Winter plays a cruel game with our skin. Dry skin. Chapped lips. And a suddenly lacklustre complexion. These are all part of the seasonal skin switch that happens as the days get shorter. But there is good news. A few minor tweaks, not an entirely new set of products, is all your skin needs to attain a gorgeous glow. The experts from Claire Hill shared some top tips to keep your skin glowing throughout Winter, and the rest of the year.
So I don’t need to change all my skincare products for Winter? No, not if you are using high-quality products. They should keep your skin in tip-top shape all year round. Your skin needs the same thing throughout the seasons – ingredients like hyaluronic acid to boost the water content in your skin cells significantly, and high-quality moisturising ingredients such as rosehip oil that prevent that precious hydration from evaporating through your skin. It’s as simple as that.
Do I need a specific eye product? Eye gel is essential all year round. The eye area is super delicate because it’s five to 10 times thinner than on the rest of your face, making it particularly prone to dryness. It also has no sebaceous (natural oil) glands, so it can’t naturally regenerate any lost moisture. While it’s tempting to slather on thicker creams over Winter, moisturising around eyes with a really rich product is counterproductive as firstly it’s too heavy for that delicate area, it can clog the skin, causing milia (small white lumps) and puffiness. You need a light gel that sinks in fast and hydrates with powerful ingredients that penetrate the deeper layers of the skin.
But what to do if my skin is drier during Winter? Layer up. Layering involves applying your skincare products in a particular order (this is good advice throughout the year!). The lighter product (think serum) should be applied first as it’s designed to penetrate your skin’s more profound levels. Then follow with a moisturiser that locks in the benefits of the serum and prevents the dry Winter air from sucking the much-needed hydration straight back out of your skin. If your skin does begin to feel tight, a few drops of light face oil over the top of your moisturiser will protect it against environmental aggressors to keep your skin feeling soft and your complexion glowing.
Can I use the same cleanser as in Summer? A good cleanser will serve you just as well in Winter as in the warmer months. Your best option is a cleansing pad soaked in micellar water – it will gently sweep away the daily grime without stripping the skin of its natural oils. You’ll not only remove every skerrick of makeup, but you’ll also give the skin a good boost of soothing, repairing antioxidants. If you find that new sunspots have popped up after summer, choose micellar water with a melanin modulating active, which directly targets brown spots and age spots.
What else can I do to prevent dry Winter skin? Tempting as it might be, don’t turn the heat up. Dry air will suck the moisture out of your skin, whether outside or under the blankets. Many Winter lifestyle habits can harm our skin. We spend less time outdoors (hello vitamin D!), we often avoid exercise, and we eat more decadent foods to boot. The effect is tangible … a sluggish inner equals a sluggish outer. Keep up your Summer routine – go for walks, drink plenty of water, and nourish your skin with the same gentle but effective products year-round, and you’ll cruise through a cold snap.
Will moisture keep crows feet at bay? Honestly, a good eye gel should do more than add moisture. The skin around your eyes also needs a decent vitamin A dose to help strengthen the skin and slow the breakdown of collagen and elastin (that’s what keeps your skin bouncy and stretchy). Retinol is the traditional form of vitamin A for skincare. Today, we now have much gentler, plant-based alternatives such as Stevie (from the stevia plant), which has the same skin-rejuvenating effect without causing any retinol-like irritation.
WPC Eye Complex is a gentle yet powerful corrective treatment to revitalise the delicate skin around your eyes. The youth-reviving actives in this luxuriously silky eye gel reduce puffiness and inflammation, lighten dark circles, and smooth away fine lines and wrinkles to reveal fresher, brighter, younger-looking eyes. R1865 from clairehill.co.za
