WINTER ESSENTIALS FOR YOUR SKIN

Autumn seemed to drop in barely saying hello before the cold chill of winter seemed to arrive

prematurely and with bags packed, hoping for an extended stay. That might not be completely

accurate but it’s 2020 and everything’s shit, right? Well, it doesn’t have to be. Now is the perfect

time to get or remain healthy and we must not overlook the health of our skin. It is after all the

largest organ of the body. It is also the foundation of a beautiful makeup look. Winter can be

especially harsh on our skin so we have provided you with some tips on things to do (and to

avoid) to achieve optimal skin health and beauty.

Before we talk about what the cold, dry air does to our skin and what we can do to prevent it, we

must understand two things. The first is the skin’s barrier function. The skin is made up of three

layers. The deepest layer is called the hypodermis, the middle layer is known as the dermis and

the outer layer is the epidermis. The skin barrier is the outermost layer of the epidermis. It is composed of skin cells, lipids and natural moisturizing factors like amino and fatty acids. You can

think of your barrier like a shield for your skin, keeping all of the good stuff like hydration in while

protecting it from all of the environmental aggressors such as toxins and bacteria. It also regulates

the skin’s water balance. When our barrier becomes compromised, we experience increased

Transepidermal Water Loss, AKA TEWL. TEWL is the process of water passing from the dermis, to

the epidermis and evaporating from the skin’’s surface. To put it simply, cold or hot, dry air leads to

rough, flaky and dull skin. There are, however, lots of things we can do to help our skin stay soft,

smooth and glowing during these cold months.

1) Use a humidifier. A humidifier will replace moisture in the air that has been sucked out by

indoor heat. We love this one because you can choose warm or cool air and it is powerful

enough for a large bedroom or even living room.

2) Use skincare products containing a humectant such as hyaluronic acid. Humectants draw

water molecules from the atmosphere or the deeper layers of the skin and bind them to the

surface of the skin. Hyaluronic acid is found naturally in our skin but depletes over time. It

holds over a thousand times its weight in water which plumps the skin and improves

elasticity. All HA products are not created equal, however. Oftentimes, the molecule is too

large to deliver hydration deep into the layers of the skin. We love the Surge Hyaluronic

Booster from Cosmedix. This formula contains a blend of three forms of HA as well as

niacinamide(helps improve texture, tone and barrier function ) and kiwi fruit water(rich in

vitamin C). This is a highly effective serum which you would apply before your moisturizer

and sunscreen. We also love how quickly it absorbs and never leaves the skin feeling sticky

or greasy.

3) Indoor heating not only dries out your skin, it also dries out your mucus membranes leading

to dry, chapped lips. It is best to avoid wearing matte or long wear lip color in the winter as

they can contribute to dry and cracked lips. Opt for a gloss or creamy lip color instead. We

love the Ilia Balmy Gloss Tinted Lip Oil. It’s packed with hyaluronic acid and imparts a natural,

glossy sheen in a wash of color. It doesn’t feel at all sticky and has a natural, subtle ginger

vanilla scent.

4) Use Sunscreen. Yes,we said it. Use sunscreen everyday you plan on being outdoors, even in

the winter. Harmful UV rays can not only lead to skin cancer, they are also responsible for

about 90% of all wrinkles, according to the United States EPA. The earth’s ozone layer which

absorbs UV rays is actually at its thinnest during the winter and while there are less direct UV

rays in the winter, there is significant reflection of these rays which can still easily cause

wrinkles and aging skin. We love Cosmedix’s Peptide-Rich Defense, a moisturizer with broad

spectrum SPF 50 sunscreen. An SPF of 30 or above is recommended to block 97% of the

sun’s harmful UV rays. This lightweight moisturizer not only shields the skin from the sun, the

powerhouse peptides help to smooth the look of lines and wrinkles while the antioxidants

protect against free radical damage. We also love how this moisturizer and sunscreen does

not leave a white cast on the skin.

We hope you have found these tips helpful and we hope you will take these steps to protect and

nourish your skin during these cold winter months. Things are looking up after all and 2021 is just

around the corner.

Hashtag your posts

Love to #hashtag? Good news!

You can add tags (#vacation #dream #summer) throughout your posts to reach more people. Why hashtag? People can use your hashtags to search through content on your blog and find the content that matters to them. So go ahead and #hashtag away!