How to take care of your skin in winter

Take care of your facial skin in winter correctly and avoid mistakes that make it age.

You need to take care of your skin all year round. But in the autumn-winter period, the skin of the face especially needs care. Sudden temperature changes – warm, dry indoor air and cold, humid outdoors – destroy the skin’s protective barrier and deplete its water reserves.

Where to start skincare?

From the simplest and most important procedures – nourishing and moisturizing the skin. 

Moisturize your skin

When do you think the skin of the face loses moisture faster – in cold winters or hot summers? The answer seems obvious – of course, in the summer, in the heat. 

But no! Outdoors, the lower the temperature, the lower the relative humidity, plus heating reduces indoor air humidity by 30-40%. Therefore, in winter, our skin suffers more from dryness – the atmosphere draws moisture out of it. And if you still wash your face with hard water from the tap, the unpleasant feeling of tightness increases significantly.

What to do? 

Be sure to moisturize your skin. But apply moisturizer not in the morning, as you usually do in summer and spring, but in the evening, after a shower. Practice “soft” washing. And give up aggressive cleansers you use in the summer – in winter, they only aggravate the skin condition. Replace them with foam or milk.

There is a myth that ice crystals form in winter due to the moisture contained in a moisturizer. This makes a face even colder. You can’t refuse logic – indeed, the cream contains moisture. But the skin temperature of the face, even with severe hypothermia, does not fall below 32 degrees. Therefore, the conditions for ice formation, of course, are not. By the way, hands get cold much more – the skin’s temperature in winter can drop to 28 degrees.

Choose the right nourishing cream.

In winter, skin nutrition comes first in importance. And the colder it is outside, the more nourishing the face cream should be. When choosing a remedy, stop at nourishing creams, which include heavy, fatty components. Leave light textures until warm times. 

Apply the cream 45-60 minutes before going outside – it should be well absorbed. If you immediately go out into the cold with a wet face from the cream, dehydration of the skin is guaranteed.

Why is it so important to nourish and moisturize the skin? Because without proper hydration and nutrition, the skin cannot withstand age-related changes – tissue regeneration is very difficult. If tissues are saturated with moisture and nutrients, the skin has resources to renew cells and restore tone.

Pamper your skin with masks and serum

In winter, it is recommended to use masks and serums more actively. Do nourishing and moisturizing masks twice a week, preferably before bed. So the effect will be higher – the skin of the face will receive more intense nutrition and hydration. 

Serums use, as always, courses.

Protect your face from the sun

One day, the country’s leading cosmetologists were asked: if you could turn back the clock, what advice on facial care would they give to themselves in their thirties? And one of the very first and most important tips was to use sunscreen constantly. Listen to the pros’ recommendations, and do not hide sunscreen far away. In winter, protecting your face from ultraviolet radiation is no less important than in summer. 

Take care of your hands.

An unpleasant combination of frosty air, wind, and dry indoor air is a difficult period for the skin of the hands. Constant attacks of cold air on the street and dry indoors greatly undermine the skin’s strength and deplete its water reserves, causing peeling and redness of the hands. Temperature fluctuations cause vasospasm and deterioration of skin nutrition. 

What to do? 

Don’t go outside without gloves. Use a caring cream soap for gentle cleansing. Use special protective hand cream. It will protect from the cold and keep the balance of moisture and smoothness.

Dedicated to lovers of hot baths 

After a cold, dank street, especially if it is cold, thoughts revolve around a hot bath and a cup of hot tea or coffee. I would plunge into hot water with foam for 60 minutes and relax. But wait. You can and should drink a hot drink, but it is better to postpone the bath. First, warm up – put on a blanket, and drink tea. Got warm? Now you can go to the bath. But the water temperature should be at most 40 degrees, and take a bath for no longer than 20-30 minutes. Then the risk of overdrying the skin will not be. 

Hotter water enhances heat and moisture transfer, and because of this, the skin dries out. Do not use soap – it removes the protective layer, making the skin vulnerable. The best option is a moisturizing gel and nourishing body cream after a bath.

Apply winter makeup the right way

Winter makeup has its characteristics:

• apply a nourishing day cream first;
• wait until it is absorbed and then take it as a tonal foundation;
• Set your makeup with loose powder. 

Such layered makeup additionally protects the face from frostbite and dehydration. 

When choosing eye shadow, give preference to creamy ones – they are more resistant than crumbly ones, and, most importantly, do not dry the skin of the eyelids. 

Wind and cold are formidable enemies of the delicate skin of the lips. Under their influence, it shrinks, peels off, and becomes covered with painful cracks. Therefore, winter’s lipstick should not only decorate but also protect lips. Very dry lips, matte lipsticks. Therefore, it is better not to use them in winter. Use balms or nourishing lipsticks. Their oily base in any minus bad weather will protect lips from cold and moisture loss. 

Replenish vitamins

Pay special attention to vitamin D. It is synthesized by living cells under sunlight, which is not enough in winter. Therefore, replenish the reserves of the “solar” vitamin with food: hard cheeses, liver, eggs, and sea fish.

Remember physical activity.

The cold season is not a reason to hibernate and skip workouts. Fitness classes strengthen the immune system and resistance to viruses and bacteria, relieve stress, and improve mood. In addition, moderate activity reduces the risk of catching ARI by more than 20%.