Fall is in the air! The foliage is starting to change, and the air starts to feel cooler here in southern NH. As the cooler weather moves in, humidity drops and the air gets drier, you may begin to see this show up on your skin as dryness and even some inflammation. Once the heat gets turned on in our homes it will become even more challenging.
When you think about it, this makes sense. Your skin is your largest organ and the only organ that gets exposed to the environment, so it is a good idea to get ahead of the changes
As the seasons change so should your skin care. Here are a few minor tweaks to get your hydration back:
- Gentle Cleansers
I love Beautycounters’s Lipid Defense Cleansing Oil. It has an oil base for cleansing but turns into an emulsion when you rinse with water. It is easy to remove from your skin with water but leaves your skin very hydrated. It was a game changer for me when I started to use the Countertime line.
- Add Hyaluronic Acid
Add hyaluronic acid to your routine. It’s a humectant that will draw moisture from the air to your skin to help you stay hydrated. If you don’t currently use a serum in your skin care routine, now is a great time to start. I love these three serums in the Beautycounter line because they each contain hyaluronic acid. My personal best favorite as the weather changes is Countertime Tripepetide Radiance Serum. Not only does is contain hyaluronic acid, but it is loaded with tripeptides that improve the firmness and elasticity of your skin. It’s a great choice for dry aging skin.
Countermatch Intense Moisture Serum is a great choice normal skin. Along with humectants like hyaluronic acid, it contains squalane from olives and plum oil which is loaded with omega 3 acids that are great for maintaining the skin’s protective barrier which is hugely important as the seasons change.
Lastly, Allbright C Serum is loaded with 2 different types of vitamin C which protects from sun damage, reduces dark spots and supports the collagen in your skin. This serum also contains camu camu and turmeric to stop dark spots in their tracks. Though it does help create dewiness, vitamin C can be somewhat drying during the cool months so go easy on it. I like to alternate between the radiance serum and the c serum during the winter months with an emphasis on the radiance serum.
- Upgrade Your Moisturizer
It might be time to say goodbye to your gel moisturizers until the weather warms up a bit. Heftier hydrators are needed right now that are chock full of healthy fatty acids to protect the skin barrier.
My personal favorites are Countertime Soft Antioxidant Cream for day and Supreme Cream for night. I love their hydrating effects and they are also great for dry aging skin.
If your skin is normal, Countermatch Adaptive Moisture Lotion for day and Sleep Recovery Cream for a night cream are both great choices.
- Add an oil to your routine.
This will help with hydration and to protect your skin barrier which is very delicate as we move into the winter months. Beautycounter has several to choose from and my personal favorite is Counter + Plumping Oil. Just hold the dropper over your hand and dole out 5 drops. Rub your hands together and lightly press the oil into your face. Use any leftovers on your cuticles
- Exfoliate
But not too much. When you exfoliate it removes the dead skin layer which protects from dehydration so if you exfoliate too aggressively it may make your skin drier. Over doing it on the exfoliating can also cause tiny cracks in the protective skin barrier which causes dehydration and inflammation. So you want to be using a gentle exfoliant at this time of year and the Overnight Resurfacing Peel is perfect choice. Exfoliation does help you to get your glow on. Just make sure you are using gentle products and heavier moisturizing creams.
- Hydrate
Practicing good hydration can have many effects on improving your wellness and better hydrated skin is one of them.
Try making it a goal to drink half your body weight in ounces of water. For example, if you weigh 150 pound, 75 ounces is a great goal. If you haven’t been doing that, give yourself some interim goals to get there. You might like to check out this blog article:
Other great practices to get your glow on are practices that increase your circulation like massage (both face and body) and exercise.