Interested in cold therapy? Looking to buy a skincare fridge? Here’s how ice-facials are the at home trick for tighter, brighter skin!

Multiple step facials and expensive tubes, tubs and pots may always have their place in your skincare routine. But sometimes, a simple trick can upgrade your routine exponentially. And when the trick is easy (and virtually free!) it’s a no-brainer. Whether you’re just using a cube of ice from your fridge, a cold spoon or a specially created ice roller, massaging your skin with a cool tool will help you fake the rosy glow you can get after a brisk walk outside. 

Are cold temperatures good for your skin?

Cold temperatures can cause the blood vessels under the surface of your skin to constrict and tighten. This makes your pores look tighter and smoother. The temperature cools the skin down to soothe irritation and inflammation, making it ideal if your skin is prone to redness, zits or rashes. 

Cryotherapy is the in-office version of icing your skin. Ultra-cool liquid nitrogen is used to bring the skin to really cold temperatures very fast. This causes the blood vessels to contract and tighten. So when the skin gets back to normal temperature, the blood vessels dilate back to their original size quickly. This causes a sudden jolt of blood and oxygen to the surface, leaving your skin looking plumper, glowier and healthier in the process. 

So if cold therapy is that great, do you need a skincare fridge?

Celebrities and estheticians (and all your favourite skincare influencers) have been extolling the benefits of a skincare fridge so you can get all your serums, moisturisers and face mask straight out of there before applying. Some even say that it’s a safer, more effective way to store it. They prevent the growth of bacteria and fungus. However, most products don’t actually need to be stored in a refrigerator because their formulations are shelf-stable.

Prior to its release into the market, a product goes through months and months of testing. A good formulation ensures it’ll have enough stabilisers and preservatives so that the components stay fresh and efficacious. Even once the tube or tub is opened. A cool, dark place works just as well, so if you store your Vitamin C serums in a drawer or your vanity, it’ll protect from oxidation the same way. The only skincare products that you may see benefit from by keeping inside your fridge are natural or organic ones that are not stabilised. In this case, cool temperatures may prevent the components from going bad or turning rancid. 

Is there an alternative, at-home way to indulge in cold therapy?

The amount a skincare fridge can improve the performance of your actives is close to none. But the real benefit of a dedicated skincare fridge by your bed or in your room? This lies in the tools you can store in them. The ability to get a cold face roller within arms reach. This really does have its benefits—rubbing one across your face can reduce puffiness and improve fluid retention, so you look brighter, tighter and fresher with just one use. Roll an ice roller, gua sha or jade roller across the forehead and temples, around the eye sockets and downwards on the neck—this movement will stimulate the lymphatic glands to drain while soothing any irritation on the face. 

What’s the right way to do this?

When it comes to skincare therapies, icing your skin or removing a cold face roller from the fridge is super safe, and people of all skin types and textures can safely do it. Direct and extended ice application however, can cause sudden vasoconstriction and dilation. This can cause redness, especially if you’re prone to rosacea or other inflammatory skin conditions. But there should always be a barrier between an ice cube and your skin, such as a paper towel, plastic bag or a napkin. This will prevent your skin from getting an ‘ice burn’ that can seriously damage your skin. 

 

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! 

Through the history of skincare, we’ve been told to exfoliate and cleanse to reduce acne, dullness and pigmentation. We used scrubs, relied on toners, applied peels and tried hard to make our skin cells regenerate quicker and better. But all that exfoliating led to more exfoliating, and we realized we were actually causing more of the dullness and acne we wanted to avoid. We were tearing down the very security blanket— the skin barrier — instead of building it back up.

What is the skin barrier and what happens when it breaks down?

The skin barrier is the outermost layer of your skin. A healthy one keeps irritants out, while securing natural oils and moisture levels in. The acid mantle – a slightly acidic film on the top most layer of your skin, is an important component. Lamellar sheets made of natural oils, sweat, amino acids, cholesterol and enzymes—when it’s at the right pH—protects the skin from bacteria, viruses and external invaders.

Dermatologists like to consider skin cells as bricks, and lipids and proteins as the mortar that holds it all together. If the barrier is affected, and the lipid matrix doesn’t hold up (causing cracks and gaps), it doesn’t act like one. It allows irritants to get in, which can weaken it and prevent it from functioning properly.

You’ll know you’ve messed up your skin barrier when your skin suddenly feels drier, redder, irritated and prone to acne. It doesn’t make sense—your skin is flaky, but you’re breaking out all the time? It’s because when your skin is dehydrated, your skin cells direct the sebaceous glands to compensate by producing more sebum. This can cause pores to swell, shutting in dead skin cells, bacteria and oil inside, causing inflammatory zits. Rosacea, eczema and dermatitis are conditions that could crop up, because the skin is not able to protect itself and fight for balance and stability. Another tell-tale sign? Everything stings. If applying regular products (like a cleanser) feels painful or tingly, it could be due to a disrupted barrier.

Also Read: Understanding The Skin Barrier: What Is It And Why It Needs Repair

What is damaging the skin barrier?

It could be by your own doing. Skincare is a great servant, but a terrible master. If you use products too overzealously, or pick formulas that are too harsh, you could be inadvertently forming all those cracks and messing with the pH of the acid mantle. Different skins can handle different things, but formulas containing drying alcohols, synthetic fragrance or essential oils can be stripping to many. Overcleansing and over exfoliating can be culprits too. if you’re using too many active ingredients like acids or retinols, you could be slowly breaking down the skin barrier instead of fortifying it.

It could be your techniques and tools too. Vibrating face brushes, abrasive wash cloths and at-home microdermabrasion blades could be contributing to the problem, as could practices like waxing.

Want to know what combinations of actives and potentially destroy your skin barrier? Read our article about how NOT to layer actives!

Also Read: How To Repair A Damaged Skin Barrier