How to Prep Your Skin for Winter
The end of September means it is time to kiss humid summer days behind and make room for the cold, dry days to come. Winter in Iowa can be brutal on your skin. Between the varying temperatures and intense wind, your skin puts up with a lot to get you through the cold. Help your skin out this winter and start preparing a solid routine now to get through the colder months.
Find a good moisturizer
Keeping your skin hydrated during frigid months is an essential part of any winter skin care routine. The outside world is not going to naturally help you maintain a glowing complexion during the winter, so you need to take matters into your own hands.
I personally use a CeraVe moisturizer at night and Neutrogena's SPF moisturizer in the mornings constantly during the winter. I have very oily skin and I still notice it drying out and becoming dull when winter hits.
Exfoliate
One way to ensure that your moisturizing isn't going to waste is exfoliating your skin to help it shake off any dead skin cells. Leaving build-up on your skin can prevent moisture from penetrating deep for a radiant glow.
When looking for exfoliating products you can choose between dry brushes, exfoliating cleansers, chemical exfoliants and an array of other physical exfoliants. My sister gifted me a dry brush set when she was in beauty school and I love using it to help clear up my face and reveal my healthy glow.
Stay hydrated
If lotions, creams and serums just aren't moisturizing your skin the way you want them to, it may be time to look inside for solutions. Even though you may not crave a cool glass of water the way you do in the summer, making sure you drink enough fluids is important to your overall skin health.
If you struggle to drink water, you can eat foods that have a lot of water in them or try flavored water to spice things up a bit.
Keep reaching for that sunscreen
Most of the people I know look at me as if I am insane when they see me applying sunscreen in the dead of winter. Even though it may feel like it, the sun does not stop shining during chilly months, so your sunscreen should not get shoved to the back of your bathroom drawer.
If you are heading out during the day, apply some sunscreen with your moisturizer (or use a two-in-one) to keep your skin hydrated and protected from UV rays. Bonus points if you pick a tinted SPF to reminisce about your summer glow.
Pick a go-to chapstick
I am totally guilty of neglecting my lips during the winter. Okay, maybe all year long. However, I picked up a few great chapsticks and keep them on rotation to do a better job at hydrating and protecting my lips.
Cracked lips can cause a lot of pain, and frankly aren't a great look. Hydrating your lips regularly can help them prepare for cold and dry days so that they can keep a plump look.
Let yourself have no-makeup days
Sometimes you do all that you can to help your skin make it through the disaster that is winter weather. If you find your skin flaking and itching no matter how much lotion you use, 1) maybe see a doctor, and 2) give your skin a break from unnecessary products.
Even if you have worries about braving the day with a bare face, it can do your skin a favor in the long run and allow irritated skin to heal quicker.