Winter weather. It’s cold and it’s miserable. We know. Thanks to that very weather, your skin is so important to care for this time of year. As one of the few organs exposed to the elements (ew, exposed?), we’ve got to keep it safe and cared for. Don’t worry, just like your fave suncream, we’ve got you covered. Here’s a little help with making that skin transition into the winter.
Nuffield Health lists several factors which can affect our skin this winter, including alcohol causing cheek-flushing, the drier air drying out our skin and lack of sleep leading to stress, ultimately increasing sebum production (oil). They also advise that skin conditions such as eczema can get worse at this time of year (but it’s alright, you can hydrate to help it). Let’s look at how we can help ourselves if our skin bothers us, and feel free to jump to the sections via the below menu.
- How to deal with redness
- Preventing dry skin
- Our top face moisturiser
- Lip care and our favourite lip balms
- What to look for in hand creams and our faves
Redness
There’s a fine line between that cute, flushed, wintery look and redness that’s a bit of a bother. For any redness or flushing that might be bothering you, don’t be alarmed. The Pharmacist advises that for anyone with rosacea, the wind and dry air can cause you to become a little more sensitive. They recommend scarves or ski masks for a situational fix. Rosalique sells a ‘Miracle Formula’, which sounds miraculous. It’s SPF50 and for redness-prone, hypersensitive skin, concealing and reducing redness.
If you’re on a budget, another option might be the Boots Dermacare Rosacea Treatment Serum. It helps strengthen the cutaneous barrier, hydrates and protects skin and helps with rosacea symptoms. If you go for any of these, note that you should read up about how to use them, especially including how long to use them for and when you’ll see benefits.
Dry Skin
Winter air tax is beginning to take its toll, and we don’t really want to pay that toll, but here we are. It’s that time of year when, despite 10 layers of lip balm, your lips are chapped. Despite your meticulous skincare routine, that sharp change in weather has your nose flaking (but also oily, somehow? Just me?). It’s confusing. Thankfully, skincare brands have once again waved their magic skincare wands to bring us help in this time of need. If you don’t want to know the science of it and just want help, skip to the next paragraph. For the interested party, know that Harvard Health Publishing tells us that we get dry skin when our skin “doesn’t retain sufficient moisture”. It’s worse in winter “because humidity is low both outdoors and indoors, and the water content of the epidermis tends to reflect the level of humidity around it”. No hydration around the skin means no hydration for the skin. Poor skin. So Harvard recommends moisturising: “The thicker and greasier a moisturizer, the more effective it will be.” Thick and greasy. That’s the key.
Face Moisturiser
The main transition you need to make from summer to winter about your face moisturiser is moving from a thin-based to a thick-based moisturiser. If you’re on a budget, here’s a list of our favourite affordable face moisturisers for winter, or if you’ve ditched the budgeting like many of us now we have listed out our fave more premium options too. If you’re not sure about your skin type and want to find out, here’s a link to CeraVe’s helpful article to help you discover it. Once you’ve discovered your skin type, check out our favourite ranges below.
First up we have Beauty Pie, an absolute crowd-pleaser. We’re talking dewiness, luminosity, elasticity, and plumping. Could you want anything else from a moisturiser? This product has three forms of Hyaluronic Acid. You can use it alone or over a serum for optimum results.
Deep Moisture Miracle Cream
Buy Here
Although Beauty Pie’s range is premium brands at a more affordable price, we know they can still be a bit on the expensive side of things, so if you’re hoping to save some penny you could look to invest in the below Embryolisse which is a multi-purpose moisturiser and won’t break the bank. Not only is it a moisturiser, but it can be used as a primer and make-up remover so it’s for those gals that are on the go.
Another great brand to consider for your face routine is Sunday Riley. This is also in the slightly more expensive range (£60 ballpark), but well worth the money. The below product helps with anti-ageing and protects against pollution due to the vitamin C contents.
