Getting ready For winter skincare

[Debs]

We knew it wasn't going to last, didn't we? Along with the end of the sunny days is the inevitable end to that special glow our skin has. To replace the glow we have five months of dry, chapped skin to look forward to. So, how can we keep the dreaded dry skin at bay?



Getting ready
More than any other time of year, you really need to get your skin's natural moisture level boosted. This means drinking the required eight glasses of boring old water each and every day. Hydration is the key to keeping your skin in good nick during cold weather. Now, I am the first to admit that I have a hard time with the water thing. But you can get around the blandness by drinking hot water and lemon or herbal tea. Fruit juices are good too, but then you have to worry about the sugar. But we need to do it because wind, heating and the rapid extreme temperature changes of indoors to outdoors will rob your skin of valuable moisture more quickly than you can say Jack Frost.

The next thing you need to do is become very aware of your skin and how it feels after you have used whichever skincare products you use. For instance, if you are starting to feel taut after cleansing, get your product changed before it starts to strip your skin. Don't be tempted to use the last of your current bottle, or you may end up needing to buy a product just to deal with the specific problem. Instead, tuck the cleanser away until next season. It will be fine, as long as you keep it in a cool, dry place, so don't worry that you are going to waste it. Likewise, if you apply the same amount of moisturiser as usual and it doesn't seem to be cutting it, switch products. Most of us will just slap on another layer, and in some cases that will work as a temporary solution, but if you have a nearly full jar, you will simply be sailing through it when you could have saved it for next season and used it properly.

Lastly, keep an eye on your exfoliation product. This is an item that becomes very important at this time of year because it ensures that the moisture you apply reaches the skin that really needs it. If you leave the dead skin on the surface, it will work like a sponge and suck up everything you apply rather than benefiting the layers below. By sweeping away the dead cells, skin becomes brighter, the surface is smoother and, most importantly, the moisture gets to the living skin rather than the dead stuff. You can use whatever method you find most comfortable.

[Debs]

OK, you have done all of the above but your face still seems to feel tight and itchy and is getting a tad flaky. Let's get your skin a drink of water, but this time through the surface, which is far easier said than done. Invest in a hydrating mask of some description. When you pick up the product, the key word you are looking for is 'hydration'. Remember, there are two kinds of dryness: a lack of water and a lack of oil. If you are dehydrated, you need water. That is what most of us with normal to oily skin will experience during winter. If you are already dry, you will most likely need both hydration and nutrition. But you are not looking for a nourishing mask unless you have very dry skin. Some hydrating masks will be easier to use than others, and if you choose carefully, you can use it underneath your moisturiser as a quick fix as and when you need it. Nuxe Hydrating Mask For Face And Eyes and Sisley's HydraFlash Intense can both be used as a traditional mask, or you can apply a smaller amount underneath your normal moisturiser to boost the water level. It's fast and easy, plus you can do this on a daily basis to ensure that your skin's moisture level never drops. Others will need to be applied in a thicker layer and left on the skin for anywhere from three to 15 minutes, depending on the product. The excess is then removed. Almost all the mass-market or premium-brand companies make this sort of mask - which you would use once or twice a week - but a few really good ones are Estée Lauder So Moist (http://www.boots.com/brandrooms/lauder.jsp?productId=PROD1172&banner=905&creative=beauty), L'Oréal Hydra Fresh, Clinique Moisture Surge (http://www.boots.com/brandrooms/clinique.jsp?productId=PROD1214&banner=905&creative=beauty) and Kanebo 10-Minute Relaxing Mask.

[Debs]

Still dry?
If you have done all of this and still find that you just can't seem to make your skin comfortable, it could be that you need not only extra water in the skin, but additional nutrients as well. It may even be that your skin is changing and becoming drier in general. If this sounds as though it is a possibility, it might be time to rethink your skincare routine, particularly the moisturisation category. You might even want to go through the skincare selector (http://www.handbag.com/beauty/skincare/productselector) again and see if there has been a change in overall skin condition. But if you are going to switch to a heavier moisturiser, be careful to go one step at a time. The delivery systems have become so sophisticated that you can get a product to penetrate the skin whether you need it or not. If your skin is on the thin side, you may find that once a richer product has gone in, there is nothing for it to do. This can lead to bumps, millia (little white deposits under the skin) and breakouts. Dry skin with spots is a horrible combination to try and deal with, because you generally want to over-cleanse it and you will start a vicious circle.

