Let’s be honest, winter is the most challenging season for skincare lovers and enthusiasts. Once the temperature drops, the heaters go up, the air is dryer than ever, and our skin struggles to overcome the inevitability of dry skin. Fortunately, for board-certified dermatologist, Dr. Lily Talakoub, cold weather is nothing but a bump in the road when you use the right products and follow a proper skincare routine. Here are her 4 tips and recommendations to aid in building your ultimate winter skincare routine!
As the temperature drops, the air in our environment gets drier causing the moisture from the top layer of our skin to evaporate more rapidly. Thus, leaving skin feeling and looking dry, chapped, and sensitive to certain products. Dr. Lily suggests using oil-based cleansers or beauty balms to avoid over stripping the skin of its natural oils, especially for acne-prone skin. She explains that “over stripping the skin with lathering washes or acid containing washes can cause the skin to breakout more because it will try to produce oils to rebalance the skin.” Another option she suggests is simply using a micellar water cleanser like the Bioderma Sensibio H20 to remove make-up and cleanse the skin.
Drunk Elephant’s Makeup-Melting Butter Cleanser and the Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser are some of our recommended cleansers to add to your winter skincare routine.
Depending on your skincare routine, what usually comes next is either a facial mask or a toner to address additional skin concerns of yours like dryness and clogged pores. When it comes to using toners during the winter, switching to a more hydrating and less harsh toner is vital to keeping your skin feeling healthy and refreshed. Because of this, Dr. Lily highly recommends you stay away from products with salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide because those ingredients tend to be harsher on dry winter skin. Instead, she says using a witch hazel or light glycolic acid toner for sensitive skin will help with hydration and controlling acne. For this concern, we suggest our go-to, The Comfort Zone Remedy Toner
For acne-prone skin, Dr. Lily recommends using a glycolic wipe after cleansing to unclog pores, gently exfoliate and prevent future breakouts, followed by a spot treatment to reduce sebum levels.
If you’re dealing with acne-prone, dry or sensitive skin during the winter season, it is important to pay attention to the type of products in your skincare routine. This means that reaching for your regular “acne” cleanser, charcoal exfoliator or heavy cream moisturizer may not be the best for your skin when it is already irritated by the cold and dry weather. For this concern, Dr. Lily suggests using a moisturizer that contains natural rosehip or marula oil like the Drunk Elephant Virgin Marula Facial Oil or a cream-based moisturizer like the Comfort Zone Hydramemory Cream Gel. She explains that using these kinds of products are vital to maintaining your skin’s moisture since “oils are naturally anti-inflammatory without being harsh on the skin.”
Forgetting to moisturize your lips should be the last of your worries this year. The winter weather is another reason, but now that our lips are constantly shielded by face masks, gives us even more reason to pay attention to the moisture on our lips. To effectively hydrate and smoothen your lips, use lip masks and gels that were made to lock-in moisture, nourish and soften the lips. We recommend using Patchology’s Soothing Lip Gels or Flashpatch hydrating lip gels for a quick remedy.
For a daily, on-the-go remedy, using a lip balm is one that we’re all very familiar with. However, contrary to popular belief, waxes in lip balms only give your lips a waxy barrier on the skin, leaving you feel glossy and moisturized without actually allowing any moisture to retain on your lips. Dr. Lily says that more than petroleum jelly and mineral oils, waxes in lip balms actually “create an almost addictive habit where you have to use them constantly to avoid feeling chapped.” To combat this, she recommends using Aquaphor as it is her favorite, but says that if redness occurs above the lip line, try a lip balm with 1% cortisone until the redness fades. As an alternative, she also loves PAW PAW ointment for the lips.
