At times dryness, irritability and breakouts can feel like a guessing game – Diet? Hormones? Lack of sleep? Stress? Whilst they’re certainly factors, seasonal changes can also result in less-than-happy skin. But knowledge is power, so we’re giving you our how-to on protecting your skin: rain, hail and shine.
If you’re experiencing dry skin, we probably don’t need to tell you twice that winter calls for richer products and more TLC. You’ll have noticed that your skin becomes uncomfortable, redder and more prone to blotches and dry patches during the colder months. However, most skin types – even oily – will become dehydrated during winter.
It’s not all Mother Nature’s fault: our homes and offices are blasting heat for hours each day - literally sucking us dry. This is why the layering of an oil followed by a protective moisturiser is essential to lock in nourishment and minimise moisture loss.
A small humidifier in your home can work wonders, and even turning your home heating down just a few degrees can result in calmer skin (and reduced power usage!).
Autumn Skin Tips (for those of us ‘Down Under):
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Firstly, invest in a lush facial oil. This provides an intensive burst of nourishment plus some much-needed soothing armour – think Calendula, Sandalwood, Chamomile – to nurture and protect parched skin. You'll find these ultra soothing oils in our Daily Soother formulation.
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Secondly, don’t neglect your usual skincare routine. We get it – there’s a temptation to slacken off if your bathroom is freezing! However, no matter your skin-type, you should be enjoying the bliss of a warm compress cleanse twice daily and a mask weekly to minimise dead skin build-up. This provides the perfect canvas for a richer cream, a nourishing oil or a super-hydrating serum to best work their magic.
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Steer clear of granular scrubs containing fruit acids. Potentially irritating hydroxy acids and harsh scrubbing is the last thing your drier, dehydrated and overall more sensitive skin needs. Basically, be kind to your skin.
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Take a well-deserved break from sunscreen. Here's a controversial thought...Work indoors Monday to Friday? Don’t wear sunscreen during the winter - unless you work out-doors and live in a mild climate – ditch it. The sun plays a valuable role in helping the body synthesise Vitamin D, and our skin needs a holiday from all those chemical UV absorbers for at least one season out of four!
Spring Skin Tips (for Our Northern Hemisphere brothers & sisters):
Summer can be kinder to the skin in the northern climates, meaning the skin is more hydrated and therefore much happier, but there’s a common trap we often fall into - over-exfoliation!
A combination of congestion build-up from daily use of sunscreen and frequent perspiration often makes us turn to that granular scrub or fruit acid. But over-exfoliation is not the knight in shining armour here to save our clogged pores. Depending on what you are using to exfoliate, you are most likely removing healthy as well as dead skin, which carries the risk of not only sensitising your skin, but also creating pigmentation problems.
Skin is designed to protect us, but continuously compromising our natural protective barrier through over-exfoliation often results in increased sensitivity, patchy pigmentation, or both (definitely not a fairy-tale romance!).
Our number one tip to gently detoxify and prep your skin for the Spring months ahead is to introduce our award winning Signature Mineral Mask into your ritual. Even once weekly you'll notice a difference, but for the most impressive result use this mask 3 x times in one week. Say hello to a refined and softened complexion!
@yuni_ladyday2, @jtylernix, @varesepoiss and @mintaart