Basically, if you have normal skin and need a slightly stronger product, switch to a normal-to-dry-skin moisturiser. Likewise if you are normal to dry, then go to a dry-skin product. One step at a time is the safest way to ensure there will be no side-effects created by the change. You will have no problem finding a product to quench your skin's thirst, regardless of what you are willing and able to spend on products. In the premium market there are some fantastic intensive hydrators for drier skin, such as Kanebo Immediate Moisture Power, Sisley Confort Extreme, , LaPrairie Cellular Time Release Cream, , Bobbi Brown Extra Moisture Balm and Helena Rubinstein Hydro Urgency. But in the mass market there are just as many, and lots of them utilise the same technologies as some of the premium products (see Beauty On A Budget). Some of the better ones are Garnier Synergie Fresh Quenching Moisturiser, Neutrogena Intensified Day Cream and, for very dry and sensitive skins, Neutrogena's Intensive Moisture Protective Day Cream SPF15 and Intensive Moisture Regenerating Night Cream. From L'Oréal there is Activ-Futur Day Cream SPF8 (with polyphenol anti-oxidants to give added protection) and Revitalift Day and Night Creams to give a firming boost. If your skin is thinning you could look at Garnier's Restoring Night Cream, and for undernourished skins, Simple Replenishing Rich Moisturiser.

[Debs]

Dry as a desert!
This is another problem entirely. No matter how much cream you apply, it is never enough. This may even be considered a medical condition that could be caused by age, hormonal imbalance and lack of natural oil production. Sadly, very few products can actually solve the problem; instead they only soothe the symptoms. And wouldn't a cure be far better? However, help is at hand. Skin is made from a combination of cholesterol, fatty acids and ceramides. Really, truly, honest-to-goodness dry skin has a deficiency of cholesterol. The only way to cure the problem on a long-term basis is to replace the missing cholesterol and there is only one product on the market that will do that. It is Extreme and is made by Osmotics. The product itself is quite stodgy, but once the skin recognises the ingredients, it will disappear faster than you can say 'dry skin be gone'! The clinical trials proved that Extreme can cure most dry skin in only 21 days by helping the skin to replace its natural barrier function.

The other barrier product is the infamous Crème de la Mer. The difference is that Crème de la Mer will become the barrier rather than help the skin to replace and maintain its own. It is a very good product if money is not really an object and its cult status speaks volumes. For mere mortals who have to stick to a budget, Elizabeth Arden's 8 Hour Cream is another cult favourite, as is Lancôme Nutrix (http://www.lancome.co.uk/_en/_gb/catalog/product1.aspx?prdcode=002012&categorycode=AXESkincare^F1_Moisturizers^F2_Moi_Dr ySkin&vname=name&RtlID=WELLBEING&banner=905&creative=beauty). If you want a neutral product that is more widely available and costs under a tenner, most chemists stock quite a range of intensive balm products, but you will find them in a different place from the daily skincare products. These are usually stocked with body and hand products, and can be used over the entire face or just on particularly dry patches. But be warned, they are rich and can be on the greasy side, so you need to leave time for them to be absorbed if you plan to apply make-up over the top. In this group you have good old E45, Eumobase Concentrated Rehydrator, Cetraben and Nivea's Intensive Moisturising Cream.


Get yourself started now and you could help avoid major problems later on in the winter. Once you have an extreme problem, it really is a struggle to try to get it sorted out. Plus, with all of those parties coming up, the last thing you want is to have to try to cover flaky skin with make-up. Whether you only occasionally experience dry patches or really suffer from dryness, an ounce of prevention is worth a gallon of cure!

[hazey]

Thanks for posting Debs, you get older and think you know it all, you have proved I didn't. Will be starting to sort my skin out now. :)

[Jade]

Winter skin, uhg not looking forward to it, well not looking forward to the winter full stop.

[Tori]

i'm not looking forward to winter either- its soo cold already. what will it be like in dcember??

[.:SpIcYsPy:.]

Snow :D

[hayley]

i like winter!
Good skincare tips!

[.:SpIcYsPy:.]

I just need to put moisturiser and wallah.. Im protected :rotfl:

[hayley]

I just need to put moisturiser and wallah.. Im protected :rotfl:
lol! me too!