Winter Skincare Concerns | Aesthetician Gives Advice

Feb 16

Winter Skin Care Concerns | Aesthetician Gives Advice

Hello and thank you for joining me! Today, I wanted to share some of my favourite skincare tips and products for addressing our winter skin woes. Here in Toronto, we are in the middle of winter and it feels like the forecast is calling for snow every other day! With the intense cold, winter winds, and indoor heating, our skin can really benefit from some extra TLC. Without further ado, lets jump into the skincare goodness!

What Could You Be Experiencing?

In winter, skin barrier function is very prone to skin conditions like dehydration and sensitization thanks to all of the environmental hurdles the season can throw at your skin. Between blistery winter air and central heating, your skin is much more prone to moisture loss, which leads to dehydration, which leads to compromised barrier function, and that can lead to skin sensitization. While your skin can bounce back once the weather warms up again, why would you want to suffer through an entire season when there are easy fixes to all your possible concerns?

Cleansing, Without Stripping

Cleanse is one of those skincare steps that’s non-negotiable; but is your cleanser helping or harming your skin right now? Though it can be tempting to use the same products year-round, it’s not necessarily beneficial for your skin. In the winter, my holy-grail cleanser for myself and top choice for helping to nourish your skin while removing daily grime is the La Roche-Posay Toleriane Dermo-Cleanser.

If you, like me, wear layers of sunscreen and/or makeup, a gentle cleanser might need a helping hand. For that I love Clinique’s Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm. A cleansing balm is often an oil-based product that you apply to your dry face with dry hands and then gently massage to help break up makeup and/or sunscreen. Follow up by massaging with water and watch the oil turn into a milky cream, before rinsing it off and taking all of the product you were wearing with it.

After your makeup and/or sunscreen is off we can procced with your normal cleanser to help gently cleanse your skin and prepare it for your following steps.

Nourishing Your Parched Skin

While cleansing is an essential step, it exposes your skin to trans-epidermal water loss, or water evaporating from the surface of the skin, adding insult to injury when trying to handle the environmental stress that your skin is already facing. To combat this, I like to layer three different types of hydration that work in tandem to nourish the skin and lock in moisture.

Immediate Hydration

To kick-start skin nourishment I suggest adding liquid hydration in way of a toner/essence/lotion. These light-weight formulas will give an initial burst of hydration to your skin, helping to moisten your skin and allow it drink up more moisture for the products you will layer on next. Currently I am loving Sana’s Extra Creamy Soy Milk Lotion in the evening and the Nature Republic Aloe Vera Toner (contains fragrance) for morning.

Moisturizing and Softening

Then I like to proceed with a hydrator that is heavier than a toner but thinner than my moisturizer. You could add in a hydrating serum like The Ordinary’s Buffet Serum, although I love Neutrogena’s Hydro Boost Gel Cream for Extra-Dry Skin – this variant is fragrance-free. This gel cream is like a big drink of water for the skin and it’s loaded with skin yummies like hyaluronic acid and glycerin, which are fabulous humectants that help to pull moisture into your skin; however, you need to lock the ingredient in with an occlusive ingredient.

If you are like me and feeling like your skin is thirsting for moisture this step might not be enough for you; but it can work to give a second layer of moisture an extra boost.

Forming a Barrier

For my final moisturizing step: a rich and creamy moisturizer! My absolute favourite is the Olay Regenerist family; if your skin is more on the oily side or you don’t like thicker formulas, you might love the CeraVe Moisturizing Cream. I am particularly fond of the Olay Regenerist Night Recovery Cream (rumour is it will soon be discontinued), however the range is filled with other lovely fragrance-free variants and there is also a new addition called the Olay Regenerist Ultra-Rich which looks promising if you have very dry skin.

Other Favourites

Two other products I would like to share are the CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion and the CeraVe Eye Repair Cream. The PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion is very similar to the brand’s Moisturizing Cream, however, the PM includes niacinamide and has a slightly thinner consistency. I should mention that niacinamide can sometimes cause a stinging sensation on the skin (usually the result of a compromised skin barrier), so I recommend doing a test patch first. CeraVe’s Eye Repair Cream is a product that I have always have on hand for times when I want something a little richer than my facial moisturizer, but don’t want to use a barrier cream; it’s also great if you want a dedicated eye cream.

Don’t Neglect the Rest of Your Body!

We often put all of our effort into our face, but neglect our bodies. I will admit, I was very guilt of this as I found most body moisturizers to feel thick and greasy; however, I’m happy to announce I have since found a few that work well and absorb quickly.

Before we jump into moisturizer let’s chat about cleansing. For body cleansing I love the Bioderma Atoderm Cleansing Oil; this product not only cleanses but it also leaves my skin feeling soft and supple.

After you have cleansed your body we need to moisturize; a few of my favourites are the CeraVe Moisturizing Cream, Eucerin Calming Daily Moisturizing Creme (great for itchy skin), and Vaseline’s Extremely Dry Skin (very occlusive). Sometimes, our body skin needs an extra boost of moisture and I like to layer the Neutrogena Hydro Boost Body Cream (fragrance-free) under my body moisturizer. Note: Neutrogena has released a new variant called Neutrogena Hydro Boost Night Gel Cream with Hyaluronic Acid, although I cannot find this on any Canadian website.

Exfoliation

Sometimes in winter your skin can look a little dull, so some exfoliation can help improve its appearance! Fun fact: Did you know the physical act of cleansing is a method of manual exfoliation? If you’re washing your face, you’re already exfoliating!

