Beauty

Seasonal Skin Care

FOR COLD WEATHER

Written by Lindsey Marcella Owner of Salt of the Earth Skin

Just as we modify our clothing choices depending on the season, our skincare ritual also needs to be modified. What causes our skin to feel dry as we head into Autumn and Winter? To understand why, we must look at the root cause. When the weather cools and Earth tilts away from the sun, we tend to spend more time indoors in the dry air of our heaters. When we do go outdoors, the air here in North Idaho lacks the humidity necessary to keep our skin plump and hydrated. What can we do?

First, let’s talk about skincare and treatments. Our skin is designed to protect us by holding water in our tissues and naturally moisturizing itself by producing oil. Exfoliation services such as chemical peels and hydra-facial services, derma-planing, microdermabrasion, and even frequent exfoliation at home, all do more harm than good to our skin health. Removing the protective barrier leads to dry skin, ages our appearance faster, and can be the cause of acne breakouts. We want to make sure to nourish and feed our skin barrier and keep it intact at all times. Less is more when it comes to a skincare ritual. 3-5 products is all anyone should ever need, 3 being the basics, and 2 more specialty products if needed. Cleansing removes dirt, sweat, debris, and bacteria. Toning with a hydrosol or facial mist adds water to our skin tissues and acts as a vehicle for moisturizer to be carried to the layers of our skin that are lacking in hydration. Moisturizer improves skin hydration by boosting the naturally occurring components that make up our skin, and by providing a protective layer to keep water in. These steps should be performed twice a day, morning and night. If you still feel dry after your moisturizer, apply a facial oil as your last step to provide another layer of protection to prevent water loss. Lip care and a moisturizing eye cream or gel can be used during this time of year, to provide further hydration to these thinnest parts of our skin.

As for treatments and services, approaching the skin holistically will aid in far better results long term no matter what skin condition or issue you are trying to target. Stimulating circulation and lymph flow through facial massage, gua sha, facial cupping, and facial reflexology, all help our skin to function optimally and remove harmful toxins.

There are non-skincare related ways to care for your skin health in the colder months too. Invest in a good humidifier. This will add moisture back into the air, making your skin feel less dried out. Avoid hot water on the skin, as it leads to dryness and dehydration. Easier said than done when we’re craving warmth, so if you do expose your skin to hot water, blast yourself with cold water at the end of your shower. This helps to tighten connective tissue and stimulate adrenal hormones that activate the oil production that naturally moisturizes the skin. Finally, eat warm and moisturizing foods, think soup season! Warmth stimulates healthy digestion and aids in raising our core temperature to keep our body systems functioning well.

Skin health is bio-individual and needs to be approached internally and externally, and everyone’s needs are different. Save yourself time and money by visiting your licensed esthetician who has access to quality skincare and will know exactly what products and services will benefit your skin health most.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------Lindsey Marcella is a corneotherapist, licensed esthetician and owner of Salt of the Earth Skin.

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