How To Transition Your Skincare For Healthy Winter Skin

Baby, it’s cold outside! As you swap your sundresses and denim cut-offs for chunky knits and turtlenecks, your winter skincare routine should follow suit.

Because as the weather changes, our wardrobe isn’t the only thing that needs to adapt, our skin does too. As temperatures drop this time of year, so do our moisture levels – leading to a complexion that’s dull, dehydrated and more susceptible to sensitivities.

That means it’s time to take stock of your current skincare routine and make some adjustments depending on what your skin is saying. From the blistering cold outdoors to blasting heat indoors, fluctuating temps can really take a toll on your skin. But flaky, dry, weather-beaten skin doesn’t have to be inevitable – a few simple tweaks is all it takes!

To keep skin glowing and hydrated, keep reading. Here are a few tips to help transition your skincare routine for healthy winter skin, all season long.

Start here for healthy winter skin! Rebuilding hydration + preserving the skin’s natural moisture barrier starts with the first step of your skincare routine: cleansing. So this season, swap stripping soaps + conventional cleansers for a Cleansing Oil properly formulated for your skin state to balance the skin, leaving it purified and properly hydrated.

Cleanse nightly with nourishing oils to deeply cleanse and wash away the day (even holiday makeup and buildup) – without over-drying the skin. To find out exactly how to do it, watch this tutorial!

Cleansing Oil Tip: Make sure to use warm water – not hot! Although scalding, steamy water might be tempting during the cold, winter months, it can actually cause skin to become even more dry and depleted. Warm water is all you need to soften skin, purify pores and feel ahhhh-mazing all winter long.

Add even more elements of warmth to your routine and upgrade your winter wellness + skincare ritual with a weekly aromatherapy steam facial. This is such a therapeutic way to boost beauty and immunity during the winter months. Not only does the warmth of the steam help to purify pores and give your skin a healthy glow, organic essential oils of eucalyptus, peppermint + spearmint help to clear skin (and sinuses), relieve congestion and provide powerful aromatherapy benefits for your skin and mood.

Here’s how to create a steam facial at home:

• Bring a pot of pure water to a boil and while the water is warming up, take a few minutes to oil cleanse your skin (see winter tip above!). Transfer boiling water to a large bowl and add a couple spoonfuls of Sea Soak.
• Find a comfortable place where you can sit with your face over the steam. Drape a towel over your head to hold in the heat and deeply relax. If at any point the steam feels too hot, be sure to pull your face back a bit.
• Take several deep breaths and allow the aromas + warmth to do its healing work.
• After about 10-15 minutes, follow the steps below to complete your winter skincare routine and seal in moisture.

To combat dry, dull winter skin, mask more often! Without proper exfoliation, you may just be applying moisturizer on top of dead skin cells, which doesn’t allow for nutrients to actually hydrate and heal. But steer clear of harsh ingredients + aggressive exfoliation techniques that actually strip and irritate winter skin even more.

Stick with natural clays, raw honey and botanical oils that are rich in minerals, vitamins, enzymes and humectants to gently slough off dead skin cells, refine skin texture and optimize hydration – and even help to boost the absorption/benefits of your serum + moisturizers! These are a few of our go-to masking ingredients to nourish winter skin:

• Raw honey: this superfood is a natural humectant and infuses hydration into the skin.
• Hibiscus: a natural source of AHA’s (alpha-hydroxy acids) and antioxidants to stimulate cell turnover and support moisture levels.
• Bakuchiol: this natural retinol alternative accelerates cell renewal and improves skin texture.
• Marshmallow root: works in the same way as hyaluronic acid to deeply hydrate + heal.

Mask Tip: Set aside time in your evening ritual to mask and relax! Try applying a light layer of raw honey mixed with hibiscus powder + pink clay or try this nourishing facial mask a few times a week. Then finish with your full winter skincare routine to replenish even more moisture as you sleep.

