Beauty Talk: Skin Care in Winter

Winter is here and my skin is reacting to the cold temperatures and wind outside combined with the drying air inside. So should one change skin care products and routine for winter? Not necessarily. If you do not feel any symptoms of increased sensitivity or dehydration, you can keep to your usual skin care choices. However, if your skin feels tight and/or burning, it is red and irritated, or you can see some dry lines forming, it is high time you reviewed your skin care for the winter season. It will especially apply to those in late 20s and above. Starting from mid-20s our skin starts to loose its ability to retain moisture as well as before and it is more prone to dehydration.

Here are several tips on how to take care of your skin in winter:

1. Rethink your cleansing approach

Exclude too intensive cleansing product for winter. Do not do daily peeling. Too aggressive cleansing and peeling strips your skin of protective lipid barrier and contributes to its stress.

2. Exclude alcohol containing products

If you use a toner, make sure it does not contain alcohol.
Alcohol is too stripping and dehydrates your skin.


3. Choose a thicker moisturizer

Look for emollient ingredients in your winter moisturizer such as shea butter, jojoba oil, sqalene. Emollients are wonderful for this time of year as they not only act as humectants and moisturize your skin but also form a protective thin layer on its surface to prevent it from dehydration.

4. Pay special attention to your hands and lips

Hands and lips need special care during winter as they are very sensitive to colds and winds. For lips choose a moisturizer or a balm with shea butter or cocoa butter and apply it every time before going outside and at night before going to bed. Protect your hands with gloves when outside, apply hand cream at least twice daily (rich in lipids or with emollients), and treat your hands to a mask once or twice a week. But if you want your hands skin care to be perfect, moisturize every time after your wash them.

5. Do not forget about protection against UV and free radicals

It is just an illusion that the sun is less bright and that is why less harmful in winter. As long as there is sun light there is sun damage. That is why do not stop using products providing UV protection! It is especially important if skiing is your passion. Sunlight's reflecting power off the snow is higher than off the sand on a beach in summer.

6. Increase humidity level indoors

You can increase humidity level at home or at your office using a special humidifier. Or you can balance it out with some house plants that are known to improve humidity in their environment.

Tip from beauty experts at "In Style", German Issue, December 2007: If your favourite winter fun is skiing or hiking in the mountains, select your skin care products wisely. Your moisturizer shouldn't be based on water. Water based moisturizer will "freeze" on your skin in the cold temperature and wind. Instead of water based, it is recomended to choose a frost-proof product based on wax... As an example they mention Kiehl's All Sport "Non-Freeze" Face Protector with SPF 30 (appr.23 euro) In Style also recommends in order to lock in moisture and protect your skin from cold mountain winds, to use a moisturizer that has such ingredients as silicon and shea butter such as Climate Control from Dermalogica (appr 46 euro).

More tips about Winter Skin Care with information about skin care ingredients for winter, recommendations on winter-time express facial etc.