Caring for your skin goes beyond merely cleansing, moisturizing, and slapping on face masks, particularly when the seasons change. What is appropriate for your skin during the hot, sultry months of summer is not necessarily fitting for it during chilly winter days. It can be difficult to maintain balance when skin is subjected to extremes in temperature, particularly in areas where it can be below freezing one day and mild the next. As an East Tennessean, I never know what to expect during the period when winter begins to give way to spring.
Always hydrate. No matter the temperature outside, keeping yourself “lubricated” is essential to maintaining healthy skin. Drink plenty of water and herbal teas, and limit your alcohol and coffee intake. This is non-negotiable for beautiful skin.
Keeping a spray bottle of chilled rosewater or green tea to spritz on your face, be it hot or cold outside, is a nice way to perk up your skin.
Educate yourself. Take the time to experiment with moisturizers, read product reviews, and research moisturizing alternatives to ensure that you’re educated about different brands of moisturizers and how they influence skin. In addition, make sure you know exactly what type of skin you have: oily, dry, normal, or combination. That way, you’ll be able to pick a moisturizer that will appeal to your unique skin type.
Sites like Amazon, Sephora, and Skinstore are a great resource for those wanting to learn what others are saying about a product. You can browse reviews and star ratings to see which products are top sellers, or which are better left alone.
Stock up. Stock up on the products that you know yield results for your skin. These could be products you’ve used since you were 13, or they could be products with which you experiment. But have favorites: tested and true creams, gels, or lotions that nourish your skin and pacify its sensitivities. Ideally, you will have at least one product that you can always use without worry. In a perfect world, you would have several to rotate according to the changing seasons.
Keep a journal in which you keep up with your beauty products. You can record which products you love, which products might work in a pinch, and which products you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve found a moisturizer or cream that made me look and feel like a porcelain doll, but lost the bottle and didn’t write the name down. When you're a beauty product junkie, it happens!
Judge. Determine what your particular skin needs during the different seasons. Is your skin an oil slick year-round or do you turn into a flake goblin during the colder months? Do you tend to break out if you use heavier creams, or does your skin lap it up? If you do break out after using heavier creams, research and experiment with different types of moisturizers until you find one that fights dryness, but doesn’t make your skin erupt. It really is about trying different things.
You could avoid the commercial moisturizer route altogether and go for natural oils, like olive, grapeseed, or castor (there are countless others). It really depends on what you like.
To transition from warmer-weather products to colder ones, you’re probably going to use heavy, luxurious creams to hydrate and prevent dry skin. Warmer weather means lighter moisturizers. Here’s something I do: When it’s cold outside, I’ll often use a super-heavy nighttime cream during the day. I’ll apply it an hour or so before I go anywhere, which gives it time to sink in so it won’t impede the application of my foundation (or leave me looking oily). This ensures that my skin gets a big dose of extra nourishment during the chilly months.
I hope this post has provided you with some ideas for creating a unique moisturizing strategy to keep your skin looking its best, whatever the season.
