Winter Routine: Updating Your Skincare for the Cooler Months

Sophie Duvall

Winter can be harsh. The lower temperatures and fewer hours of sunlight take its toll on the body. To adapt, we change our clocks and update our wardrobes from floppy hats and summer dresses, to scarves and sweaters. But what about our skincare routine? Our skin is our greatest barrier from the outside world, and what it needs in July is very different from what it needs in January. Here are a few tips to update your regimen for the cooler months.

Layer

Layering your skincare products is something you should do year-round but especially during the cooler months when you may want to add a product or two into your rotation. Start with the lightest and clearest product, like a serum, and work your way up to the thickest, like a moisturizer and sunscreen.

Hydrate

Winter temps can dry out and irritate the skin. Adding a face oil to your morning routine can help lock in moisture for when you need it throughout the day. Harvested from the seeds of rose bushes, rose hip oil is packed with antioxidants, Vitamin A, and fatty acids that combine to not only moisturize but combat free radicals and pigmentation.

Rose Hip Seed Oil, The Ordinary.

It can be difficult to maintain that summer glow when it's snowing outside. Try incorporating a thicker moisturizer or sleeping mask at night to wake up radiant and ready to take on the day.

This mask from Glow Recipe, a natural Korean skincare line, is made with watermelon extract and peony root to soothe and brighten the skin. And yes, it smells like fresh watermelon.

Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask

After those exceptionally harsh winter days, try Confort Extrême by Sisley-Paris. Designed for sensitive, dry skin, this night cream has ingredients like shea butter and echinacea to restore and nourish the skin while you sleep.

Protect

Just because there are fewer hours of sunlight during the winter, doesn't mean that sunlight is any better for your skin. Even on days when it's overcast, the majority of the Sun's UV rays pass through clouds.

Use a sunscreen that doubles as a moisturizer so you can protect your skin while keeping it hydrated. This facial sunscreen from Elta MD includes transparent zinc oxide which protects from both photoaging UVA rays and cancerous UVB rays. Bonus: It's also tinted so you can use it for light coverage when you need to get out the door.