Surviving Winter: Skin Care Tips for Perfect Skin

The changing seasons don’t just influence how the environment behaves. The dropping temperatures and darker days have an impact on our skin as well. Winter especially, is a time of transition; your skin is recovering from the summer’s and autumn’s possible damage and getting ready for the harsher, colder climate of winter. Winter is the time to give your skin some much-needed rest and re-energise it. To ensure you survive the rest of autumn & winter and come out with healthier-looking skin, follow the below tips.

Swap the gels for creamy cleansers

One of the major changes your skin experiences during winter is extra dryness. Even if it tends to be on the oilier side, the dryer weather is likely to leave it more like a combination skin rather than purely oily or dry. To ensure you add a gentler touch to your daily care routine, swap the gel-based face cleanser for a creamy cleanser such as Alpha-H Balancing Cleanser, La Roche-posay Effaclar H Cleansing Cream, Clinique Rinse Off Foaming Cleanser and CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser.

Exfoliate in the right way

If you’ve enjoyed your summer to the fullest, your skin has most likely experienced plenty of sun, chlorine and salty seawater. But it’s now time to exfoliate and get rid of the dead skin cells for good. You need to exfoliate your body, including your face, with an appropriate exfoliator. The best pick is an oil-based scrub, as it removes damaged skin cells while moisturising the tissue. Consider picking one of the following products:

• For body: L’Occitane Almond Shower Scrub
• For face:
  • Dry: Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant
  • Combination: Jurlique Daily Exfoliating Cream
  • Oily: Ella Baché Defence+ Charcoal Micro Exfoliant

Ditch the lotion

You can also enhance your skincare regime by swapping the lotion with a cream-based moisturiser. Creams are better at locking in moisture because they create an oily barrier between the skin and the dry outside air. This reduces water loss and guarantees long-term protection. The best picks for winter 2024 include Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream and The Body Shop Vitamin E Moisture Day Cream.

Pay extra attention to your hands and lips

Your skin requires extra attention during winter, especially in the most sensitive areas such as your hands and lips. It is often thinner and regular washing of your hands can leave your hands much dried during the season. You should pick a special moisturising cream, like those from our top ten hand creams. If you find yourself washing your hands a lot, you should also invest in a moisturising hand wash. In terms of your lip care, we recommend getting a good moisturising lip exfoliator like Lanolips Lemonaid Lip Aid and treatments like Dermal Therapy Overnight Lip Repair. Of course, you need to regularly moisturise during the day and you can’t go past the OG of moisturising lip balms, Lanolips. I love the Lanolips Tinted Lip Balm SPF30 in Rhubarb. The balm also comes in Rose, Red Apple and Perfect Nude tints. Also, honourable mentions to Clinique Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm, Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balm, Benefit Butter Balm and MAC Cosmetics Glow Play Lip Balm.

Don’t forget to protect from the sun

Even though your skin is not necessarily getting as much sun as during the summer months, winter shouldn’t be the time to ditch sun protection. The sun’s rays are still harmful to your skin and you need to protect it, especially if you are spending a lot of time outdoors. So, make sure your moisturiser or foundation has at least SPF 15 before heading out.

We love Natio Tinted Moisturiser SPF15 (I use this daily), Garnier BB Cream All-In-One Perfector, IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC+ Cream SPF50, Embryolisse Secret de Maquilleur Complexion CC Cream and Avène Day Protector Tinted BB Cream SPF30+.

Sleeping on silk

You should also consider treating your skin with a touch of silk. Silk is not a man-made material, but a hypoallergenic product that has actual health benefits for your skin. According to studies, silk pillowcases can reduce redness and dryness, as well as prevent your skin from breaking out. So, aside from shopping for a few face care products, you might also want to sneak into Bed, Bath and Table, Adairs or My House and purchase a few silk pillowcases.

If you apply the above tips to your winter regimen, you’ll enjoy healthier-looking skin. The recommended products are tried and tested, but don’t be afraid to shop for something else that falls within the requirements mentioned above.