Face

That being said, sometimes a little extra boost is needed and for that I love The Inkey List PHA Toner. PHA or poly-hydroxy acids are a newer type of chemical exfoliant that work similar to alpha-hydroxy acid (AHA) – they work on the surface of our skin since they are water-soluble – however, the molecule size is larger, resulting in a much more gentle exfoliation. PHAs are also one of the few exfoliating acids that studies have shown to be safe for people with sensitive skin types as well as those with inflammatory skin conditions like rosacea.

Body

As above, your body needs the same love and attention when it comes to exfoliating! One of my favourites for body exfoliation is the CeraVe SA Renewing Cream for Rough and Bumpy Skin. This product is fabulous for those looking for a more streamlined routine as this exfoliant is also a wonderful moisturizer. The SA Renewing Cream has the 3% salicylic acid (BHA/beta-hydroxy acid) which is an oil-soluble ingredient that works inside of the pores to help exfoliation; it also includes ammonium lactate (mixture of lactic acid (AHA) and ammonium hydroxide which also has some exfoliation properties along with the benefit of act as humectant). So in short, this moisturizer will help to exfoliate your skin while adding in luxurious hydration.

Hands and Feet

Now that you are set for success with your face and body, we cannot neglect our hands and feet! I adore the Necessaire The Hand Cream and Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Hand Cream (fragrance-free). Necessaire’s hand cream is a gorgeous blend of peptides, vitamins, and omega fatty acids that soothes dry hands while absorbing astonishingly quicky. This hand cream has become a fixture next to my computer as I can apply as needed and not worry about greasy fingerprints on my keyboard.

On the other – ahem – hand, the Neutrogena is a much more emollient hand cream that leaves a slightly greasy feel; however, the feeling goes away quickly and this product lives on my bedside table.

Moving on to your feet, they need a lot more love than we give them… For footcare I love looking for products that contain urea which is a double-purpose ingredient as it helps to exfoliate and moisturize – say goodbye to annoying calluses!

One product that I fell madly in love with while I was taking my pedicure class in aesthetics school is the Footlogix Foam for Extra Dry Skin! This superstar contains urea which helps to exfoliate and hydrate, but this products mousse formulation absorbs quickly making it great for applying before you put on socks or shoes. The O’Keeffe’s Healthy Feet Exfoliating Foot Cream is more of your standard cream texture and this product contains urea along with lactic acid (AHA) creating both an exfoliating and hydrating foot cream. With this product having a thicker, more traditional cream texture, I think you might enjoy this product more at night; the only negative about this product is that it includes peppermint, so if you are avoiding fragrance or have a sensitivity then I would skip it.

Hair

When we think about winter beauty, it’s normal to overlook your hair. Now, I would like to preface this by saying these steps are not exclusive to winter, as I like to work these into my routine all year long. However, if you are struggling with your hair feeling more dry or frizzy during the cooler months, then you might also really enjoy these gorgeous products by Kérastase!

The first product I want to mention is their Specifique Masque Hydra Apaisant Hair Mask. This masque is design for those with more sensitive scalps and it’s wonderful hydrating both your hair and scalp. We often forget to think about our scalp when thinking about our skin care or hair care, but your scalp has similar needs to your facial skin, so give it a little love with a hydrating masque.

My other love from Kérastase is the Chronologiste Thermique Régénérant! This leave-in styling cream has a great mix of humectants, antioxidants, occlusives, and protective ingredients! A little goes a long way with this product; with my hair length, I will use just half a pump through damp hair. I was drawn to this product after first reading that it included tocopherol (vitamin E) and alteromonas ferment extract, which has some research showing UVB protection benefits! I will say with Kérastase being a luxury brand almost all of their products have the inclusion of fragrant ingredients, so if bothers you then I would skip them.

Sun Protection

Where would I be without SPF? Sunscreen is something that you might not think about applying in the winter because you’re not outside as much as you are in the summertime. Many people don’t think about the UVA that can come through your windows or reflect off the street during your daily commute. Honestly, it’s just good practice to make sunscreen application part of your daily skincare routine.

I love products with zinc oxide, which is a mineral filter – it not only has UVA/UVB protection, but it also has some very soothing properties. My favourite product with zinc oxide is the Coppertone Pure & Simple SPF 50. One downside to zinc oxide is that it is notorious for leaving that dreaded white cast on the skin. If a white cast is a concern for you then I suggest a sunscreen that combines chemical and mineral filters – my favourite is the La Roche-Posay Anthelios Dermo-Kids SPF 50+. This combination sunscreen has a mix of chemical filters and the mineral filter titanium oxide. As I have mentioned before, sunscreen is a bit of trial and error you sometimes have to try a few to find the one that you love!

Barrier Balms and Healing Products

Barrier balms are a family of products that act like a protective layer over your skin to really lock in moisture. These can also be beneficial if you are struggling with something like wind burn as they can provide a minor soothing effect.

These balms are also great to use in areas of high friction like the nose. I call attention to the nose as in winter you might find yourself blowing your nose more often and that can result in dryness and irritation. I like using these at the first sign of dryness around my nostrils as this will help buffer the friction. My personal favourite is CeraVe Healing Ointment as this not only includes petrolatum, which is an occlusive, but it also includes ceramides which will help to restore barrier function.

If you find yourself with an area that is especially irritated then I like to use something like the Avene Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream. This product has Avene’s famous thermal water, which has been linked to some soothing benefits, along with smoothing, soothing, and occlusive ingredients that pamper the skin.

I hope you found this helpful! Hopefully, if you are currently experiencing any of these winter skincare concerns, this post was able to address your concern and arm you with the knowledge to get a handle on it. If you want more help with building a basic skincare routine that will help restore your skin’s barrier function then check out my post, How To Build Your Skincare Routine.

Thank you for spending your time with me today!

Warm Wishes

Zack