smartskin101

Where does the time go?  I am always asking myself this question.  For the first time since February, I put on my silly winter hat (which is decidedly one of my smartest purchases of last year) and fleece gloves for my walk to the office this morning.  It would appear pretty official that winter has come a’ knockin’ to camp out for the next few months.  And along with a wardrobe adjustment, your skin care regimen needs a little enhancing itself in order to ward off dry, irritated and chapped skin.  I am going to have 3 segments to this series.  The first segment will focus on how to “winterproof” that beautiful face of yours.  The second will discuss how to take care of your body’s skin.  And the third will be on winter makeup tips (can we say “heck to the naw” to flakey, cakey foundation).

First and foremost, when it comes to the delicate skin on your face, you need to be gentle; this is especially true in winter!  With that said, below are a few of my tips on how to cleanse, moisturize and treat your skin, along with some product recommendations to help your skin cope with the abominable winter cold.

Cleansing
I strongly recommend washing your face with a gentle cleanser.  Milk, lotion and cream cleansers are the best.  They cleanse thoroughly without stripping the skin of its natural oils, while some even add a bit of hydration to the skin.  Tissue off for the maximum moisturizing potential, or use cold water to rinse off (hot water dries the skin).  Additionally, try to wash your face only at night.  There really isn’t a need for you to rewash your face in the morning.  Here are a few of my favorite cleansers:

• Lush: Babyface Cleanser
• Melvita Apicosma Cleansing Cream for Dry Skin (A fave!)
• Earth Science: A-D-E Creamy Cleanser (Can be found at Whole Foods)
• Pur-lisse: Gentle Soy Milk Cleanser
• Cetaphil: Gentle Cleanser (At any drugstore)
• La Roche Posay: Toleriane Dermo-Cleanser
• Korres: Milk Proteins 3 in 1 Cleanser

Cleansers with alpha hydroxy acid are also good for sloughing off dead skin cells to keep the flakes at bay.  You need to be careful with your selection, as many can actually be drying and are harsh for sensitive skin.

• MD Forte: Facial Cleanser (My current cleanser)
• DDF: Glycolic Exfoliating Wash

Toning
I don’t think using a toner is necessary, but when I use cleansers that do not require rinsing, I will sometimes use a very gentle and hydrating toner to pick up any leftover residue and balance the pH levels of my skin.

• Estee Lauder: Soft Clean Silky Hydrating Lotion (Makes skin supa soft!)
• DHC: Soothing Lotion or DHC: Skin Softner
• Lush: Eau Roma Water

Serums
Serums aren’t always necessary, but can often add a boost to your regular skin care regimen.  If you have one that you like to use  – definitely stick to it! Hyaluronic acid helps to bind moisture to the skin.  If you’re looking at add extra  moisturizing power to your cream, find a serum with this ingredient.  I have also used Squalane as my serum for extra moisturization (it can be used alone or in conjunction with a moisturizer).  This ingredient is derived from olives and is compatible to our skin’s own sebum, allowing it to be easily absorbed into the skin.

• Avon: Solutions Plus+ Maximum Moisture Hydrating Booster (I ordered this a few days ago – I’ll do a review later this month!)
• PeterThomasRoth: VIZ-1000™ 75% Hyaluronic Acid Complex
• Derma E: Hyaluronic Acid Rehydrating Serum
• Mayumi: Squalane Ultra Fine Oil

Moisturizing
Choosing a suitable winter moisturizer is tricky since this is personal to each person’s own skin issues.  Many people dread adding any thick creams to their face in fear of clogged pores and breakouts.  This simply isn’t the case if you’re using the right products.  Acne is often exacerbated by individuals using drying, irritating products – including the ones you see in infomercials!  Try to use products without any artificial scents and coloring, detergents and any other synthetic chemicals.  It’s a bit of a challenge to find products that fit that description, but the less of those bad boys, the better!  Key ingredients to look for are natural oils and butters, such as sweet almond oil, avocado oil, shea butter and cocoa butter.  The below suggestions are for dry to very dry skin.

• Burt’s Bees: Evening Primrose Overnight Crème (This product is a godsend and will save your dry skin.  I will be writing about this miracle cream in another post.)
• Nivea Visage: Silk Comfort Day Care
• Nivea Visage: Rich Regenerating Night Care, Dry to Sensitive Skin (A fave!)
• Nivea Visage: Sensitive Balance Day Care
• Lush: Babyface Cleanser (I use this as a cleanser AND a moisturizer!)
• Melvita: Apicosma Nourishing Cream for Very Dry Skin
• NUXE: Crème Fraiche Concentree – 24hr Energizing Moisture Cream – Dry to Very Dry
• Cetaphil: Moisturizing Cream (Deeply moisturizing and will NOT irritate skin)
• Caudalie Vinosource Quenching Sorbet Crème
• First Aid Beauty: Ultra Repair Cream

Exfoliating
I cannot stress enough how important it is to exfoliate.  Winter or summer – no matter the season – you should exfoliate to remove the top layers of dead skin cells.  Exfoliation stimulates cellular renewal for new, fresh skin.  It also evens out the texture of your skin and helps to prevent clogged pores.  You should use a product/treatment 1 to 3 times a week, depending on your skin’s sensitivity. Do NOT overdo it.  (Note: Do NOT use another exfoliating product if you’re using harsh products such as Retin A.  This will only irritate and damage the skin.)

• Mary Kay: Timewise Microdermabrasion Set (Time after time, I always go back to this set; I haven’t found a microdermabrasion product to beat it yet!)
• Caudalie: Gentle Buffing Cream
• Yonka: Gommage 305
• PeterThomasRoth: Pumpkin Enzyme Peel
• Loofah discs for the face
• St. Ives: Invigorating Apricot Srub

To summarize, the key things I want you to remember when it comes to preparing your skin regimen for the winter are:

1. Use gentle a cleanser.
2. Rinse with cold water.
3. Try to wash only once a day (water in the morning should suffice).
4. Use hyaluronic acid before your moisturizer for added benefits.
5. Use a moisturizer with natural oils and butters as their key ingredients.
6. Exfoliate!
7. Hydrate – drink loads of water.
8. Try to protect your face from the cold weather with scarves and hats.

Photo c/o vonSchnauzer.