the best skincare practices for winter

How To Create A Healthy Overall Winter Skincare Routine

This year went by super-fast and it feels like just yesterday I was writing last year’s article for winter and holidays. If this pandemic situation has taught me anything, it is the importance of having a healthy routine for our body — including skin and hair. As winter is upon us, let’s talk about winter skincare. With a few adjustments (and my guidance), you can create the best skincare routine for winter.

Eat right and keep it hydrated

Healthy skin comes from within, if you want to make your skin looking and feeling the best you need to keep it healthy by maintaining a healthy diet. In colder times, many of us forego the simple thing that makes our body hydrated — water. Replace the excess caffeine or sugary drinks with water or flavored water.

Switch your products and routine

Replace the water-based gels or lightweight moisturizers for thicker creams and oils. The dry and cold weather in North Dakota is a great opportunity to add oils in your beauty routine. If you have never tried face oil, start by using Josie Maran Argan Oil. It's lightweight, non-irritating and effective, and will convert you to an oil-user.

If you love taking long baths, now is the time to cut it short and incorporate bath oils into your routine. After the shower or bath use spray-in-oil or shea-butter salve and massage it well to seal the water into the skin. The warm bath and massage will help the product to get into your skin and leave it moisturized and hydrated.

Target specific body parts for specific treatments

FACE : Try using facial masks in winter. If your skin is clogged and looking dull, use a charcoal clay mask (L'Oreal Detox & Brighten Clay Mask). If your skin is dehydrated, use a gel or cream overnight mask. (Neutrogena and Ren have some great options.) If your skin is sensitive, use water-based sheet masks (Etude House sheet masks are my go-to).

LIP : Do you know there is a condition called "lick eczema"? The more you lick your sore lips the more it will aggravate the dryness. Use a formula that is free of fragrance, flavor and color for everyday use. You can use a lip scrub to get rid of dry flaky skin and finish it off with a lip balm. In this way your lips will be moisturized and juicy all winter long!

HANDS : Dry nails, torn cuticles and rough knuckles are signs of dehydration and not having enough moisturization. Use cuticle oil at night followed by a thick hand cream and Vaseline. Do this every single night. At daytime, use hand cream whenever you wash your hands or feel like your hands are getting dry. Aquaphor Healing Ointment is a great product for this.

FEET : Exfoliating frequently during the shower or doing a foot bath with some Epsom salt and bath oil helps our feet to get the necessary TLC they need. If you are suffering from cracked and flaky feet, foot-peels will be a game-changer. Patchology, Baby Foot have excellent products for your feet.

Adjust your environment

No, you cannot change the super-cold weather of our beloved city, but you can maintain a healthy and skin-friendly environment in your home. Add a humidifier and air purifier. Using a humidifier in your home or office will add moisture to dry winter air and help keep the skin hydrated. When we crank up the heat, it dries out our skin even more. So you can set the thermostat between 68 and 72 degrees to minimize skin dryness.

Don’t forget your scalp

Try massaging your scalp with coconut or almond oil weekly before your shampoo. Add a scalp detox product, e.g., Pacifica Rosemary Detox Scalp Scrub and use it once a week to get rid of dry flaky skin and avoid dandruff. Use deep conditioning masks every 10 days to keep your scalp and hair in the best condition.

Have you already started tweaking your beauty routine for winter? If not, start today. It’s not too late to start something good!

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT skincare and haircare, follow me on my Instagram @SifasCorner