How to Step Up Your Fall Skincare Game
Just like that day where you transfer your warmer clothes to the front of your closet, there should be a day every fall where you transition your skincare routine. For most of us, the climate we live in changes drastically from summer to winter, causing your skin to have different needs. To protect and nourish your skin throughout these colder months, make sure you’re using these tips:
Moisturizer is your best friend
This one is a no-brainer, but it’s so important. Dry skin is much harder to undo than it is to prevent. If you can keep your skin nourished by good moisturizers, it will be more resistant to increasingly cold and dry weather.
So how do you protect your skin from Jack Frost ever getting a nip at it?
- Step up your moisturizing level. Over the summer, you may have been using a light moisturizer to avoid; now’s the time to pull out the Intense Hydrating Cream and HA Hydrator.
- Apply twice a day: once in the morning and once at night. Be sure to apply moisturizer after cleansing and using serums.
- Use a weekly hydrating mask, like our Hydrating Pumpkin Mask. (Pumpkin is excellent for your skin year-round—it is full of antioxidants that soothe and soften the skin—but it’s especially fun to use during Pumpkin Spice Season :)
Let serums work their magic
There is a lot to say about serums, but the main idea is that they are the most effective way to get certain nutrients into your skin that prevent and reverse signs of aging. Especially during the colder months, you want to make sure you’re getting that Vitamin C to reduce fine lines and brighten complexion, retinol to stimulate collagen production and decrease wrinkles, and ferulic acid to protect against free radicals that cause age spots.
Our Youth Serum and Vitamin CE Serum are must-haves for all seasons, but especially useful for maintaining a hydrated and youthful glow throughout cold months. Apply them twice per day after cleansing (and before the amazing moisturizer you picked out in the previous step!)
SPF is slightly lower priority
We can’t say it enough: sunscreen is an everyday skincare must, even when it’s not sunny out, and even when it’s downright overcast and cold. UV rays pass through clouds and even windows, so even days spent indoors should be spent wearing sunscreen.
That said, it is true that your SPF rating does not have to be quite as high during the winter. Anything above SPF 15 is ok; anything above SPF 30 is ideal. Our Oil-Free UV Defense is SPF 45, but there’s no bad outcome to using a higher rating. On weeks when your moisturizer is still not quite enough to keep your skin from drying out, our Hydrating UV Defense is there to help.
Glow Up now, thank us in the spring
One way to prevent skin damage from sun exposure is to maintain your tan—without tanning :)
We understand that you don’t want to see a ghost in the mirror in January, and that some of you worked hard for that sunkissed glow (while wearing sunscreen!!!) this summer.
Glow Up is the perfect solution for you: it is a hydrating, streak-free, odor-free tanning foam. Start applying now, use throughout the winter, and thank us when you’re ready to jump back into sundresses next Memorial Day!
A secret weapon: humidifiers
Fall and winter months are hard on your skin for several reasons: the air outside is dry, the air inside is even drier because of indoor heating, and your skin is experiencing severe changes in temperature when moving between the two.
All of this adds up to stripping the skin of both its moisture barrier and protective barrier. The results: dry skin and exposure of the epidermis to bacteria and free radicals. We don’t like either of those!
A major help in this area is to get your home a good humidifier. This will keep your space from becoming too dry both from outside air changes and from your home’s heating system. The one catch is you have to make sure to clean your humidifier once per week in order to avoid bacteria buildup in the machine—otherwise we’re not doing much to help with avoiding free radicals!
You are now equipped with everything you need to step up your fall skincare game. Now get out there and show off that hydrated, glowing skin all winter long!