We’ve saved the best till last, however, we do have to warn you that it comes with a hefty price tag, but for good reason. DECLÉOR’s Green Mandarin Sun-Kissed Cream is worth all £72. With a mixture of Beta-Carotenes and natural Hyaluronic Acids, it reduces fine lines and plumps the skin. But the true wonder of this cream is that it also gives you a lovely glow whilst rejuvenating your skin.
Another thing you should consider for your winter transition is to add in a face oil if you’re not already using one. You should put this on just before bed after you’ve cleansed, toned and moisturised – allow your moisturiser to soak in and then utilise the oil. We love Byoma Hydrating Oil, as it’s super reasonably priced and contains Jojoba Oil.
Lip Care
For chapped lips, consult the American Academy of Dermatology Association, or AAD. This AAD list has a whole group of ingredients to avoid whilst you have chapped lips and a whole list of things that will help. Some of the unhelpful things include menthol, salicylic acid and fragrance. If you’re familiar with skincare-tok or skincare-gram, we’ve been told to avoid fragrance for pretty much anything skincare-related for a while. The general census seems to be that it doesn’t have many benefits aside from perfuming/scent and can be actively bad if used incorrectly. “But what do the AAD say we should be using?”, we hear you cry. So, we should be using ingredients including petrolatum, shea butter and hemp seed oil. Translation: it’s pretty much your standard Vaseline that’ll get you through this tough time. Check out some of the other ingredients you should be avoiding/using on the list for a more comprehensive viewpoint if you’d like.
Related article: Our Beauty Hot List
Similarly to your face, and even though it’s winter, it’s still important to use SPF on your lips too. SPF protects your skin from UV damage and therefore prevents ageing. A great product to use is the below nourishing SPF 30 lip balm from Beauty Pie.
Alternatively, you can count on Ameliorate range and specifically their Intense Lip Therapy with amino acids.
If there’s one thing you buy from this article, then it needs to be Elizabeth Arden’s Eight Hour Cream. Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream has acquired legendary status and we can see why. It truly works within 8 hours, helping soothe and repair dry skin, and the below product is the original which you can use on your lips. We highly recommend it.
Hand Creams
Winter can be pretty harsh on the skin, so choosing the right-hand cream is key. Look for ingredients like:
Hydration Heroes: Opt for creams with hydrating ingredients like glycerin, hyaluronic acid, or shea butter. These keep your hands moisturized and combat dryness.
Antioxidants: To fight aging, go for creams with antioxidants like vitamin E or green tea extract. They help protect your skin from free radicals.
SPF: Even in winter, UV rays can age your skin. Choose a hand cream with SPF to shield your hands from the sun’s effects.
Collagen Boosters: Ingredients like peptides can stimulate collagen production, helping to maintain your skin’s elasticity and youthfulness.
Fragrance-Free Options: Fragrances can be irritating, especially in the cold. Consider fragrance-free hand creams to avoid any potential sensitivity.
We recommend NÉCESSAIRE body lotion. It’s full of vitamins and is vegan and cruelty-free.
Dermatica is also a great brand that specialises in skincare, especially helping with hyperpigmentation, dry skin and other skin conditions. Their products are also tailored specifically to your needs. So you can head to their website and fill out a questionnaire to check what skin care you need.
Final Advice
It’s important to note that skin does not only equal face. Your hands, neck and other parts of you are exposed too, so make sure they’re okay, check in now and then. Remember if you’re sweating, reapplying is key and reapplying is always especially key with SPF. Pack your lip balms hand creams and face creams in your bag because you KNOW as soon as you step outside your skin is going to be getting thirsty for a reapplication. Lastly, always make sure you head to the doctor if you’re concerned about any skin conditions.
If you have a thirst for more beauty-saving products then check out our Beauty Product Hot List. Let us know if you use any skincare products that you want to recommend by commenting below. Enjoy the winter and be safe, folks!
Love Team Nonchalant x
Last Updated on 11th December 2023 by Nonchalant Magazine
Find me on: Web
