The change of season has a dramatic impact on your skin’s behaviour. In winter skin is drier, itchier and flaky. Because of this extra sensitivity in the colder months, you need to take extra care of the skin and hydration is key to keep it healthy and preventing damage. Look for products that keep you highly hydrated and nourished more than anything else.
Below, Perth’s leading Facial Therapist Barbara Cavalli shares the swaps she makes for the winter.
LIPCARE
The outer layer of your lips is thinner than the rest of your skin, so in winter they are hard to keep hydrated, therefore they dry out and crack easily. They need an external protective layer to keep the moisture in and this is where lip balms and ointments come in handy. Keep them hydrated and protected using a balm rich in vitamins and fatty acids that nourish, condition and soften lips.
In store you’ll find a wide range of really good lip products, but my absolute favourite is the Pawpaw Nectar by Feel Good Inc. The ingredients are natural and safe and this product is an amazing ‘all rounder’. It’s good for lips, sunburn, rash, minor burns and is good at softening any dry patches. Love it!
MOISTURISER
Every time you cleanse, take your make-up off or exfoliate your skin, you are breaking the protective barrier at the very top layer of the skin (formed by oil and sweat). Its function is to protect our skin like a shield from external factors that would otherwise cause infections and irritations. For this reason it is vital to use a moisturiser everyday (am and pm) to replenish this barrier.
In winter the hydration from your skin will evaporate quicker by the dry air, so you should switch your light moisturiser to a richer, more nourishing one that will help to restore the protective barrier and help lock in your natural hydration as well as any serum you have already applied.
My personal favourite and top recommendation is The Ordinary’s Natural Moisturising Factors + HA. It contains hyaluronic acid to provide hydration and urea to treat dryness and itchiness. It’s also a good solution also for teens and men as there’s no floral scent.
Another very good, richer and luxurious is & Coco Bliss Intensive Repair by Edible Beauty. It’s made from cocoa butter, which contains nourishing fatty acids and vitamins B, C & E to deeply moisturise and protect the skin barrier.
CLEANSER
Assuming you are washing your face day and night to sweep away surface impurities and remove make-up, then you are making your skin more susceptible to sensitivity. You might want to look for a cleanser that is very gentle but richer in texture and more emollient like an oil or a milk cleanser. This will leave your skin feeling fresher, more balanced and well hydrated.
If you are experiencing tightness right after cleansing (especially around the hairline), that’s definitely a sign you need something more nourishing and delicate. I recommend the Oil Cleansing Method by MooGoo and Edible Beauty’s No.1 Belle Frais Cleansing Milk.
SERUMS
If you’re in love with your daily moisturiser or don’t like the feeling of something thicker on your skin, then opt for a more potent serum to apply underneath. I always recommend a serum to be your holy grail product. It’s the one you can pu
t all your hopes into!
Serums, more than anything else, play an essential role in your skincare. They are amazing cocktails of active ingredients created to target many skin concerns. Their formulation is designed to penetrate deeper into the skin and assist its health. They promote a smoother, plumper, brighter, firmer and more radiant appearance.
One of the most effective ways to boost your hydration through serums is choosing products that contain hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid is a carbohydrate that holds water up to 1000 times its own weight. Make sure you use one that works on different layers of the skin for deep and long-lasting hydration. NIOD’s MMHA or The Ordinary’s Hyaluronic acid 2% + B5 both work well, although the former’s high price point is justified by its complex hyaluronic formulation that penetrates multiple layers of the skin. I’ve also recently fallen in love with Edible Beauty’s entire serum range – yes, every single one of them!
FACEMASKS
Another very effective way to instantly boost your hydration is through face masks. They are packed with active ingredients for an immediate dose of hydration. They brighten, restore and give you a silky soft and radiant complexion. During this time I like the ‘leave-on’ masks that you apply before bed and wake up with a radiant and rested complexion the next morning.
They come in forms such as sheets, creams and hydro-gels, so pick your favourite and enjoy all the benefits of a face mask while drinking a cup of tea and watching something on TV. Some of my all time favourite masks are & Sleeping Beauty Purifying Mousse and Express Bloom of Youth Infusion Mask by Edible Beauty, and Orgaid‘s range of organic sheet masks.
SUNSCREEN
Do I need to wear sunscreen in winter? YES. The sun ages our skin through the UVA rays all year round and photo-aging is probably one of the worst issues that we face. It causes sagging, hyper-pigmentation, melasma and wrinkles. It is by far one of the worst things for our skin. Sunscreen protects our skin not only from ageing, but from burns that can be deadly in the future. My recommendation is We Are Feel Good Inc.’s Sensitive Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50+. I particularly love this one because it doesn’t cause break out, it’s very gentle even on the most sensitive skin, and it works so well as a make-up base too.
—
Barbara Cavalli is a Perth-based facial therapist who believes in a holistic approach to beauty and health. She works from her private clinic in Northbridge, which has recently been featured on the Urban List.
For personalised skincare tips, click here.
You can shop the products Barbara has recommended in store, or online subject to availability.
