Fall is here and with the change of seasons comes pumpkin lattes, beautiful landscapes, and an almost irresistible desire to snuggle with your loved one next to a fireplace. But while kids are eagerly looking forward to Halloween, dreaming about their new costumes and promises of candy, you approach the cold weather with dread.

For those of us with dryer skin, winter can be synonymous with discomfort. It seems no matter how hard we try to follow a skincare routine, we’ll inevitably lose our natural glow as our skin becomes dryer while the cold weather stubbornly persists for months on end. Dry skin not only looks dull, but it also feels tight, dry, itchy, and accentuates fine lines. 

There’s a reason our skin struggles to adapt to the change of weather, we don’t know how to adjust our skincare routine to help us navigate this transition. But here’s the good news, your skin doesn’t have to suffer in the winter. With a few simple changes in your routine, you’ll be able to cruise through the winter without ever losing your glow or feeling uncomfortable.

5 Essential Tips to Help You Maintain a Beautiful Healthy Skin Throughout the Winter

Picture this. 

You had a long day at work. The only thing you want to do is to relax once you get home with a nice, hot shower. Maybe you even decide it’s the perfect time to pamper yourself a little. 

You turn on the water, make sure it’s nice and steamy hot, just the way you like it, and hop in. You take your sweet time to get out, grab your fluffiest towel and dry yourself from head to toe. 

Then, you look at yourself in the mirror and grab your skincare products, ready for your skincare routine sounds familiar? Well… I hate to break it to you, but you’d want to change up your routine a bit to help avoid dryness in your skin during the colder months!   

1. Avoid hot water

One way you might be contributing to the dryness is using HOT water when cleansing or showering. I know, I know... When the cold weather hits, there’s nothing more blissful than enjoying a nice, hot bath or shower. Unfortunately, hot water is drying and can have a negative effect on your skin if used too frequently, or for a long time. 

Hot water can irritate the skin and cause redness or itching. It can go as far as having a similar effect to sunburn by causing the superficial layer of the skin to peel off. Not only that, but taking overly hot baths or showers can disrupt the natural moisture balance of your skin by rubbing off too much of the natural oils, fats, and proteins your skin produces to stay healthy. 

To avoid drying your skin even more than what the weather will already do, make sure the water is at a reasonable temperature (lukewarm or cool). As a rule of thumb, if your skin seems red after your bath or shower, your water is too hot.

2.  Apply your skincare products on damp skin

Your skin will absorb ingredients better if you apply your skincare products on damp skin, not when your skin is completely dry. It feels counterintuitive, but damp skin is more permeable than dry skin, which means you’ll get better absorption of your products if you apply them within a minute after cleansing. 

3. Change your moisturizer

If you aren’t already using a moisturizer, now is a good time to start. If you already are in the habit of moisturizing your skin, consider transitioning to a creamier formula. 

If you suffer from sensitive skin, the prospect of changing your moisturizer can seem daunting. People with sensitive skin tend to stick to whatever skincare product works for them because trying out something new that isn’t a proper fit might cause an outbreak, rashes, or itchiness.

But this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to find a creamier solution to help you counter the cold weather. It simply means you should pay extra attention to the product’s ingredients. Stay away from anything containing fragrances, perfumes, parabens, silicone, mica, talc, or SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulphate). 

4. Add hyaluronic acid to your routine

If you’ve never heard about hyaluronic acid before, don’t get intimidated by the term. Hyaluronic acid is actually a substance naturally present in the human body. It’s found in higher concentrations in the fluids around the joints and the more humid parts of the body, like the eyes. Also, and more importantly for us, it can be found in the composition of our skin.

Hyaluronic acid is considered the most efficient natural humectant because of its capacity to hold 1000 times its weight in water. The problem is that as we get older, our body becomes less efficient in producing certain substances, including hyaluronic acid. That’s one of the reasons our skin gradually loses its elasticity and becomes wrinkled. 

That’s why adding hyaluronic acid into your skincare routine can help improve your skin’s hydration. It’s also why it can be found in the ingredients of many anti-aging skincare products.

5. Use hydrating masques

If you’re already using a good moisturizer, you’ll likely ask yourself why you should apply a hydrating face mask as well. The reason is that hydrating masques  are specially formulated to deliver a high concentration of specific active ingredients to your skin. 

There are hundreds of face masques out there, formulated according to all types of skin. It’s important to pay close attention to the ingredients in the product's formula, as you would do when choosing a moisturizer.  

There are generally no restrictions on how many times a week you can apply a hydrating masque, but incorporating an application of a hydrating masque on a weekly basis will keep your skin nourished and supple.

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By incorporating these tips into your winter skincare routine you’ll be able to embrace the changing of seasons with confidence. There’s no reason for your skin to lose its natural glow.  Chances are, people will start asking YOU what’s your secret for having such healthy skin while everyone else suffers from winter dryness.