LEAVING WINTER OUT IN THE COLD: Seasonal Skincare.
Nov 07, 2011 Posted by Corrie Shenigo
I’ve finally sobered up from last week’s candy binge. (Yes, I ate it all. Though I still stand behind my claim that I bought the aforementioned candy for the darling trick-or-treating tots.)
Me: It was for the kids! For the kids!
Inner-Logic: You live in LA. No sane parent let’s their kids trick-or-treat in LA.
Me: But the children! Think of the children!
I.L.: You weren’t even home that night.
Me: (blink, blink…) I hate your face.
Which means it’s time to saddle up and ride out to tackle another all-important seasonal skin topic. What’s that? I’m glad you asked!
Have you noticed that hot breeze blowing the cat hair-tumbleweeds out from under your bed? It’s called seasonal dry indoor heating, and while it does do wonders in the keeping you warm department, it’s also stealing the very soul from your skin.
Okay, not exactly your skin's soul. But if you don’t want your face to dry-out like a pair of cracked leathery cowboy chaps, you might think about switching up your skin-care routine to stave off a winter-weather dermis downfall.
I.L.: Zzz… sheesh! It took you a while to get to the point today, huh?
Me: I’m feeling verbose. Kindly shut your own face.
One of the biggest reasons the winter season wreaks havoc on your skin is our natural proclivity towards keeping warm. You know, those long, hot showers and baths. And while that’s all fine and good for your inners, the rising H2O temps are doing nothing for your outer. Before you put a toe in that near-boiling bubble bath you just drew, know this: Hot water can, in fact, be very drying to your skin. Opting for lukewarm water and shorter shower times is a great way to keep your moisture where it belongs, in your dermis.
Winter is also a terrific time to explore the wondrous powers of exfoliation. (Ooo… Ahh…) That magical process of scrubbing your skin from face to foot to remove dead skin cells and expose younger ones is a great way to go from a ghoulishly dry ‘before’ to a noticeably revived and supple ‘after’ – just like magic! Now. Now. Unplug that hand sander. Your skin is no place for power-tools or super-harsh scrubbing products. When it comes to exfoliating, gentler is better, sugar or soft little jojoba beads make for great scrubs, or make a date with your doctor for a light peel or laser procedure.
Next up on our winter-wellness checklist is that handy little product, moisturizer. Make sure you're using a moisturizer that can keep up with your skin’s schizophrenic ability to transform from dry, to oily, to combination, to overly dramatic and sensitive according to the weather. Summer’s heat tends to be more humid so a heavy moisturizer isn’t always necessary. But with the drop in fall/winter temps, (and on the heels of the tanning-abuse you’ve undoubtedly inflicted on your summer skin for which you should be ashamed), your dermis will likely fall prey to dehydration – so a moisturizer transition from light to hardcore heavy is probably a good idea.
Just because you’re wearing more clothing this time of year is no reason to put aside your daily routine of slathering on the SPF. No amount of winter cloud will keep you safe from the sun's wrath. I mean rays. So neglecting a daily broad-spectrum sunscreen application is like personally inviting the sun to come on in and do all the damage it wants to your delicate dermis. And to further steer you away from that perpetually bronzed Jersey Shore-look, you should know that UV rays and tanning beds contribute to 90% of premature aging. (Today's motto: When in doubt, elicit fear in your readers.) SPF. Everyday. Do it. Now.
And since I’m already being all-bossy and drunk-with-power, I’ll tell you what else you should be doing everyday to hydrate during these hibernation months. Eating plenty of fruits and veggies, exercising and upping your H20-intake is a great way to nourish the inners, making you look and feel fresh and youthfully supple on the outers. So, again. Do it. Now.
Me: It was for the kids! For the kids!
Inner-Logic: You live in LA. No sane parent let’s their kids trick-or-treat in LA.
Me: But the children! Think of the children!
I.L.: You weren’t even home that night.
Me: (blink, blink…) I hate your face.
Which means it’s time to saddle up and ride out to tackle another all-important seasonal skin topic. What’s that? I’m glad you asked!
Have you noticed that hot breeze blowing the cat hair-tumbleweeds out from under your bed? It’s called seasonal dry indoor heating, and while it does do wonders in the keeping you warm department, it’s also stealing the very soul from your skin.
Okay, not exactly your skin's soul. But if you don’t want your face to dry-out like a pair of cracked leathery cowboy chaps, you might think about switching up your skin-care routine to stave off a winter-weather dermis downfall.
I.L.: Zzz… sheesh! It took you a while to get to the point today, huh?
Me: I’m feeling verbose. Kindly shut your own face.
One of the biggest reasons the winter season wreaks havoc on your skin is our natural proclivity towards keeping warm. You know, those long, hot showers and baths. And while that’s all fine and good for your inners, the rising H2O temps are doing nothing for your outer. Before you put a toe in that near-boiling bubble bath you just drew, know this: Hot water can, in fact, be very drying to your skin. Opting for lukewarm water and shorter shower times is a great way to keep your moisture where it belongs, in your dermis.
Winter is also a terrific time to explore the wondrous powers of exfoliation. (Ooo… Ahh…) That magical process of scrubbing your skin from face to foot to remove dead skin cells and expose younger ones is a great way to go from a ghoulishly dry ‘before’ to a noticeably revived and supple ‘after’ – just like magic! Now. Now. Unplug that hand sander. Your skin is no place for power-tools or super-harsh scrubbing products. When it comes to exfoliating, gentler is better, sugar or soft little jojoba beads make for great scrubs, or make a date with your doctor for a light peel or laser procedure.
Next up on our winter-wellness checklist is that handy little product, moisturizer. Make sure you're using a moisturizer that can keep up with your skin’s schizophrenic ability to transform from dry, to oily, to combination, to overly dramatic and sensitive according to the weather. Summer’s heat tends to be more humid so a heavy moisturizer isn’t always necessary. But with the drop in fall/winter temps, (and on the heels of the tanning-abuse you’ve undoubtedly inflicted on your summer skin for which you should be ashamed), your dermis will likely fall prey to dehydration – so a moisturizer transition from light to hardcore heavy is probably a good idea.
Just because you’re wearing more clothing this time of year is no reason to put aside your daily routine of slathering on the SPF. No amount of winter cloud will keep you safe from the sun's wrath. I mean rays. So neglecting a daily broad-spectrum sunscreen application is like personally inviting the sun to come on in and do all the damage it wants to your delicate dermis. And to further steer you away from that perpetually bronzed Jersey Shore-look, you should know that UV rays and tanning beds contribute to 90% of premature aging. (Today's motto: When in doubt, elicit fear in your readers.) SPF. Everyday. Do it. Now.
And since I’m already being all-bossy and drunk-with-power, I’ll tell you what else you should be doing everyday to hydrate during these hibernation months. Eating plenty of fruits and veggies, exercising and upping your H20-intake is a great way to nourish the inners, making you look and feel fresh and youthfully supple on the outers. So, again. Do it. Now.