By: Madeleine Woon
I know I’m not the only one whose skin resembles the Sahara desert during the cold months. Little dry patches take up residence at the corners of my nose; happy, soft eyelids suddenly crack under the pressure of eczema and flakiness. These are not unlike the qualities I pursue in a croissant, but are a less-welcome mainstay in the state of my skin during the cooler months.
Despite my general best efforts to really double down on moisturizer (at great cost, mind you), my skin stays committed to its parched existence. Surely there’s a better way, I thought on numerous occasions, before I finally took matters into my own hands. Through rigorous testing and some good old internet sleuthing, I’ve rounded up some non-negotiable winter skincare rules to ensure your skin is as plump and juicy as a stone fruit, even when they’re out of season…
Choose your allies carefully
PRESS REFRESH. This product doesn’t hold a grudge against your skin, and neither should you. It is to your parched skin what an Eat Pray Love-inspired trip is to your panicked, quarter-life-crisis: A chance to do-over, to reassess, to start anew. PRESS REFRESH is packed with ingredients that promise to safeguard your secrets—be that late nights at work, the odd toke of a vape, a slosh of wine on the weekends—producing a fresh, sufficiently quenched visage instead. The sheet mask is a jelly-like lord and savior for your skin, positively dripping with niacinamide and salicylic, glycolic and lactic acids that will calm redness and irritation, refine uneven texture, get all cuddly with acne-prone skin, taking out the trash (a.k.a the gunk in your pores) on its way out the door. Not your regular sheet mask, she has stronger absorption powers that plunge ingredients more deeply into your skin.
MEGASHADE. SPF is a necessary part of your skincare routine, no matter the season. Dermatologically-formulated with hyaluronic acid, ceramide NG, colloidal oatmeal and niacinamide, this puppy provides serious hydration while protecting you from the UVAs and UVBs. Sun safety with a side of superrrrr dewy skin? A thousand times yes pls.
Drink water like it’s your job
I actually know who needs to hear this and it is 99.9% of you. Get your required nine cups of water daily. I know it is cold outside, making water swilling more of a chore than it is in the warmer months, but good skin health is a year-round endeavor.
While guzzling the good stuff doesn’t immediately equate to glowing skin, it is important for the overall health of your organs—epidermis included. As dermatologist Dr. Suozzi says: “Skin hydration is a reflection of total-body hydration. If a person is dehydrated, there is less water being transferred to the skin from the circulation.”
Cool it on the scalding hot showers
Don’t I feel like a hypocrite? Why, just this morning I was turning up the hot water tap with reckless abandon, sizzling away the bone-deep chills that come with morning walks in freezing temps, watching in a mix of awe and horror as my axolotl-hued skin developed into a nice shade of lobster. While they feel so good, hot showers and baths can inflame the skin, causing redness (tick!) and itching, disrupting the skin’s natural balance of moisture and robbing you of the natural oils, fats, and proteins that keep skin healthy. Repeat after me: hot showers are literally a crime against skin.
Don’t go crazy with your heater
There’s nothing more satisfying than staying cozy indoors when it’s biting outside, but going too OTT with your heater—which blasts out hot, dry air—will only guarantee hot, dry skin. As the mercury drops, don’t forget wool garments and blankets are completely adequate alternatives in your pursuit of warmth. Switch off the heating when you can, and look to invest in a humidifier if you can’t part with your heater, as they’ll inject more humidity in the air, meaning your skin will lose out on less moisture..
Need a dewier nighttime routine? Click here for some of the dewiest routines in the game.
