No surprise, this winter has been brutal. From below-freezing temperatures to class-cancelling snowstorms, we’ve put up with a lot. While we’ve been waging war on winter, however, winter has been fighting back…against our skin. Whether you’ve been feeling dry or scaly or patchy or whatever, everyone’s skin struggles this time of year. By taking a few more minutes each day, however, to pay attention to your cheeks and hands, fresh, moisturized skin can be yours during the final weeks (please let them be the final weeks) of winter. Here are Her Campus BC’s fail-proof tips for glowing winter skin.
Use a creamy cleanser, not a foamy one.
Because your skin’s moisture content is higher than the dry winter air, the water in your skin evaporates upon exposure to harsh winter conditions. Instead of using a foaming cleanser, which strips the skin of natural oils (ones that we actually need!), switch to a cream-based cleanser, which leaves hydration levels more balanced.
Lock in hydration.
To keep moisture levels from decreasing drastically in arid February air, keep your hydrated skin under lock and key by using a quenching (not astringent!) toner, such as this one.
Exfoliation is your friend.
You should exfoliate at least once a week. This ritual is even more crucial during the winter, as dead skin cells tend to accumulate at a faster rate during this time of year. The reason your skin feels so rough could mean that you need to exfoliate more! Be gentle, but firm, with your face using an exfoliating scrub weekly…if not more.
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Don’t pick at your lips!
We know it is super tempting to peel away flaky skin on the surface of your lips when they feel chapped, but resist the urge! Unlike peeling skin on other parts of your face, flakes on your lips are actually part of a thin membrane that is extremely fragile and can be damaged by exfoliation. To avoid this problem altogether, keep your lips moisturized (even before you go to bed), and stick a few lip balms in your backpack before leaving for class in the morning.
Watch your makeup choices.
Certain types of powders, blushes, and cover-ups actually dry out your skin upon application. Instead of caking on layers of makeup in the morning, moisturize and correct skin tone with a BB or CC cream, which have popped up everywhere (even the CVS at Cleveland Circle) over the past two years. Try to choose one that contains SPF 30 or above.
One-stop shop.
In epidermal emergencies, it’s great to have one single product that can function in many different ways. This cream, from Elizabeth Arden, fixes everything from chapped lips to cracked cuticles to rough elbows. You can even apply it to split ends as a leave-in conditioner! It’s like a jacked-up Vaseline, and we’re l-o-o-o-ving it.
And most importantly…
Don’t think we’ve forgotten the most basic and important step in achieving beautiful, glowing skin during the harsh winter months: moisturize like it’s your JOB. Do it twice a day, use SPF 30 or above (even on cloudy days), and keep your skin’s natural hydration from evaporating. Funnily enough, skin doesn’t absorb much from moisturizers. Instead, most moisturizers contain humectants that protect your skin from losing the moisture that it already creates. We know; we didn’t know that before, either.
It really doesn’t require that much more effort to do the things on this list, so as long as you keep up with your daily skin routine, your face should look beautiful again in no time. Hopefully winter is almost over!
Photo Sources:
http://nomoredirtylooks.com/2011/06/how-often-do-you-wash-your-face/
http://www.beautyblitz.com/skin-body/skin-care/coming-soon-bb-creams-conquer-drugstore
http://www.vampyvarnish.com/2013/02/eos-lip-balm-smooth-spheres-photos-review
http://sassydove.com/tag/facial-toner/
http://www.moodiereport.com/document.php?c_id=33&doc_id=17963