Winter skin care routine

The winter season is hard on a lot of us. Aside from having to deal with the drop in temperatures, and shorter daylight hours, there is also the bit about facing dry air conditions especially in the home as heating systems are cranked up. Cold and dry air becomes taxing; for some, the winter season is toughest on skin as it leads to dehydrated, cracked and itchy skin. 

From my personal experience, I’ve once suffered from seasonal eczema during the winter. It got so bad that often I was left with cracked bleeding skin that was extremely difficult to care for. And as a result this unfortunately led to unsightly scars and lots of pain.

A few years ago I knew that this is not how I wanted to experience winter, so a solid skincare routine had to be developed. As someone with combination skin it’s often difficult dealing with it because at times your skin may need the best of all worlds to help cater to its dry and oily nature. It took a few tweaks for me to figure out a solid skincare routine during the winter season. 

When it comes to treating combination skin during the winter it’s important to be flexible. Be open to using more than one skincare product to treat your skin, and be open to having more than one routine. My skincare routine to treat combination skin during the winter season combines a mix of creams, oils, exfoliants, and sometimes gels. Depending on the temperature for the day or week I may need to use one, some, or all products to work. 

Tips

• First, I bathe with warm water. I do not use cold or very hot water as that will remove the natural oils in my skin and contribute to my skin drying out even more. 
• While in the shower I cleanse my skin with a body wash that contains natural oils to help soothe my dry skin. This is especially necessary when I’m experiencing symptoms including itching. The goal is to clean skin without stripping it.
• Next, when needed, I use a sugar body scrub from my skincare brand, Skin Sezson (visit the website here at skinsezson.com). This is the best sugar scrub I’ve used because it not only exfoliates my skin by removing dry, flaky skin but it also moisturizes it once it’s rinsed clean thanks to its unique formulation that includes natural oils. Using exfoliants is important especially during the cooler season as it helps to remove the thick layer of dry skin to expose the layer that is ready to receive treatments (including cream and oils). If you’re not into sugar scrubs consider using a loofah, dry brush, or shower gloves to help promote the removal of dry skin.
• On days that I don’t require exfoliation (due to my combination skin), I then go straight into using body cream and/or body oil. On days that my skin is feeling extremely dry and tight I use both products straight out the shower. Using skincare products once you get out of the shower helps to keep skin moisturized and feeling hydrated faster and longer thanks to pores already being open.
• Adding an oil on top of the application of a body cream provides further protection to skin as oil is a strong barrier of protection.

The skincare routine that I follow varies based on the needs of my skin and how much attention it requires. Internally, of course during this time I also ensure that I’m following a healthy balanced diet, and am drinking a lot of water to ensure my hormones and overall health is taken care of. Try any of these tips and let me know how it goes. Cheers to glowing skin all year long!