for you with these easy to stick to winter skincare hacks.
Here we go with 6 Winter Skin Care Routine:
Use Lukewarm Water
Look, we get it. As the temperatures drop, it gets hard to not give into the temptation of showering/washing with hot water. That warmth does feel extra good when it’s extra cold but as good as it feels, it’s equally terrible for your skin.
Hot water not just washes off moisture from the outer most layer of skin, it also causes barrier damage, which leads to further loss of moisture that was locked in your skin leading to excessively dry, red & itchy skin. THis hold true for your hair & scalp as well.
Now, while there are bunch of benefits of using cold water to shower, not all of us are daredevils enough to try it. So, the best way to not damage your skin while not being cold is to use lukewarm water for showering or washing your face.
Use Non-Drying Cleanser
Whether summer or winter, using a cleanser that doesn’t strip your skin of it’s natural oils & hydration is important. Because if your cleanser washes of the much needed oils, it will compromise your skin barrier leading to a suite of skin issue.
When picking a cleanser for winters, look for ones that are free from SLS/SLES, contain hydrating & skin repairing ingredients like Centella Asiatica and do not disrupt skin’s pH balance like Put Simply’s Get Your Greens cleanser.
Moisturise While Skin is Still Damp
Do you wait for your skin to fully dry up before you put on any skincare products? You shouldn’t. You might be missing out on the moisture locking feature of your skincare. Most moisturiser (including hyaluronic acid) bind water to the skin.
However, if your skin is completely dry when applying the moisturiser, if won’t be able to hold as much water & offer hydration the way it should. That’s why, always apply the moisturiser like Water Dam(n) on slightly damp skin. This will be especially helpful in the winters when the skin tends to be drier.
Protect your Skin
Nothing feels as good as the winter sun and who doesn’t want to soak it in?! But, unlike summer sun - where you want to run indoor immediately, in winters you want to stay in the sun. A lot of people in doing so, forget to wear sunscreen.
When you don’t wear sunscreen, you end up compromising your skin barrier and your skin’s ability to function at its best. Leading to redness, irritation, more dryness and even rashes.
So, no matter what, wear your sunscreen and be sure to apply anywhere that will be exposed to sun.
Yes, your hands, feet & ear as well! If the white cast, greasiness & tackiness of the sunscreen makes you want to avoid it, then you should really try the game changer Beat The Sun that’s made with new age filters allowing the sunscreen to be lightweight, quick absorbing & white cast free.
Don’t Forget Your Eyes & Lips
During winters, lips get all the attention but area surround the lips & eyes don’t. Since eye doesn’t have sebum ducts to keep the area moisturised, during winter season it becomes more important to take care of it.
Dry skin ages more, so area around your lips & eyes which are normally the most common places to show first signs of ageing need extra hydration protect them.
When picking a moisturiser, look for ingredients like Vitamin E, Ceramide, Peptides, Centella Asiatica etc. that are known to help hydrate & protect the skin.
Drink Water
As the winter sets in, we all drink less & less water (don’t lie, we know you do it too). While drinking more than needed water doesn’t really add anything to your skin, drinking less than needed water will compromise on your skin’s vitality.
So while drinking more than need amount may not benefit your skin directly, if you don’t drink enough, it will make skin dryness worse, aggravate flakey skin and just generally make your skin drier.
If you are looking to increase your intake of water in winters you can definitely try having warm tulsi or lemongrass tea without milk.
Rest of Your Body Too
With all that focus on your face & neck, don’t forget that other parts of your body need hydration too. Right after shower, when you have towel dried your skin, use lotion to help lock-in the post wash moisture.
As with face, try looking for moisturiser that contains Vitamin E, Ceramide, Peptides, Centella Asiatica etc.to help moisturise your skin while repairing any damage cause to it by winter dryness.
Hopefully these hacks will help you have your best winter skin, yet.