Do you suffer from different feeling skin in winter or the colder months? And do you overhaul your skincare routine (and products) with the change of seasons?
What is winter skin?
Winter skin is a catch-all term used to describe a change to the way skin feels and looks in the cold. Skin can feel uncomfortable – dry, tight, sensitive, sore – different to how it feels in the summer. There can be a number of reasons for skin to feel more uncomfortable in the winter… the type of cleanser being used, the amount of water being drunk (we guzzle water in the warmer months), central heating and cold winds affect the hydration levels in skin or cause eczema to flare, air can be drier, i.e. with less humidity… all of which can cause more dry patches or tighter skin to appear.
Is it worth buying products specifically for the colder months?
This all depends on whether you want to splurge or not. We like to keep things simple at SL Towers – buying a whole new skincare stash for winter isn’t always an option, although it can be fun to have new products to play with. We believe a product should be able to be used all year round just because it is more cost effective for us. We prefer to make what we have work harder… from adding a few drops of oil to a cleanser to make it less drying on skin, to adding a few drops of oil to our moisturiser to make it more hydrating and helping to seal moisture in skin.
BUT, there is nothing wrong with investing in a few extra products for the colder months, if that is what you feel like doing. After all, we are only wanting to have comfortable skin again.
Quick wins to help with tight skin
If you decide you want to buy a few extra products, then you won’t go wrong with a hydrating face mask that can be left on overnight, thereby doubling up as a night cream.
An oil-based or gel-to-oil cleanser can help skin feel comfortable after it has been cleansed. Watch out for SLS containing products if skin is very tight, both on face and body.
Face massage helps to boost circulation, bringing blood to the surface with oxygen and nutrients to feed skin from the inside, plus the massaging action helps product to penetrate deeper into skin, which is going to help with skin hydration levels and tightness.
And of course, add some face oil to your day or night moisturiser, or even primer or foundation to boost their hydrating properties and get skin glowing again. One drop is more than enough, although if skin is feeling particularly tight you may want to add more than a drop. Or try using face oil as pre-treatment in the morning before you start your day.
What do you do when skin feels uncomfortable in the colder months?
