Beauty Blog

Fall never seems long enough. In fact, just as we’re getting used to the cooler days and beautiful colors outside our windows, a cold snap comes through to officially drive us into winter. While, for many, the two seasons might feel similar, winter can be much more severe and damaging to our bodies than fall. This is especially the case when thinking about our skin health. If you find yourself concerned about your skin as the temperatures drop, get some help from this guide on how to keep your skin healthy in the winter.

Continue Wearing Sunscreen

Winters may mean overcast skies and snow rather than heat, but you can still get a sunburn during this time of year. Regardless of the weather outside, the sun’s UV rays are still beating down on your exposed skin whenever you’re outdoors. As such, you’re still likely to burn if you aren’t wearing the proper protection. Many people even believe that sunburns are more common in the winter and that they’re potentially worse than summer burns since the snow-covered ground will reflect UV rays back upward—subjecting your skin to stress from both below and above you.

Before you step foot outdoors this winter, make sure you apply a trusted sunscreen product and reapply it every couple of hours. Lotions with a sun protection factor of 30 or more will provide the most optimal results for most complexions.

Increase Your Water Consumption

Similar to the air in the fall, winter air lacks the moisture that keeps your skin hydrated. But since the winter climate is much colder and harsher, it can dry out your skin several times quicker and damage it to the point of peeling. For this reason, you’ll want to do all you can to maintain a healthy level of hydration in your skin. One way to do this is by increasing the amount of water you drink daily. The water you consume as part of your daily diet will serve to hydrate your skin from within—making it harder for the frigid air to dry it out.

Switch Up Your Skincare Products

Another simple way to keep your skin healthy in the winter months to come is to adjust your skincare routine to better suit the climate. Use products that are less damaging to your already sensitive and vulnerable skin. Cleansers, in particular, have a tendency to dry out your skin after use and make it further susceptible to the cold. Therefore, you’ll want to switch to washing your face with a gentler product at the very least. You should also start using thicker moisturizers to make up for the decrease in your environment’s humidity.

Optimize Your Home Environment

Speaking of your environment, you should also do what you can to make it less damaging to your skin. While you can’t control the state of the world outside your door, you can adjust your home’s interior climate to fit your needs. One of the first things you can do is to fight the urge to turn up the heat. Central heating can make your home even drier by increasing the temperature but not its overall humidity. Instead, keep the thermostat between 68 and 72 degrees if you want to reduce the effect it has on your skin.

You could also set up a humidifier to bring some of the humidity back into your home. Adding a bit of extra humidity to the air around you will prevent the moisture in your skin from evaporating away, so it will stay hydrated for much longer than it would otherwise. Just be sure you’re controlling the level of humidity you allow in your home, as too much can lead to the growth of mold.

Control Your Shower Time and Temperature

Even the temperature and duration of your showers can start to affect the health of your skin. As stated, intensely heated settings can further rob your skin of its essential moisture, so by taking a shower for too long, you’re causing additional damage that’s harder to repair. For this reason, it’s important to limit showers to about 15 minutes at most and refrain from using hot water. You should also immediately apply a thick moisturizer after exiting the shower, as this is the best way to replenish the moisture your lost during that time.

Keep Your Skin Covered When Outdoors

Additionally, make sure that you’re keeping yourself as covered as possible when you do leave home. Any exposed skin is susceptible to sun damage and is at a higher risk of losing moisture. This can even result in the faster onset of conditions like frostbite and, as mentioned before, sunburn. As such, you want to ensure sensitive areas like your hands, face, and ears have the proper physical protection from the sun and wind. Wearing more layers will also keep your skin’s moisture trapped inside—which will help you to its overall health.

Avoid Potential Skin Irritants

Remember to pay attention to the type of clothing you’re wearing. For those who suffer from cold-weather skin conditions like eczema, specific fabrics and materials can irritate the skin and cause a flare-up. Because of this, you’ll also need to be aware of what your triggers are so that you can more effectively avoid them during this time. Since winter is already irritating to the skin, you’re far more likely to see these ailments develop or worsen during this season.

At Flawless Beauty and Skin, we’ve done extensive research into how different weather patterns can affect a person’s skin. We know how hazardous the winter season can be on your complexion and seek to mitigate some of this damage with our clinically tested products. Whether you need a repair serum or a skin-brightening cream to help fight off the signs of dryness, our inventory is guaranteed to have what you need. For more information on how our products can help keep your skin looking and feeling great throughout the next several months, don’t hesitate to give us a call.