Skincare Routine for the Winter Months

Did you feel that chill in the air this morning?!  The cold temperatures are definitely around the corner, and some of us have already turned up the thermostat!  If you live in an area that tends to have a huge shift in weather conditions during the colder months, now is the perfect time to adjust your skin care routine and maintain your healthy skin!  

In addition to heavy layering--from head to toe-- here's my go to skincare routine for the winter months. 

• Heavier Moisturizer.  In New England, the colder months are wickedly dry and the forced heat pumped into our homes and offices tends to dry any moisture in the air.  For the face, I switch from a lotion to a cream for my everyday routine.  For the rest of the body, I ditch the lotion for body butter.  Of course, I personally love our body butter, which you can check out here.  With ingredients like Cocoa and Mango butter, Jojoba oil, and Vitamin E it's exactly what the skin needs during the dryer months. For best results, I recommend applying after exfoliating.  

• The Sun Is Still Out.  Although it gets pretty cold in New England, this isn't Seattle.  We get some beautiful clear blue skies.  Don't let the colder weather fool you, the sun can still cause damage.  I apply, and reapply, my sunscreen as needed and wear my baseball cap when spending extra time outside.    

• Up The Exfoliation Routine.  When we think exfoliation we tend to think of everywhere on our body, except our lips!  My lips are super dry in the winter and my lip balm has to work extra hard to make a difference.  I started to use a lip scrub in the morning and then follow up with a lip balm.  I have definitely noticed a difference!  The balm lasts longer and even without a lip balm my lips feel great.  Our lip scrubs are made with a vegan natural wax jelly base, organic cane sugar for easy exfoliation, and skin-loving ingredients like Vitamin E.

• Don't Forget The Eyes! The skin around our eyes is extremely thin and in the winter, that area can be especially affected by the harsh cold.  A dead giveaway that the area needs some extra love is that you may notice your makeup isn't as easy to apply in that area as it use to be.  If you don’t normally use an eye cream, winter is the time to do so, your skin will thank you! Look for eye creams with skin-loving ingredients like avocado oil and with peptides which will help with inflammation and irritation from the conditions.  

• Lower the Water Temperature in the Shower.  I know this may be counterintuitive and the last thing you may want on a cold day is a warm shower versus a hot one, but hot water will dry your skin.  For your hair, it can even make it brittle and vulnerable to breaking.  Wash your hair with lukewarm water and give it a cool rinse.