Keeping skin glowing as the weather gets colder

How to keep your skin glowing when the temperature drops

With the changing of the seasons from summer to fall, then fall to winter, you might notice your skin looking dull, or feeling tighter. It’s likely time to change up your skin care regime to help counter the impact of dry conditions of indoor heat and outdoor cold temperatures. No matter if you’re a snow bunny on the slopes, or a snuggle-by-the fire with some hot cocoa kind of person, making small changes to your skin care routine as the seasons change, can have a big impact to keep that glow going all year long. 

Switch to a cleansing oil 

Some cleansers can strip away the oils on your skin, leaving it feeling tight and dry. The oil cleansing method is a very effective alternative and is an easy switch for the drier months of winter and Calm Skin Cleansing Oil is such a lovely way to gently remove makeup and impurities, leaving skin clean, smooth & nourished. Instead of feeling tight, skin feels smooth and soft. 

Hydrate and treat

In addition to making sure you drink plenty of water to stay hydrated, adding moisture back in to your skin helps keep skin looking plump and subtle. Our Vitamin B Serum hydrates and is a great anti-aging treatment, helping visibly improve the appearance of large pores, uneven skin tone, hyper-pigmentation, and fine lines. 

One of the most refreshing ways to increase hydration and help combat dry air using a hydrating toning mist. Simply spray on anytime you feel dry and need some freshening. We love the way our Hydro Boost Toning Mist helps makeup look refreshed, and the neroli blossom scent makes it so very pleasant

Lock it in and glow with facial oil

A key addition for your winter skin regime is locking in the hydration by layering over a facial oil and locking in the moisture. we love what facial oil can do for skin and have created different formulas to address a variety of skin types and needs – even a facial oil for oily and acne-prone skin!  

Both the Azure and Brightening Facial Oils with natural and organic plant-based oils, will help hydrate, protect and nourish your skin, The Brightening Facial Oil is ideal for those who wish to add the antioxidant benefits of Vitamin C. We recommend this oil if you have melasma or any kind of sun damage as it helps brighten. Azure Facial Oil is great for virtually all types of skin, including helping balance oily and acne-prone skin.

Moisturizers

If your skin is still feeling tight and dry after serums and facial oils, incorporate a moisturizer, starting off with just a little at a time to avoid skin congestion. Our Vitamin Rich Marine Moisturizer is a great option for many skin types, especially if you want a “one and done” regime, rather than multiple products. Grape Acai Firming Moisturizer is rich and a little goes a long way. Packed with anti-aging peptides and antioxidants, it is great for mature and dry skin types.

No matter what you do to change up your winter skin care, remember to keep putting on your sunscreen. The sun is still powerful and sunscreen is still the number one anti-aging tactic.

Optional final touches to your winter skin care

Eyes

The skin around the eyes and the lips need more moisture during the winter. In the morning, apply the Hydro Firming Eye Serum for much-needed moisture and hydration. In the evening pat Night Bright Eye Balm gently around the delicate and thinner skin that surrounds the eye.

Want a next level tip? One of our favorite estheticians has this great tip…apply the Hydro Firming Eye Serum then layer the Night Bright Eye Balm over it for an intense eye “sleeping mask”. You’ll likely notice some improvement in the morning!

Lips

Lips are much more likely to get chapped, cracked and dry during the winter. Keep some Plump It Up Lip Balm on hand to keep them soft and moisturized. Formulated to actually help lips keep moisture locked in, giving them a plumper look, sets this lip treatment apart.

Rough lips? Here is an easy DIY lip scrub - mix one teaspoon of honey with two teaspoons of sugar. Gently massage the mixture on your lips. Leave on for a couple of minutes, removing with a warm washcloth. Apply lip balm.

Exfoliation

As we get older, our skin cells shed slower which gives the appearance of dull, flakey skin. Incorporating exfoliation treatments helps your skin look brighter and helps product absorb better.

Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHA) exfoliate the uppermost layers of skin and Glycolic Acid is the smallest and most highly soluble AHA, penetrating the uppermost layers of built-up skin to reveal the brighter skin beneath. Glycolic acid helps hydrate skin by helping it better hold its natural moisture. Skin looks smoother, complexion is brighter, and it even helps improve the appearance of fine lines! Try using our Pumpkin Enzyme Mask with Glycolic Acid once a week (make sure to use sunscreen, as AHAs increase sun sensitivity) and you will notice an improvement.

How do you change up your skin care regime for the winter months?

Pumpkin - a superfood for your face

Here in the Northwest, you can always tell when Fall arrives - leaves start changing color, the rain returns, and pumpkins are everywhere! You'll find pumpkin lattes at specialty coffee shops, in crackers, pancake mix, pastas and more at Trader Joes (thank you TJs for the gluten-free pumpkin offerings!), and on doorways and porches all over the neighborhood - both decoratively carved or left in their beautifully natural state.

Put some pumpkin on your plate

Not tried pumpkin beyond the traditional pie or spiced latte? Well, you are in luck! There are lots of recipes out there that help you get the most out of the many nutritional benefits of pumpkin, especially the skin benefits you can get from eating pumpkin (and its kin, winter squashes). Look for recipes that have low or no sugar, like this thai-style, vegan pumpkin soup recipe.

Skin benefits of pumpkin, a super, duper food:

• Alpha-carotene, beta-carotene and other carotenoids found in the bright orange pulp of pumpkins help defend your skin cells against oxidative damage and protect cells from free radical damage which leads to skin aging.

• Vitamin C in pumpkin helps combat free radical derived oxidative damage, helping promote collagen production over time for better tone and appearance.

• Minerals like potassium, manganese, magnesium, iron, copper and zinc can be especially beneficial for healthy skin. Zinc is an essential mineral for healthy skin and many people are believed to be deficient in it. Increasing your intake of zinc may help with acne problems.

• Folate, needed for red blood cell development and healthy circulation, helps improve skin circulation providing the oxygen and nutrients to increase cell growth, turnover and renewal.

Hey, there's some pumpkin on your face

Pumpkin has many skin benefits when you eat it and as a face mask treatment. Yes, pumpkin on your face...on purpose!

I love our Pumpkin Enzyme Mask with glycolic acid because it does a great job treating my skin when it looks dull and congested. The exfoliating enzymes in pumpkin, along with powerful, yet gentle glycolic acid, is excellent for revealing skin that looks smoother, radiant, and revitalized. Remember, while this mask may smell like pumpkin pie, it’s not for eating ‘-)

This mask, while appropriate for most skin types, except highly sensitive types, is an active one, and I recommend you patch test first. You'll feel a tingling sensation, which is normal, and you skin will be flushed afterwards for about 10 -20 minutes.  I usually apply this mask when traveling as it helps improve the look my skin, bringing back some of circulation after sitting for long periods of time on an airplane.

Key benefits to the Pumpkin Enzyme Mask:

• Pumpkin Fruit Purée – Loaded with skin beneficial nutrients, high in essential fatty acids and Vitamins A, C and E. Works to soften and soothe the skin and boost collagen production.

• Glycolic Acid – An alpha hydroxyl acid that rejuvenates skin with deep exfoliation, sloughing away old surface skin cells, and helping reduce the appearance of fine lines, irregular pigmentation and age spots and decreasing enlarged pores.

• Cinnamon, ginger, & nutmeg powder – These spices, frequently used in Ayurvedic medicine, have anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties, and help diminish acne to sun spots. Interestingly, nutmeg is a seed, not a nut!

• Vegan, nut-free, paraben-free, phthalate-free and gluten-free.

Tip: When my skin is feeling particularly dull and in need of deep cleaning and detoxing, I add Pumpkin Enzyme Mask to our Deep Clean Charcoal Mask and apply to cleansed skin. I remove with a washcloth after about 7-10 minutes, before mask dries completely. Then, I wipe a couple of cotton pads saturated with Hydro-Boost Toning Mist over my face to get any remaining bits of mask off and tone the skin for the next step. I usually apply Azure Facial Serum and finish with Hydro-Firming Eye Serum and Grape Acai Firming Moisturizer.

Happy Fall everyone!