Changes you need to make in your winter skincare routine..

Find that your skin & lips are drier in the Winter? Most people do. And you simply can’t expect to have the same skincare routine as you did in the Summer. Our skin is constantly changing throughout the year; sometimes day by day! And we should adapt to our skin’s changing needs. And you may find that the products that you were using in the Spring / Summer, are drying your skin now. So what to do?

-Switch your current face wash for a cream cleanser. That is, unless you have oily skin all year round. A hydrating face wash won’t strip your skin as much as other cleansers tend to do.

Splurge: Lancome’s Galatee Comforting Milky Cleanser, $30 Save: Aveeno Clear Complexion Cream Cleanser, $8, or Burts Bees Cream Cleanser Intense Hydration, $7

-Switch your lightweight facial moisturizer for a heavier one. Colder temperatures naturally hold less humidity than warmer temperatures. Also the dry air causes more evaporation, which leads to drier skin. You will probably need a heavier face cream to last you through the day.

Splurge: Avene Tolerance cream, $36 Save: Boots Botanics Triple Age Renewal Day Cream, $12 (or you’d like their night cream, click here: Boots Triple Age Renewal Night Cream)

-Switch your your lightweight spray on moisturizer for a heavier cream or body butter. I can’t say for everyone else, but I need body butter to moisturize my hands every day in the Winter. A great lotion? I love Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Moisturizing Body Lotion. It’s super moisturizing, absorbs quickly, & is not sticky!

Splurge: Kiehl’s Soy Milk & Honey Whipped Body Butter, $48 Save: Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Moisturizing Body Lotion, $4

Or any of the body butters from The Body Shop! The ones best for dry skin are Mango, Cocoa or Hemp body butter, 6.75 oz, $21 each. Each jar is quite big, & if you’d like to try their body butters, you can get travel sized (1.7 oz) for only $7!

-Switch your night cream for with moisturizing ingredients. Retinol, is great for anti-aging, but can also be drying. If you would like something anti-aging with added moisture (like hyaluronic acid) pick one of the 2 night creams below!

Splurge: Vichy’s Liftactiv Retinol HA Night Cream, $48, Save: ROC Retinol Correxion Sensitive Night Cream, $23

-Switch the regular moisturizer you use around your eyes for an eye cream. I mentioned in my last post that the skin around your eyes is the most delicate on your face. That’s why it’s more prone to things like dark circles & crows’ feet. Give that skin around your eyes some extra protection by putting on some added cream around them at night. Have dark circles? Check out my other article, How to get rid of dark circles underneath your eyes, for more products!

Splurge: Farmacy’s Eye Dew Total Eye Cream, $38 Save: Yes to Grapefruit Correcting Eye Cream, $16 or Kiehl’s Creamy Eye Treatment, $29

-Make sure you exfoliate. Exfoliating is important all year round, but even more so in the winter, when your skin is drier & moisturizing becomes crucial. In order for your skin to be properly moisturized; you must exfoliate. You could always get a pair of The Body Shop’s bath gloves, or for a more intense exfoliator you could get a microdermabrasion brush! For more tools, check out my article on Exfoliating!

Neutrogena’s Sonic Wave, $14, Exfoliating bath gloves from The Body Shop, $5

-Exfoliating for dry / sensitive skin: Take a facial oil & rub it on your skin if it gets red / flaky. Using an exfoliator will probably irritate dry / sensitive skin. Rubbing an oil until all the flakes come off is a gentler approach.

Olay Regenerist Luminous Facial Oil, $26

-Use an exfoliant on your body that moisturizes. Whilst you want to get rid of dead skin, you don’t want to dry out your skin either. There are scrubs that have moisturizing oils. It’s up to you to pick one!

Splurge: Caudalie Crushed Cabernet Scrub, $38, Save: Burt’s Bees Cranberry & Pomegranate Scrub, $13 or Shea Moisture’s Olive & Green Tea Body Scrub, $10

-Switch your chapstick for a thicker lip balm with SPF to protect your lips.

Jack Black Intense Lip Balm SPF 25, $7.50, or Aquaphor Lip Repair, $4

-Switch out your regular body soap for an ultra moisturizing one. Your regular soap is probably drying out your skin this time of year. Why not wash & moisturize at the same time?

Splurge: L’occitane’s Almond Shower Oil, $25, Save: Yes To Coconut Oil Body Wash, $7, Shea Moisture’s Argan Oil & Raw Shea Body Wash, $10

-Use a hydrating foundation instead of a powder one. Powder foundation is usually meant to mattify oily skin. If you don’t have oily skin this time of year, powder foundation will only make your skin drier. Switch to a moisture rich foundation!

Splurge: Koh Gen Do Moisture Foundation, $62 Save: Nvey Eco, $14

-Switch your regular hairspray with one that also battles frizz.

John Frieda’s Frizz Ease Moisture Barrier Firm Hold Hair Spray, $6

-Or just add a drop or two of defrizzing hair oil right before you blow dry your hair. This would be great for girls with curly / dry hair.

Dove Pure Care Dry Restorative Hair Treatment, $14

-Switch your conditioner for a hair mask. Not mandatory, but it DOES add much needed moisture in your hair. And you don’t need to do it every day, only once a week instead of your hair conditioner.

Moroccanoil Intense Hydrating Mask, $55 Save: Shea Moisture Superfruit Complex 10 in 1 Renewal System Hair Masque, $13

-Make sure your mascara is waterproof. Whenever I buy mascara, I always get waterproof anyway. (Who wants mascara that is not??) Harsh winter winds will cause you to tear up, & the last thing you want is your eyeliner or mascara running down your face. Also what I find in some mascaras: that they are drying. So something that conditions & is waterproof? Neutrogena’s Healthy Volume Waterproof Mascara! Conditioning with a touch of olive oil, & won’t run!

Neutrogena’s Healthy Volume Waterproof Mascara, $8

-Switch your lip stain or matte lipstick for a moisturizing one. For anyone that has tried a lip stain, you probably know that they are pretty drying. And it is not attractive to have lips that are dry & peeling. For lipstick? Get one with added moisture and / or vitamins. Rimmel London’s Moisture Renew Lipstick has added vitamins A, C, & E, while Neutrogena’s Moisture Smooth Color Stick has added mango & shea butter! Check them out for Rimmel has 24 shades in that one lipstick alone!