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Want to know how to get soft glowing skin in the wintertime? Keep scrolling to add these winter skincare essentials to your routine.
The winter season can be tough on our skin, especially for those of us with dry skin. Just like we protect our bodies in cold weather we need to take special care of our skin too.
This season not only does our skin have to worry about the cold but drastic temperature changes between outdoor and indoor environments can create stress for our skin which results in dryness, damaged skin barrier, wrinkles, etc.
My skin always has a rough time during winter, which is why, after a few years of trial and error, I’m fully equipped to take care of it now.
Here are all the essentials your dry skin needs during winter:
- Hydrating cleanser
- Hyaluronic acid
- Ceramides
- Anti-oxidant serum
- Exfoliation
- SPF
- Monthly facials
- After-shave lotion
- Body oils
- Hand cream
- Lip balm
- Humidifier
That is not all! Read until the end if you want to leave with the best products and life-changing tips to have the best winter skincare of all time.
Hydrating cleanser
Of course in our skincare routine of any season, we use a cleanser. For winter though we may want to switch to a more creamy and gentle one.
This will help you retain moisture in your skin as well as avoid stripping your skin of the moisture it already has. Here are some of my tried and approved creamy cleansers:
La Roche Posay Toleriane Hydrating Gentle Cleanser
This cleanser contains niacinamide and ceramides for smooth and plump skin. Plus, it’s infused with prebiotic thermal water instead of regular water.
Honestly, I could be a little biased here since I basically love every La Roche Posay product, except for one horrible sunscreen.
Anyway, you will find this cleanser to be soothing and gentle on your skin. Something I actually would expect from a product like this but I was often disappointed with.
CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser
This one is my favorite! I absolutely love this.
Whenever I feel like my skin is tight this immediately gives me relief.
Also, since it’s so hydrating, it allows me to use products like the Clarisonic that would otherwise be too harsh for me during winter.
As a bonus, it’s really cheap compared to other ones I tried which makes it even better.
I generally order it in packs of three to save even more money, click on the image if you prefer this kind of deal!
CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser
I suggest this one if you have oily skin but still struggle with dry patches during winter.
It’s still a mild cleanser but it’s a foaming one so it will still get rid of any excess oil you may have.
I use it mostly during the summertime because my skin tends to be a little bit oilier there but I still love it.
Humectants: hyaluronic acid
Humectants help attract and keep water in your skin. According to dermatologists, they are one of the 3 ingredients you need to look for if you have dry skin.
This means that we need them to maintain our skin plump in winter. Hyaluronic acid and glycerin are the most popular.
Today’s star tough is hyaluronic acid. There are tons of hyaluronic acid serums out there and I tried many of them. Honestly, I didn’t feel an extreme difference between very high-end products and cheaper ones for what concerns hydration benefits.
The best hyaluronic acid serum
In my opinion, with more high-end products we pay for the experience, meaning they smell and look nice, and the texture is usually better but in most cases, I didn’t find the products to be much more effective.
That said, I still think it’s worth it to purchase some of the pricier products if you can afford them but it’s definitely not necessary.
To give you some examples, right now I’m using The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 Hydrating Serum and I’ve been loving it! It’s one of the most affordable and still works wonders.
One serum I think it’s worth every penny is Paula’s Choice BOOST Hyaluronic Acid Booster with Ceramides. It’s way more expensive hence why I’m not purchasing this consistently but let’s just say that if I could I would.
Also, if you want to take a step further, you could also make sure to include hyaluronic acid in your night cream.
Emollients: ceramides
Ceramides are emollients, specifically, they are lipids that keep our skin barriers strong. Recent studies have identified reduced levels of ceramides in the stratum corneum, the very top layer of our skin, in colder weather.
Essentially with reduced ceramides, moisture escapes more readily through the gaps between our skin cells during autumn and winter.
By the way, if your hair suffers during winter too I have an article all about how to take care of your hair in winter!
Anti-oxidant serum
As discussed before not taking proper care of our skin in the winter can lead to premature wrinkles as well as worsen the look of the wrinkles you already have. This is where an anti-oxidant serum comes in.
My favorite is a vitamin C serum as it makes my skin radiant while protecting it from free radicals (i.e. molecules that cause aging basically).
If you’re curious to know, I use The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% + Alpha Arbutin 2%. I just love it. It’s affordable, has a pleasant smell and when I started using this consistently, I noticed my skin was glowing and plump.
If you’re interested in how to have glowing and healthy skin, I have an article where I teach you the best skincare routine for glowing skin step-by-step.
Exfoliation
Even more than in other seasons, in winter you want to be on top of your exfoliation game. Our skin is composed of different layers, the outermost contains dead cells that tend to make our skin look duller.
Our skin naturally goes through a process called shedding: we shed our entire outer layer every 2-4 weeks. Exfoliation basically speeds up this process allowing us to uncover an inner layer of smooth and soft skin.
