With cold winds, dry air, and harsh weather conditions, winter presents a host of skincare challenges that leave our skin dry, flaky, irritated, and begging for moisture. Your skin deserves the absolute best of natural beauty and sustainable skincare solutions. To help you look your best, we’ve prepared the perfect winter skincare routine that pampers your skin.

While summer seems to inspire fun skincare experiments with brightening masks and detoxifying exfoliants, winter demands a more targeted, restorative approach. The dry air depletes natural moisturizing factors, slows cell turnover, and strips away essential ceramides that maintain the skin barrier.

Not to worry!

With a strategic winter regimen focused on restoring hydration, radiance, and skin barrier health, we can send lackluster skin packing. Read on for some tried-and-true tips for nourishing winter skin the natural way.

Understanding Winter Skin

The winter elements present a triple threat to our skin. For starters, dropping humidity levels sap moisture from the skin and compromise the integrity of the protective moisture barrier. As transepidermal water loss (i.e., water evaporating through the skin) accelerates, we experience inflammation, dryness, flakiness and even fine lines. 

Simultaneously, bitter winds deplete lipid reserves in the skin while cold temperatures constrict blood vessels and slow cell turnover. This leads to a buildup of dead cells that leave the skin looking dull. Finally, the decrease in sebum production together with changes to oil composition often translates to redness, sensitivity, breakouts and irritation during the winter months. 

Clearly, our skin needs an intervention! By implementing a proactive, restorative approach focused on gentle cleansing, deep hydration, exfoliation and protection, we can meet our skin’s unique winter needs and maintain a healthy, vibrant complexion all season long. 

Building Your Winter Skincare Routine

1. Cleansing

As the first step toward restoring winter skin, choose a non-stripping, creamy cleanser that won’t compromise your skin’s protective moisture barrier. Skip foaming cleansers in favor of nourishing oil or balm cleansers packed with skin-loving oils and butters like marula, avocado or shea.

For dry and sensitive skin types, I recommend double cleansing to ensure full makeup removal. Follow with a soothing micellar water or hydrating gel cleanser to avoid stripping the skin.

Those with oilier skin can alternate between a clarifying clay cleanser and a hydrating cream cleanser to thoroughly cleanse while still providing moisture.

2. Exfoliation

While harsh scrubs are off the table, gentle exfoliation once or twice per week buffs away dead skin cells to reveal fresh, glowing skin. Dry skin types should reach for lactic acid, an AHA derived from milk sugars that delivers powerful hydration alongside exfoliation.

Those with oily or combination skin will benefit more from BHAs like salicylic acid to keep pores clear while smoothing texture and improving radiance. Always follow with a hydrating serum and face oil afterwards to nourish newly exfoliated skin.

3. Toning

While often overlooked, toners prep skin for maximum nutrient absorption from subsequent products in your routine. Look for hydrating and skin-balancing botanical formulas.

After cleansing, sweep toner over the skin with a cotton round to restore pH, boost hydration and sustain ceramide levels to reinforce the moisture barrier.

4. Hydration

Counteract moisture loss by infusing your skin with hydration around the clock. Hyaluronic acid serums attract hydration into the skin for an immediate plumping effect. During the day, use antioxidant-rich facial oils packed with ceramides alongside a thick, nourishing moisturizer.

Overnight, give your skin an extra drink with a soothing overnight mask or sleeping mask. Those with dry skin should opt for petroleum-based products to seal in moisture.

5. Sun Protection

Don’t let gloomy winter days fool you into forgetting sun protection. UVA rays penetrate clouds to damage skin every day of the year. Guard against further moisture loss and hyperpigmentation by using a broad-spectrum sunscreen with at least SPF 30 before heading out the door.

For a truly sustainable approach, try mineral formulas with non-nano zinc oxide as the active ingredient.

 

Additional Tips and Tricks To Pamper Your Skin

1. Restore Moisture with a Humidifier

Running a humidifier overnight diffuses moisture back into dehydrated winter skin to restore suppleness and glow. This simple step makes a remarkable difference in smoothing fine lines and combating dry air.

2. Hydrate from the Inside Out

What you eat and drink directly impacts your skin, so be sure to stay hydrated and load up on skin-supporting vitamins and antioxidants. Strive for at least 1.8 liters of water daily plus moisture-rich foods like avocado, coconut water and fresh fruits and veggies.

Reach for vitamin E-rich plant oils along with vitamin C foods like citrus, bell peppers and broccoli to fend off dullness and inflammation. Don’t forget vitamin A-containing foods like carrots, pumpkin and spinach to promote faster cell turnover for glowing skin.

3. Stress Less

Easier said than done during the hectic holiday season! However unmanaged stress potentially increases inflammation to aggravate wintertime redness and sensitivity.

Carve out time to de-stress with habits like breathwork, meditation, yoga, journaling or aromatherapy to manage stress before it sabotages your skin barrier. Say no to unnecessary obligations, practice self-care and don’t forget to schedule in fun!

4. Beauty Sleep

Prioritize consistent sleep to allow your skin ample time for overnight repair and rejuvenation. Those restorative nighttime hours enable deeper penetration of your serums, masks and moisturizers too.

Develop a relaxing pre-bed routine by powering down devices, sipping chamomile tea, diffusing lavender essential oil or taking an Epsom salt bath.

5. Workout and Exercise

Along with promoting circulation, metabolism and lymphatic drainage for a natural glow, regular exercise regulates hormones, controls stress and improves sleep quality.

Just be sure to cleanse immediately after to remove sweat, bacteria and debris from pores. We recommend cleansing facial wipes or micellar water to refresh skin on the go.

6. Target Specific Issues

Personalize your winter routine even further by addressing unique skin needs. Facial oils with antibacterial, barrier-supporting hemp seed, moisture-binding rosehip or inflammation-fighting chia and marula target redness, flakes or breakouts.

Overnight masks pack an extra hydration punch while weekly clay masks soak up excess oils. For chapped lips, swap sticky glosses for nourishing balms with skin-conditioning butters, waxes and oils.

When shopping for winter skincare, always seek out consciously crafted clean beauty products that hydrate skin without harsh synthetics. Suspire offers a fabulous selection of natural, organic, cruelty-free and vegan skincare harnessing certified organic ingredients and plant actives.

With Suspire, you can trust these products to walk the walk when it comes to ethical, sustainable production.

This winter, defy lacklustre skin by customizing a targeted routine for your skin. Don’t neglect sun protection, proper diet, exercise and ample sleep to holistically nourish your skin.

Address issues like redness, dry patches and breakouts with facial oils and masks packed with therapeutic botanicals. Ultimately, embracing the season means implementing small luxuries like taking five minutes for a facial massage or relaxing with a hair mask that transforms winter wellness routines into enjoyable acts of self-care.

However you choose to care for your winter skin, we invite you to explore our thoughtfully curated collection of organic, vegan and responsibly produced skincare.