January 04, 2022
Winter Skincare Solutions for a Healthy Glow: Facial Oils, Ingredients and Masks, Oh My!
Your skin is like a mirror that reflects what is going on inside of your body. Is it sending out the right message? Chances are, your skin needs a little bit of TLC. With freezing temperatures and blustering winds swirling about, your complexion may have taken a toll this winter. No worries, with this guide we will have you looking fabulous again in no time.
Help make your skin silky-smooth and camera-ready with these eight key ingredients:
- Hyaluronic Acid
- Rosewater
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Argan Oil
- Lavender Oil
- Rose Hip Seed Oil
- Alpha Hydroxy Acid
- Alpha Lipoic Acid
Read on to learn how these eight magical ingredients can make your complexion radiant and healthy!
When it comes to cleansing your face, think of it as a ripe peach. You want to treat your face in such a way that it is delicate and sensitive. Use lukewarm water to massage the cleanser into your face. Particularly in the wintertime, avoid scrubbing your face with a washcloth every time you wash it. Your hands will do the trick just fine.
If you are on the search for the right facial cleanser for your winter weather regimen, be on the lookout for gentle cleansers that contain added moisturizers such as ceramides, hyaluronic acid or glycerin. Hyaluronic acid is particularly beneficial as it actually draws in and locks in moisture. Avoid cleansers that contain alcohol, artificial fragrances or chemicals. CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser is one example and Aveeno Absolutely Ageless Nourishing Cleanser is another.
Many people find themselves wondering if they really need to tone their skin or not. The answer is yes, you do! Particularly in the wintertime, toning your skin is important. This is because it provides a way to gently refresh your skin and remove any traces of dirt left behind after cleansing, without stripping your skin of its oils. Think of toner as what you need to do to prepare your skin for optimal moisturization.
If you have dry or sensitive skin, rose water should be your best friend for toning. More than just an uplifting fragrance, rose water delivers an abundance of hydration to the skin. It contains antioxidants and antibacterial properties that improve the skin’s barrier and hold in the skin’s hydration from within. It also eases redness and irritation caused by rosacea and sun exposure.
Do you have oily or acne-prone skin? You may want another of Mother Nature’s miracle workers, apple cider vinegar. When mixed with equal parts of water and swabbed on your skin with a cotton ball, apple cider vinegar is excellent for cleansing your face of unwanted bacteria that cause acne. Just be sure to avoid the eye area and prepare yourself for the smell that comes along with it.
Just because you won’t likely be heading to the beach, your skin will still be exposed to sunlight in the wintertime. This means you still will need to protect it by wearing sunscreen.
I know what you may be thinking. You may be wondering if wearing a combination of sunscreen, moisturizer and makeup on top of it is going to cause your skin to break out. The answer is no, provided that you choose the right skincare products.
Begin with the right sunscreen. An excellent choice is Supergoop!® Unseen Sunscreen SPF 40. It feels like silk when you put it on, is completely invisible and 100 percent non-greasy.
Do you love to use sheet masks as much as I do? There is something so soothing about taking a fresh sheet mask out of the package and laying it across my clean face. It’s like I can almost feel the gel-like ingredients soaking into my skin as I lay on my sofa and relax.
There is no golden rule about how often you should be using a hydrating mask. Once a week is good. Twice is also nice. Look for face masks or sheet masks that contain hydrating ingredients such as aloe, vitamin C, hyaluronic acid and green tea to name a few.
Don't forget to hydrate inside and out. Try True Lemon Fruit Infusions for the ultimate at-home spa experience.
When it comes to wintertime exfoliation, it can be a double-edged sword. Don’t exfoliate at all and you have a dry, flaky complexion. Exfoliate too much and your skin will actually become paradoxically drier as a result of it. Exfoliating once a week presents a nice balance for most people.
When choosing a facial exfoliant, you need to decide whether you want to go with a physical exfoliant or a chemical exfoliant. Here is the difference. A physical exfoliant is made of rough, gritty particles such as ground walnut or pumice. A chemical exfoliant is made of ingredients that work by dissolving the links that hold skin cells together. A chemical exfoliant is generally recommended by dermatologists as it doesn’t scratch your skin. It likely contains ingredients such as alpha-hydroxy acids.
One idea that you can do to give yourself an extra boost of moisture is to add a touch of argan oil underneath your chosen moisturizer. A natural sun protectant, argan oil contains a abundance of vitamin E. It won’t make you break out, as it is useful in treating acne. It also has proven anti-aging effects as a face oil for a healthy glow.
Another idea that you can do with your chosen moisturizer is to combine it with an essential oil. Simply add one or two drops of an essential oil to your moisturizer and put it on your face, avoiding your eye area. Here are a couple of essential oils you can try:|
- Lavender oil is a particularly good choice for those who have irritated skin or suffer from acne. It is also believed to help aid in the absorption of the ingredients of your moisturizer into your skin.
- Rosehip seed oil is another one to try. It contains vitamins A and C, as well as omega-6 fatty acids. It is excellent for increasing cell turnover, which is helpful in lightening dark spots, scars or skin discolorations.
In a perfect world, we would all eat a balanced diet, full of colorful fruits and vegetables. The truth is that most of us fall short of that goal. Because of this to have a healthy, glowing complexion, we must make sure that we nourish our bodies in alternate ways.
Fighting inflammation in our bodies is one of the most important ways we can keep our skin looking great. To do this, supplementation is sometimes necessary. Taking a standard antioxidant vitamin is helpful, however, there is one super antioxidant you may not have heard of that has particular benefits. Alpha-lipoic acid is 400 times stronger than vitamins C and E. It fights free radical damage and prevents inflammatory responses in the skin and body.
Let’s not forget the real fountain of youth for your skin: life-giving water. It is the only element that has the power to breathe life into your parched complexion. Inner hydration is the only thing that can bring your dry skin back into balance. No matter what you put on your skin, if it isn’t hydrated from within, it’s going to be missing that telltale glow that we all desire. True Lemon Unsweetened Wedge Replacements are a delicious, sugar-free way to lightly flavor your water.
Sources: “The Wrinkle Cure” Nicholas Perricone, M.D.
https://www.healthline.com/health/apple-cider-vinegar-for-face#uses
https://www.healthline.com/health/beauty-skin-care/is-rose-water-a-toner#takeaway
https://www.healthline.com/health/beauty-skin-care/face-wash-for-dry-skin
https://www.everydayhealth.com/beauty-pictures/oils-your-skin-will-love.aspx
https://www.healthline.com/health/argan-oil-for-skin#benefits-of-argan-oil-for-skin
More on Skin and Wellness