With temperatures dropping and a new wave of dry air sweeping over us, the heat will certainly be coming on in our homes. Skin can tend to get a little dry and flaky with that tight kind of feeling during this transition time, off-balancing the oils surfacing our skin and making make-up application a little less smooth. Winter is almost upon us and your skin care routine is screaming out for change. Here are some top tips to feed your skin exactly what its craving.
First and foremost, the majority of people will assume that all they need is a thicker moisturizer (essentially true), but application needs to be on point! Applying a thick lotion to a dry layer of skin, will ultimately prohibit the crucial lower layers of skin from fully absorbing all of that juicy hydration that it so desperately needs. The next time you wash your face, all of those nourishing ingredients will be washed right away! And so…
Timing is everything!
Make sure to apply your moisturizer after washing your face! You want to lock all of that moisture in makinc sure that your skin isn’t too wet allowing the lotion to slip off. Be sure to gently towel dry (with a soft flannel) before application, a slightly damp face is golden. You could also try steaming your face for a few minutes beforehand to really help open up your pores; this can be achieved in the shower or simply over a bowel of hot water.
Extra tip: Apply your moisturizer in upward strokes to help reverse the effects of gravity, gently massage the lotion in to increase the circulation and minimize puffiness.
Exfoliate!
Exfoliation is 100% necessary throughout the winter months to help shed that extra layer of dry skin, but try keeping it to a minimum to avoid over drying the face. This is especially important if you have sensitive skin, a couple of scrubs a week is plenty, just make sure that your exfoliator is suitable for your skin type! Applying your moisturizer after exfoliation will make for much better absorption.
Beauty Tools for that WOW Factor
If you want to get friendly with a beauty tool, now would be the perfect time to try some out. As your skin becomes drier in the winter months, you may notice little ‘lines of dehydration’. These small fault lines in the skin look like very fine wrinkles. These lines can form due to over exfoliating (or using the incorrect one for your skin) and also from the constant yo-yoing between hot and cold; indoors and outdoors during the cold season. Microdermabrasion tools can be used to get rid of any impurities on the skins surface and polish away that drab, dead outer layer of skin. The Silk’n Facetite anti-wrinkle treatment device can be effectively used to target and combat these lines. Using the Silk’n Facetite directly after a microdermabrasion treatment (or exfoliating) would lead to the absolute best results, as all of the pores are wide open with all of the dry skin removed. The Facetite can be used to help thicken and plump up the skin, ridding it of that dullness and any fine lines that the winter throws your way.
Get Creative with Face Masks
The cabinets in your kitchen contain endless combinations of ingredients for innovative and softening face masks! To name a few, you could try simply mashing an avocado and applying it to the face for 10-15 minutes. Or try mixing Malay/ fresh butter milk with a small pinch of turmeric and let sit on the face for 10 minutes for a softening anti-aging mask. Aloe Vera can also be used on the face acting as a wonderful moisturizer, relieving the face from dry and itchy skin making it soft as a baby’s bottom!
Don’t Skip out on Sunscreen!
The sun may be hiding behind those clouds but the deceptive barrier is not strong enough to prevent harmful UVA and UVB rays from shining through. Sunscreen application must not be skipped!!