Changing with the Seasons - Winter Skin

As the balmy days of summer draw to a close and the crisp mornings and evenings of winter creep in, the temperatures drop, the wind picks up, and the humidity decreases. Our skin is forced to adjust to the changing environmental conditions, and this can be stressful for it!

It's no secret that during autumn and winter most people's skin becomes dry and flaky and that once dewy complexion of summer has now turned pasty, papery, and reptile-like.

So what can we do to counter-act the effects of winter conditions on our skin?

Just as we change our diets (mmm, hot soups and stews with buttery bread, please!) from summer to winter, we should alter our skin care products to suit the season and its effects. The day cream you use in summer may not cut it in winter, lacking the richer oils needed to keep skin supple and fresh. Also, more foods containing good oils should be increased in the diet in the winter months, along with increasing humidity in the home to replenish moisture loss from your skin.

Skincare

In autumn and winter, use a slightly richer day cream which contain high natural oil content such as almond, apricot, avocado, rosehip or jojoba oils. These are perfect for replenishing the natural oils in the skin and a preventing moisture loss.

In the evenings, a pure natural oil serum, like rosehip oil, used with your regular night cream will help increase elasticity and plump the skin, making sure you wake up with a radiant rather than papery complexion.

Changing to a non-soap cleanser will improve the skin's moisture content and again prevent the unnecessary removal of natural skin oils. A cleanser that is cream-based over a foaming cleanser may benefit those with particularly dry skin as it will clean your face of dirt and grime, but leave your natural oils intact.

For oily or combination skin a mild foaming or gel cleanser may be appropriate. Natural and organic formulations are always best as they do not contain strong detergents, which strip your skin of its protective barriers, and damage it.

Exfoliation is important in winter to remove the rapid build-up of old dry skin cells that clog your pores and to reveal your beautiful, fresh, new skin underneath. Exfoliating the whole body with a body mitten or brush is effective, or you can use a specific body scrub and massage it in during your shower.

If you take a bath please use some nourishing form of bath milk or oils, as baths (especially those drawn from town water rather than fresh rainwater supplies) can be extremely drying to the skin, resulting in itchiness and scaliness.

Remember to always follow baths and showers with a nourishing body butter or body oil!

For the delicate skin on your face use a gentle, fine scrub (which doesn't contain nut hulls – too harsh). If your skin is super-sensitive you may want to just lightly rub your face with a muslin face cloth. Doing this twice a week should be sufficient. Exfoliation also allows your cream or serum to penetrate your skin more effectively.

And sunscreen? Yes - we still need to apply our Soleo or sunscreen equivalent as UV damage is still prevalent in winter. If you don't like to use sunscreen, PLEASE wear a hat!

Don't forget those beautiful smackers. Your lips! They are surely tested in winter, so carry a moisturising lip balm at all times. One in every handbag. In the car. And your bedside drawer!

Superfoods

Water. Ok so technically not a food but comes in at number one on the list – again! It is so important to replenish vital water stores in the skin that the lack of winter humidity removes. So drink 1.5 to 2 litres of this precious liquid per day.

Salmon, tuna, flaxseeds, and macadamias. These are just some of the foods that contain omega 3. This nutrient will reduce skin inflammation and improve the moisture content within the cell wall, which will create a dewy winter glow.

Goji berries. Yes there has been much hype surrounding this Tibetan fruit but with good reason. They are high in vitamin C, a nutrient that is vital for skin cell renewal and repair and make a tasty healthy snack (you can even get them chocolate coated but trust me, they won't last long!)

Supplements

A good multi-vitamin, which contains vitamins A, D, E, will help improve skin tone and help repair damaged skin.

Supplementing with 3000mg of omega 3 oil or 3000mg of evening primrose oil a day is recommended to reduce flakiness and scaling.

Zinc supplementation is a good idea to support skin renewal and hair growth.

There are also supplements designed specifically to support the growth and structure of the skin and hair, which are readily available in health food shops.

So maintain that gorgeous skin of yours throughout the cold winter season by making these slight adjustments to your routine.

1. UP (oil content in products)
2. EXFOLIATE (that dry skin outta here!)
3. SOAK (with bath salts and oils)
4. SMEAR (on rich body butters and lip balms)
5. EAT (more good oils, nuts and drink lots of water)
6. WEAR (uggies and soft warm jarmies)
7. CURL (up with a mug of organic hot chocolate and a trashy mag, Ugly Betty or sudoku!)

Happy stew-eating season!

Janine is Bare Naked Beauty’s resident medical herbalist, nutritionist, and skin care specialist. She believes in the prescription of a balanced lifestyle for optimum health and beauty.

© Janine Emerson, 2007