Winter Skin Hydration

The worst mistake you can make with your skin in the cold winter months is to swap your moisturiser for face oils. Same goes for the body - oils and butters are not adequate moisturisers.

Now that we’ve got that cleared up….

In the winter, we lose moisture from our skin, some people more than others. Cold winds and a warm house, speed up the rate at which we lose water so the key thing to do is to maintain or increase hydration of the skin. We hydrate with water, that is why swapping to just an oil will frustrate your skin.

Moisturisers have water (aqua) and other types of humectants and ingredients that bind hydration to the skin and strengthen our moisture barrier to lessen water loss - hyaluronic acid, urea, glycerin, ceramides, essential fatty acids. More ingredients such as acetyl glucosamine, aloe vera, squalene and arnica for example can be added to boost hydration and sooth the skin.

So whatever you do this winter, don’t skip your moisturiser. If you need extra moisture, layer a hydrator serum or essence underneath your moisturiser. My favourite essence is Shiseido Treatment Softener Enriched, though Tatcha entered the chat with simply The Essence. Curel do a lovely and easily affordable one too called Moisture Facial Lotion Enrich (now called Hydrating Water Essence). Essences are products that hydrate, rebalance and boost the efficacy of other products you layer on top. You can easily just use a hyaluronic acid, but essences are just so beautiful and we deserve to use nice things, no?

By all means, you can use an oil. Sparingly! Apply over your moisturiser (not in place off) on the areas you experience more dryness. Any oil by Decleor is fabulous and will soothe and ground you. Zelens Powder D Oil has a great therapeutic effect on the skin with essential fatty acids, ceramides and Vitamin D to strengthen.

On the body - I’ve just discovered Necessaire Body Serum (very late I know) - it’s great for an extra moisture boost and soothing on any skin that has had any time of hair removal,  waxing, sugaring, shaving. Gentle enough for nether regions too!

Another area that I sometimes see people fall down on is continuing to use a cleanser that’s stripping their skin bone dry in winter. The effect is two fold, gradual loss is integrity in your skin barrier and encouraging your skin to produce more oil to compensate for its dryness. It helps to have a second gentler cleanser that you can interchange with. Cosmedix Benefit Clean is a go to for me and many of my in-clinic clients. But also Kate Somerville Goat Milk Cleanser is heavenly. It’s the equivalent of a warm chocolatey drip in front of a fire. It’s cocooning and settling even for troublesome skin.