Winter is the season to change up your skin care routine. It is around that time of year when freezing temperatures and extreme heating start to wreak havoc on your skin.
Winter Skin Care: How Does Winter Impact The Skin?
For several reasons, the cold season is often the worst time of year for your complexion. First, brutal winter weather whips around your skin, with chilling winds that draw moisture straight out. Second, we compensate for lower temperatures by cranking up the thermostat, which further strips moisture from your skin. Under dual attack, it’s no wonder your skin suffers dryness during the winter.
With weather’s increased dryness in winter, hydration in the skin drops and transepidermal water loss (TEWL) increases. TEWL refers to the process of water passing from the dermis through the epidermis and evaporating through the skin barrier. Without the added moisture of sweat and humidity, colder weather can easily strip the skin of natural oils, causing dry and irritated skin and even a compromised skin barrier.
The end result of winter conditions? Dull, dry skin. Without moisture, your skin may be more sensitive and reactive than normal. Even oilier skin types experience uncharacteristic dryness and flaking. Thankfully, you can avoid this with certain products to keep the moisture in. Here are the foundational steps that each skin care routine follows:
Winter Skin Care Tips To Protect Your Skin
1. Use A Humidifier
Forced-air heaters blast away moisture during wintertime, stripping away important oils and leading to itchy skin. Try counteracting these drying effects by blowing a warm- or cool-mist humidifier instead. Re-introducing moisture into the air helps soothe and calm irritated skin.
2. Hot Showers And Baths Dry Out Your Skin
Hot baths and showers may warm you up during cold winter days, but hot water, especially on your face, will only dry out your skin. Extreme temperatures damage your skin’s moisture barrier, preventing it from locking in the moisture it needs to remain soft and smooth. If possible, opt for warm, not hot, water each time you cleanse. When you take a warm bath, add a shot glass amount of body oil into water and your skin will appear super smooth and hydrated. After your steamy shower or bath, follow up with a hydrating body lotion or oil to replenish skin.
3. Fight Dry Skin Symptoms From The Inside
Who would have thought that you could tackle dry skin from the inside as well as out? WebMD states that food rich in healthy fats improves your skin’s moisture levels. After all, fatty acids like omega-3s help replenish your skin’s lipid barrier and protect against moisture loss. Chow down on foods rich in healthy fats like flax, avocado, sunflower oil and nuts, as well as fish like salmon and sardines.
A 6-Step Winter Skin Care Routine For Hydration
To tackle dull and dry winter skin, we’ve created a routine for all skin types that addresses wintertime issues. Follow these steps to return a radiant glow to your complexion:
1. Cleanse
With winter draining the moisture from your complexion, try adding an oil-based cleanser like our Stone Crop Cleansing Oil to your winter skin care routine. This type of cleanser is beneficial for all skin types (even oily!) due to its ability to draw out oil-based impurities like stubborn makeup. This cleanser also replenishes the skin with moisturizing ingredients like sunflower oil and jojoba oil. Use it alone or pair it with your favorite gel or cream-based cleanser in a double cleanse.
2. Tone
Another easy way to keep your skin hydrated during the winter months is to use a toner. You can think of a toner as the conditioner for your cleanse. It adds a base layer of hydration that keeps your skin soft and moisturized. Try our Stone Crop Hydrating Mist, featuring the unique qualities of the stone crop plant, to hydrate, soothe and heal dry skin.
3. Apply Essence
One of the best ways to replenish dry winter skin is to add an essence to your skin care routine. A facial essence is a lightweight fluid that is often described as a cross between a toner and a serum. Our Birch Water Purifying Essence deeply hydrates the skin and preps it to absorb the benefits of the skin care products that follow.
4. Exfoliate
Exfoliation is the best way to revive dull winter skin. However, it’s important to keep in mind that frigid temperatures and harsh winds can also make your skin more reactive. Our Calm Skin Chamomile Exfoliating Peel is Eminence‘s line of at-home exfoliating peels. We love the Chamomile version, which soothes and renews even the most sensitive skin sans irritation and redness … And unlike some harsh formulas on the market, you can use this gentle one up to three times a week.
5. Treat
Hyaluronic acid is extremely effective in replenishing dehydrated skin. As a humectant, this miracle ingredient helps bind and retain moisture, keeping skin soft and pillowy. Hyaluronic acid has the ability to hold up to six liters of water and “works as a magnet for moisture, helping your cells retain as much of it as possible so that your skin feels and appears hydrated, plump and healthy.
Eminence Organics facial masks and facial oils are the perfect way to deliver an intense dose of nutrients and moisture to the skin. We recommend Rosehip Triple C+E Firming Oil, a facial treatment that blends results-oriented actives and botanical ingredients for intense hydration and protection. It can be used in your skin care routine morning and night, and is suitable for all skin types.
6. Moisturize
And last, but definitely not least, moisturize. Moisturizing during the winter is essential to combat dry skin. Even though the sun isn’t as strong during the colder months, exposure to the elements can still suck the moisture out of your skin. Replenish with our Coconut Age Corrective Moisturizer, which includes deeply moisturizing coconut oil, shea butter and grape seed oil.
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