When it gets cold, humidity levels drop. The wind can chap your skin when you’re outdoors. When you’re inside, the dry heat from central heating can leave normally healthy skin feeling dehydrated. Plus, the sebaceous glands get sluggish in colder weather, exacerbating it further. We curated a list of winter skincare essentials to help you keep your skin healthy and glowing throughout the year!

Winter skincare routine for dry skin

It’ll likely feel drier, flakier and tight as the temps dip. You might notice your skin feeling less elastic than before, with flaky patches that won’t get moisturized or smoothed down. Your skin might feel more sensitive too, because your skin barrier may get compromised. It then lacks the ability to hold onto oil and water, which makes it itchy. All that scratching can cause rashes, inflammation and irritation-induced hyperpigmentation. Here’s what you can change in your routine to ensure you’re staying glossy, glowing, and dewy even when it’s winter.

1) Cleanse carefully

You’ll want to ensure you use a non-stripping cleanser that removes makeup, sunscreen, and dirt while maintaining the acid mantle. If you’re double cleansing, make sure to use an oil cleanser first. Then use a creamy or gel-like face wash to gently but thoroughly clean. You can also use a hydrating face wash to cleanse your face .

 2) Use a mild exfoliator

 You’ll want to exfoliate too. It’s key to use a mild exfoliator to remove dead and dry cells from the skin’s surface. This will improve cell turnover and enable serums and oils to actually penetrate and absorb into the skin. This is the best tool to combat dryness induced-dullness.

3) Make use of oils! 

A winter skincare essential for dry skin is facial oil. While this can be derived from other products too, a non-comedogenic facial oil, when added to your night routine may help keep your face hydrated through the day and restore its glow. Not only do they hydrate and nourish, but facial oils such as squalane and marula oil also have great anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits.

4) Layer well

Start with a damp face, and use a humectant like glycerin or hyaluronic acid to absorb the moisture and lock it into the skin. Then, use a lightweight cream or a ceramide moisturizer that’ll act like an emollient that’ll smooth down dry skin cells and create a supple canvas. You’ll have to include ingredients like ceramides and fatty acids to settle into the cracks and build up the mortar that’ll let you store water and oil in the skin. 

Winter skincare routine for oily skin

If your skin is oily, you may find that it is more oily than usual in the winter. The dry air will strip your skin of its natural oil. To counteract, the sebaceous glands will kick into high gear, overproducing sebum in an attempt to keep the skin soft and supple. It might be dehydrated at the same time though, which will mean that your skin is oily but overly shiny, with visible pores and regular zit outbreaks. Here’s how you can balance the oil and water in your skin to find a happy balanced medium.

1) Use a gentle cleanser

The knee-jerk reaction would be to use mattifying products that’ll get rid of the oil immediately, but that may cause more oiliness due to compensation. It is better to use a hydrating cleanser that’ll balance and soothe rather than dry it out. Look at face washes with hydrating ingredients such as sodium hyaluronate. 

2) Exfoliating is important too

AHA’s are water-soluble chemicals that slough off dead skin cells on the surface of the skin, making them a choice for rebalancing oil production.

3) Choose a water-based moisturizer

Instead of using thick, heavy moisturizers, it is better to use a light, water-based serum first. Look to ingredients like snail mucin, glycerin, and squalane, which will lock in moisture and improve the plumpness of your skin. The Foxtale ceramide moisturizer is a water-based moisturizer that is easy to use for oily skin.

4) Apply oils

Because some lightweight ones like açaí and jojoba oil actually have the same composition to the ceramides that protect our skin. These balance, hydrate and protect the skin with clogging pores. You can also apply them to parts of your face that tend to get more dry and flaky than those that get greasy.

Winter skincare routine for acne-prone skin 

When you add in the use of drying anti-acne products and prescription medications into the mix, already dried-out skin can feel even drier, itchier and red during the wintertime. If you’re looking to keep your skin hydrated and balanced while keeping your acne routine as it is, here’s what to try now.

1) Switch products accordingly 

Keep the active ingredients to spot treatments or specific serums that you really need. For example, if you’re using a salicylic acid toner, keep that going. But switch your foaming cleanser for a soothing gel or cream texture that’ll hydrate before you strip it.

2) Include moisturizer

Apply your toner, spot treatment or lotion onto your skin. Then wait a couple of minutes before you moisturize your skin. Don’t think you can skip it now. Try a non-comedogenic and lightweight moisturizer that’ll improve your skin barrier without getting in the way of your anti-acne regimen.

3) Maintain hydration

Spot treat areas with acne, but be gentler with the rest of your skin and maintain hydration!

4) Exfoliate your skin 

If dry, peeling flakes remain on the skin’s surface, they can actually clog pores and worsen acne. Try to use a chemical exfoliator that’ll dissolve these pieces and give you a clear canvas to work with. 

FAQs

1) What helps glowing skin in winter? 

One approach to achieving glowing skin is by moisturizing and hydrating the skin as well as using a humidifier. 

2) What is the best for the face in winter?

In the winter, using a quality moisturizer or cream is crucial. To keep the skin moisturized, conditioned, soft, healed, and healthy, you must apply an ultra-hydrating moisturizer on your face. 

3) Is Vitamin C good for dry skin in winter?

Vitamin C serums offer dry, dull skin a variety of advantages. A high-quality serum also builds a barrier that helps stop the symptoms of dry skin from reappearing, in addition to hydrating the skin to lessen symptoms like redness and itching.

4) Which serum is good for winter?

Serum helps in hydrating the skin and allows it to breathe more, making it the ideal choice for winter. Use Foxtale’s brightening Vitamin C serum and hydrating Hyaluronic acid serum that is the perfect way to give the best moisturizing and anti-aging benefits to protect against dry winter air!