The air is dry and cold, and it’s taking a toll on your skin. Get a jump on the worst season for your skin with these handy winter weather skin care tips!
We all know how dry and frigid Colorado can be during the winter months. It’s important to have some key tips and products in your back pocket to have truly radiant skin year round! Believe me, you don’t need fancy facials, peels, or drugs to keep your skin healthy and happy. I’m personally a big fan of Korean 7 step skin care regimens that replenish my skin and keeps my face hydrated and smooth 24/7. Though, not all of us can afford the time or the products to complete those - fear not. Your unofficial skincare guru has some tips for winter weather skincare with some totally affordable and effective products!Tips
Get a Humidifier: Colder months means you’re cranking the heat. While this keeps your body warm it makes your skin extremely unhappy. Raising the temp indoors dries the air and your skin out, resulting in dry, flakey, and itchy skin. To remedy a dry home and keep up with your winter weather skin care, set your humidity level between 45% and 55% to fill the air with enough moisture.
Take quick and warm (NOT HOT) showers:
Hot showers strips your skin of essential water and oils that protect your skin from cracking and drying out. Keep your showers warm and to 15 minutes or less for essential winter weather skin care.
Don’t use harsh soaps with low PH levels:
Cleansers and products with harsh acids or low PH levels are known for one thing and one thing - Stripping. While yes you can argue that it keeps your pimples at bay, you may also notice around these months your HG cleanser that keeps you oil and zit free in the summer is drying you to high heavens in the winter. Find a gentle cleanser with more natural ingredients that don’t strip your skin of the good oils it needs! You want a product that is balanced, so around 5.5 or 7 PH is ideal. If you're really concerned about it you can find testing strips at any drugstore. Always remember, balancing your skins mantle is key!
Pat, don’t rub:
After showering or washing your face, pat your skin to get rid of excess water. Rubbing causes friction and increases dryness.
Always go fragrance free and dye-free:
Fragrances and dyes means extra chemicals in your products that pretty much do nothing but look and smell good - these by no means help your skin, and are actually pretty common irritants that result in dry and unhappy skin. Also, as a heads up un-scented simply means there is a masking scent, and is just another form of fragrance designed to not have a smell. Again, natural ingredients are always the way to go.
HG Products For Winter
As I said I’m a HUGE fan of Korean skin care products and multi-steps routines. I know not everyone in the world has time to carve out to care for their skin. But for those of you who are interested in some of the products you can incorporate into your every-day, check these products out!
Sheet Masks:
There are THOUSANDS of different options for sheet masks in both brands and skin solutions. Sheet masks have made their way into the Western Beauty world but in all honesty I would stick with the Korean brands for a few simple reasons: 1) Cheaper 2) No BS ingredients 3) They just work better. You can find tons of options on Amazon! The trick is, after you peel off the sheet, don’t wash off the product. Massage the leftover essence into your skin, trust me your dry skin will thank you for it! If you're an amazon primer you can get a pack of 16 sheet masks for only $9!
Snail:
Oh yes. Don’t knock it ‘till you try it. Snail mucin has proven to be basically a cure-all in the Korean beauty world and others are starting to catch on. From serums to sheet masks to all-in-one moisturizers (and many more), there are tons of ways you can incorporate snail into your beauty routine for excellent results. *Solutions include: Moisturizing, skin firming, dark spot lightening, smoothing, and scar healing. There are a TON of sail products out there. If you're looking for something to hydrate your skin without having to do all those steps this All in one Snail Repair Cream is perfect for you!
Sleeping Packs:
This is an ULTIMATE for your winter weather skin care. No excuses for not having time for this one because you use it while you sleep!! After you wash your face before bed, use a healthy amount of your sleeping pack of choice (again, amazon has tons of options), massage into your face and sleep! Wash your face in the morning and you can see a huge difference. You’ll wake up with happy and hydrated skin! Tonymoly's Panda's Dream Sleeping Pack is not only adorable, its SUPER hydrating!
Toner:
Now, for those of you who are used to American toners you’re probably thinking of the stinging and tightening astringent kind that dries out your pimples and overall ruins your skin’s life. Put it down, preferably in the trash because that crap is doing nothing for you. True toners are meant to prep your skin after washing to help absorb all the other products you put on (like your moisturizer) this skin prepping allows your skin to suck in all the good stuff you need for happy skin! This Rice & Ceramide Moisture Toner is only $8!
And there you have it! The key to beautiful skin in the winter months is HYDRATION. Keep these winter weather skin care tips in mind and you'll have soft and flake-free skin all season!