With exfoliating products, you can choose between physical and chemical exfoliators. I honestly recommend chemical ones as they are more precise and, in my opinion, will get you the best results.
A warning though, if you are a newbie don’t overdo it. These are still chemical products and if not used properly can cause chemical burns, just follow your product instructions and start with a milder option.
Here are my favorite options:
The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% peeling solution
It can be a little bit harsh, if you have really sensitive skin I would avoid it or at least build up a tolerance to it.
I recommend you use it no more the three times a week. It’s a strong product.
I love that I can get fast and really good results without having to use it every day since I prefer a simple skincare routine.
This one is milder compared to the first one, but if you have really sensitive skin I would still be careful with it.
I also love using it on my body. Every time I take a shower I put some in a few cotton pads and my skin is crazy smooth and soft all the time.
The Ordinary Lactic Acid 5% + HA 2%
I’ve heard great things about this one but it was very irritating for me. I got a lot of breakouts, so I didn’t really like it. Still, it may work for you!
Paula’s Choice skin perfecting 2% BHA liquid Salicylic Acid Exfoliant
This product is definitely pricier compared to the other ones but is worth every penny!
If you have a little bit more to splurge on skincare I strongly recommend this one but if you don’t you will still be able to get great results with the others.
In fact, since I’m on a budget I don’t purchase this consistently.
SPF
Even if it’s not sunny outside and you don’t feel like the sun could cause you any damage it will. Even in colder months UVA and UVB rays still reach our skin so we need to protect it with sunscreen.
If you find the one that works for you using it every day is simple: just use it as your morning moisturizer and you are good to go.
Monthly facials
It’s no secret that getting regular facials will improve your skin. If you can afford it make a point of doing them, especially in the winter, if not you could always do at-home-facials just like I do.
Every month I use 2-4 masks in a row and take advantage of my best skin treatments. I choose what product to use based on the current skin concerns I have.
After shave lotion
Since our skin is drier in the colder months after we shave we need an extra boost of hydration. This way even our body will look and feel its best.
I know it’s not actually an aftershave but I use shea butter for this purpose. It’s way cheaper than buying an actual aftershave and gives me great results.
After that, my skin feels soft and I feel like it also reduces ingrown hairs and redness. Sometimes I even mix it with oils, this is the perfect combo.
I honestly am not particular when it comes to shea butter, I always purchase this shea butter from Amazon though, it’s the first one I tried and it does the job so I kept using it.
Also, it’s not something you need to buy very frequently since a little goes a long way.
Body oils
I love body oils in the winter, they just give me the boost of hydration that I need. Sometimes I just oil my body and other times I follow with body cream based on how dry my skin feels.
I suggest lathering these oils on your body in the winter:
- Almond oil: honestly you can purchase any brand you want but I found an almond oil that comes with a pump, this was life-changing since I always made a mess with this oil. Also, there is a lot of product at a fair price.
- Jojoba oil
- Moroccanoil Dry Body Oil: this is not as rich as using oils like the other two I recommended but sometimes I don’t want to feel sticky so I use this product instead.
Aurora’s tips:
you can use oils as a feet treatment too. massage your feet with oil, cover them with thick socks then leave them on for a few hours or overnight.
Hand cream
This is pretty self-explanatory but if you want to have soft hands in the winter you need to apply hand cream. Applying it regularly is best but I hate having sticky hands so I do it when I feel like my hands are drier than usual.
I use Neutrogena Hand Cream Lotion Unscented. This has a really rich formula, sometimes I use it as a treatment: basically, I lather my hands with an excessive amount, massage it in, leave it on for a few minutes and rinse it out.
This works wonders, let me know if you try it.
Lip balm
Of course, nobody wants chapped lips in the winter so we need to use lip balms. Honestly, any chapstick will do, if you’re anything like me you will always find lip balms around the house you forgot about.
Still, if you want some suggestions I always use this Carmex lip balm. I like that it’s heavy-duty but also kind of looks like a clear lip gloss which is always cute.
If you’re struggling with serious dry lips, to the point they even bleed don’t worry I’ve been there. If you want something practical and affordable the Aquaphor lip repair stick or the Blistex medical lip balm are absolutely the way to go.
On the other hand, if you’re interested in splurging a little bit more the Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask is a super-rich lip mask. I usually apply it generously to my lips before going to bed and when I wake up I always notice a huge difference in my lips. Also, there are a lot of scents to choose from but by far vanilla is my favorite.
Here are some options for you
Humidifier
Having a humidifier in your home will improve your skin since it’s going to create a more humid environment where your skin care can thrive.
I know it can be a little bit of a splurge if you want a good quality one but, if you can afford it, I promise you will feel the difference. Plus, your home is going to smell great and as a bonus, it can even function as home decor.
This post was all about the winter skincare essentials you must add to your skincare routine this year.
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