As the monsoon season is starting to transition into Winter in India, it’s time to update your beauty and skincare routine too. If you want your skin barrier to brave the oncoming colder, dryer weather and escape unscathed, you might want to consider incorporating skincare essentials sans skin irritants and add hydrating products to your existing regimen.
Since the skin is predisposed to becoming patchy, flaky and increasingly dry during winter months, making vital changes in your beauty routine including swapping gel-based creams for milk or cream-based ones, gentle weekly exfoliation, applying broad spectrum sunscreen and hyaluronic acid for deep hydration, is warranted. To keep your skin healthy, it’s essential to repair and revive the skin back to its ‘glazed donut’ goodness during the nighttime, especially after daytime activities that expose your skin to dirt, pollution and harsh sun rays, in addition to the cold, unforgiving weather stealing all the moisture from your skin.
Here are a few changes you need to make to your beauty routine to keep your skin healthy and hydrated this winter.
Use a heavier milk-based cleanser
As temperatures fluctuate, it gets harder to keep your skin hydrated. Dealing with flaky, parched skin is another reason to switch up your beauty products come winter. Cleansing is an important part of any skincare routine and needs to be done in a way that does not strip your skin of its moisture and natural oils. This can be achieved by using a gentle, moisturising cleanser that leaves your skin feeling smooth and supple.
If you wear make-up, double cleansing is the way to go to help prevent excessive drying. Before using your face wash, reach for natural products including coconut oil or a rich, butter-like cleansing balm instead of your regular micellar water or make-up wipes, and massage your face to melt away any remnants of stubborn make-up, sunscreen and other products. This not only rids your skin of dirt and grime but also moisturises your skin while cleansing. You can also apply pantry products like cold milk and gram flour to your face once a week for that extra dose of hydration.
Swap your gel-based light moisturiser for a cream-based one
If you dream of having dewy, plump skin even in the harsh winter season, a heavier and more nourishing and long-lasting moisturiser might be the answer. It is important to protect your delicate skin barrier during colder months since it is susceptible to losing its glow and becoming dehydrated, irritated and ultra sensitive. Besides adhering to the age-old skincare secret of drinking more water, it might be a good idea to go for a cream-based moisturiser instead of a lighter gel-based one. You can also incorporate products with hyaluronic acid and peptides in your beauty regimen to help keep your skin barrier nourished and dewy-looking. If you have extremely dry skin, you could even consider layering different hydrating skincare products over your skin and lock all the goodness in with a moisturising oil or serum at the end.
Don’t forget to moisturise the rest of your body with a rich body oil or cream containing shea or cocoa butter to combat the effects of winter. Before applying the cream, you should try dry brushing your entire body to remove dead skin cells and exfoliate rough, dry and flaky skin. This method is known to improve blood circulation, tone the body and give your skin a lasting glow. And, since no one likes to have unsightly chapped lips, be sure to drench them in petroleum jelly, lip oil or balm to keep dryness at bay.
Exfoliate once a week
Gentle exfoliation using a hydrating scrub could be a good idea to leave your skin gleaming even in winter. Be sure to not go overboard with the scrubbing and stick to doing it only once a week or two weeks. This step is essential to cleanse and unclog your pores and remove any hidden dirt or product buildup that tends to settle down in the deepest corners of your skin. You could also try out certain homemade scrubs made with nourishing base ingredients like jojoba oil or milk mixed with coffee or ground oats to get that glow from within. Thanks to the presence of natural saponins to cleanse and absorb dirt and excess oil, ground oats are known to gently clarify pores without causing any damage to the skin. This step will also allow your moisturiser to penetrate the pores better and help combat sneaky dry patches that often appear due to indoor heat and outdoor wind.
Massage your face to keep it plump
Your skin may succumb to dullness in colder months due to lack of proper blood circulation. To plump your skin in a jiffy, gently massage your face every night using your fingers or a beauty tool like gua sha. This also aids lymphatic drainage, leaving your skin looking plump and healthy. You may also use a deep conditioning oil like argan or rosehip while gliding your fingers onto your skin and achieve additional hydration. If you find face oils to be sticky and heavy, go for aloe vera gel or a lightweight moisturiser while massaging your face. Tools such as the gua sha are known to help relieve tension in the face, reduce puffiness and inflammation, and aid better and deeper absorption of beauty products into the skin.
Use hydrating face masks
To achieve the next level of hydration for your skin, consider applying face masks once every week to seal in all the moisture. Rejuvenate your skin with Korean sheet masks or simply raid your kitchen for ingredients to whip up a concoction at home. Mashed bananas, honey and yoghurt can make for a wonderful homemade face mask. A few drops of almond oil is also a good addition to the recipe.
Before adding any new steps to your beauty routine, however, it’s important to truly understand your unique skin needs and conduct thorough research on skincare products, ingredients and document how your skin reacts to them. Keep in mind that there is no set formula to achieving the flawless skin of your dreams. Everyone’s skin type is unique and reacts differently to the same ingredients. Having said that, we think it’s essential to switch up your beauty routine as the weather outside shifts, if you want your skin to become radiant and healthy over time.