This is the secret to a successful winter skincare routine: layering. Cold weather calls for layering, and not just for your OOTD (aka Outfit Of The Day – it’s okay, I had to look that up too 😉 ). Specific products in your skincare routine actually work better together and help to build on the benefits of one another.

After your oil cleansing ritual, follow these steps below to layer your products to enhance their effectiveness and finally say “see ya later” to flaky, dry, weather-beaten skin.

• LAYER COMPLEXION MIST + SERUM: The best way to boost the absorption (and the benefits!) of your serum is by spritzing a hydrosol beforehand. A simple spritz of Complexion Mist after cleansing and before applying your moisturizer allows hydration to soak even more deeply into the skin and provides much needed dry skin relief.

• LAYER SERUM + BEAUTY CREAM: Think of your skin-specific serum like your favorite chunky sweater: a seasonal staple. Infuse life into thirsty skin that’s dull + dehydrated on the daily. But sometimes, when it gets really cold outside, a sweater just isn’t going to cut it – that’s where your coat comes in: aka beauty cream. (Thanks for bearing with me during this wardrobe analogy! 😉 )
  
  After applying your skin-specific serum, seal it all in with a Beauty Cream to deeply moisturize and nourish the skin. For super-sensitive or weather-beaten skin, try the Baby Balm which is rich in marshmallow root (aka nature’s hyaluronic acid) to attract moisture and protect the skin’s delicate barrier. 

• LAYER BEAUTY CREAM + COMPLEXION MIST: For added hydration, spritz Complexion Mist after applying Beauty Cream to lock in moisture as the last layer in your winter skincare routine!

Skin Tip: For our acne-prone friends, we encourage you to swap aggressive topical acne products and layering lots of soothing oils + herbs to help calm redness and breakouts while still strengthening the skin’s delicate barrier. Trust us, come Spring, your skin will thank us. 😉

Don’t forget your eyes + lips! These little areas on the face shouldn’t be overlooked, especially this season.

Eyes: This fragile skin is the first place to reveal dehydration, sleep deprivation (hello, dark circles) + signs of aging, so it’s essential to include a vitamin-rich cream in your winter skincare routine. Even if you feel too exhausted at the end of the day to cleanse your skin and apply eye cream, staying consistent with your skincare will keep your complexion radiant and clear – no concealer needed.

Lips: Chapped lips don’t have to come with the colder months! Apply lip balm before bed and wake up to soft, buttery (and plump!) lips, even in the dead of winter.

Lip Tip: Not only do you want to keep this winter skin secret weapon on your nightstand, but keep one in your purse (and pocket and car) for hydration on the go. Swipe on your lips, dab under your eyes and nourish cracked cuticles, all with one little tube.

Roll your way to more hydrated skin this season. Support skin health and hydration from below the surface by adding in a facial tool as the last step in your winter skincare routine! A Ridged Facial Roller or Gua Sha Stone (or both!) powerfully support the skin’s natural functions by activating the flow of lymphatic fluid, circulation and vital nutrients – plus these tools enhance the absorption of your moisturizers so you can get your glow on all winter long.

Tool Tip: If you kept your Ridged Roller or Gua Sha Stone in the fridge for the summer, try keeping it in your bathroom instead as a reminder to roll every day and to boost blood flow + warmth during the cold winter months.

To help dry, flaky skin from head to toe, it’s time to pick up the practice of dry brushing. Natural bristles combined with short, light strokes (learn how to dry brush here!) help to gently exfoliate and slough off dry, scaly skin to reveal smoother, softer skin – no harsh or abrasive exfoliants needed. A daily dry brushing ritual helps to visibly improve skin texture and prep skin to better absorb moisture. A win-win for winter skin!

Be sure to dry brush before showering (remember, warm water not hot!) and afterward, massage in a luxurious body oil while skin is still damp to drench your body with much-needed moisture.

We hope these tips help you create a seamless transition to a winter skincare routine – and a healthy, hydrated complexion! XO