Winter can be rough, literally. The dry air, freezing temperatures, and wind that come along with the winter months can leave a girl out in the cold to deal with rough, dry skin. You may have noticed that your favorite products from the summer and fall aren’t quite doing their jobs anymore, but you don’t quite know how to replace them. Read ahead for a few trusty, simple skincare products that will wipe out your winter skincare woes:
Believe it or not, SPF is more than something to think about during the sunny summer months – your face is at as much of a risk for sunburn during the winter as it is during the summer. While the sun’s already shining directly on you, snow and ice work like mirrors, reflecting the sun’s rays right back towards you from the ground, almost doubling your sun exposure! For a face that’s already dry from the cold and the wind, the last thing you need is a sunburn to make things worse! Olay Complete All Day UV Complete Moisture with Vitamins E & B3 SPF 15 for Sensitive Skin is a great winter moisturizer with sun protection. This moisturizer doesn’t feel like a goopy sunscreen at all – it goes on light and thin, doing the job without reminding you that anything’s there. Put it on before your makeup (wait about a minute in between) and you’re good to go for the rest of the day!
If you’re one of those girls who reapplies her lip balm and lipgloss continuously throughout the day, it’s easy to forget to pay attention to what exactly you’re putting on your lips. During the day, stay away from glosses and balms without SPF. Most of these products are oil-based, and applying them to your lips is essentially the equivalent to what you do to the rest of your body when you slather on tanning oil during the summer. The oil in these products attracts the sun, amplifying the UV rays’ effects on your lips, leading to sunburn and chapped lips. To keep your lips soft (read: kissable) during the winter, look for a lip balm with an SPF factor of at least 8 to wear during the daytime. Burt’s Bees Passionfruit Lip Balm has an SPF factor of 8 and a great taste to boot. This balm goes on smooth and without residue, keeping you looking fresh and feeling safe about your skin.
Even if you bundle up with gloves or mittens, the dry air of winter is not doing any favors for your hands. Hand cream is something to be reapplied throughout the day, so the best bet is to look for something small and compact that’ll fit into a purse or backpack easily. Tubes of cream can be awkward and bulky and tend to take up too much space. The simple, sleek packaging of the Nivea Creme Travel Sized Tin is perfect as an on-the-go hand saver. This cream lasts forever – even though it’s a travel sized tin, a little goes a long way, so you won’t find yourself running to the drugstore every other week to restock. The product goes on smooth and instantly absorbs into your skin, leaving very little residue behind, keeping your touchscreens and schoolpapers and keyboards oil and smudge free. Bonus: Rub a little extra of this product between your hands and run your hands through your hair to instantly get rid of annoying winter hair-static!
Not to be ignored in the dry hands department: your cuticles. Dry cuticles and dry nails means brittleness, breakage, and general discomfort. Hand cream needs a partner in crime to fight dryness and breakage when it comes to your cuticles and nails, so look for a product that specializes in this area. Burt’s Bees’ Lemon Butter Cuticle Creme does the job perfectly. The packaging attests that the product is “A soothing blend of natural ingredients for intensive care of dry cuticles, brittle nails and chapped, cracked fingertips.” This product keeps it’s promises. With a sweet, not sour, lemony scent, the product goes on smoothly and with a matte finish, leaving your fingertips feeling nourished and fresh.
Winter is a beautiful time of the year, but sometimes it feels like it pushes your personal beauty into the backseat. These winter skincare products will let you appreciate winter’s beauty while feeling just as beautiful as ever. Throughout the season, there may be plenty of reasons to stay indoors more often, but, with these skincare tips, keeping your skin in check doesn’t have to be one of them!