Does colder weather change your skincare routine?

It’s just dry and drioer here, so while it gets cooler, it doesn’t get that cold, and I’m certainly not outside for extended periods anyway… so not drastically. I sometimes will opt for more intense hydrators during the winter season.

— Christine

18 Comments

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Andrea Avatar

I only do stuff with vitamin A or glycolic acid during winter. I took a drug recently which made my skin extra sensitive to the sun so I’ll be taking extra care with sunscreen. I wear an hydrating cream with SPF50 and I put sunscreen on top (seems like overkill but I actually burnt my knees, got some sun spots were there weren’t any like my arms, and freckles on parts of my face that a mask won’t cover got waaay worse…). I’ll carry on the same during winter (it’s pretty mild where I live).
However, this winter my mission is to try and undo the damage to my face from the sun! So the attack plan also includes: buckets of sunscreen (Portugal is pretty sunny all year round), retinol and glycolic acid on alternate days. See whether that makes a difference. If it doesn’t I might look into other options. Tretinoin is looking like a very viable one at the moment. Has anyone had a (light) peeling done by a professional? Was it worth it?

Mariella Avatar

Oh yes…hot, humid summers with high UV index and bitterly cold winters with biting winds, blowing snow and indoor heating so you bet my skin care changes. In winter, if I’m going to be outside for any length of time when it’s cold, I opt for skin creams without water in them….Nivea, Ombra Melfett (I now have to buy another brand that smells a bit vile to me because the Ombra one is no longer available) or anything similar, since in the cold, water in moisturizers can apparently harm your skin.

Ana Maria Avatar

I did that mistake when I lived in Europe, with more harsh winters. I had more oily skin in my youth, I believed that gel water based lightweight moisturizers were the ones for me… but not during freezing temperatures. I was often getting cold burns on my face. Until a cosmetician advise me to use occlusive creams and balms if I want to protect my skin, I didn’t realized how much a water or gel based cream can harm.

Andrea Avatar

Aaahhhhh! Snow is lovely to look at but it does me in too! It turns my face red and those freezing cold winds just make my skin/lips dry as heck! When I went home, it was always boiling inside which isn’t that great for anyone’s skin or my eyes! And then there are the shops (which fit into its own little group!): usually piping hot inside which, when you’re dressed for Winter Armaggedon, is uncomfortable to say the least. I love snow but I’m not sure I miss living with it or falling on ice!

Lesley Avatar

I switch to a hydrating cleanser and a heavier moisturizer because once the heat goes on indoors, my normal to oily skin becomes normal to dry. I don’t control my heat and it is definitely too much. Using a humidifier is a must. Interestingly, wearing a mask outdoors all last winter kept my skin’s barrier in decent condition and I didn’t need a repair cream at all.

Lacey Avatar

I do the same thing Lesley! I’m in the mountains, with cold temps and some snow in winter. I really like using La Roche Posay double repair moisturizer mixed with a drop of Cover FX glow drops in Sunlight, to make my own luminous cream layered over serum, before tinted SPF 40. It’s gentle, doesn’t clog pores and I still get a nice dewy finish. 🙂

Lydia Avatar

Yes!! Summer is very humid and hot and winter can get very dry and cold. My skincare isn’t all that involved but I wear much more lip balm and much heavier moisturizers. This season I’m probably going to look for a nice facial oil to keep from getting dry and peel-y.

Ana Maria Avatar

I don’t tend to change anything depending on season, especially as I age and my skin is quite constant year round. I also love in California, dry climate, quite mild winters.

In the past I would switch to SPF 30 in the colder weather, but nowadays I stick to SPF 50 years round.
I don’t need extra moisturization in my skincare routine, but if it gets very cold and I go for an evening walk / run I will apply a thick moisturizer around my mouth and nose. Last year I was wearing masks, so I didn’t have to this do either. 😅 Sincerely, I might end up using face masks in colder temperatures even after the pandemic, it help me a lot with my skin and my sinuses.

Aeri Avatar

I was dry even in Florida – I used Aquaphor as an occlusive every night over emollient moisturizer and was just hydrated enough. Since moving to NYC I’ve had to ditch facewashing in the morning and just use a damp soft cloth and all a HA serum morning and night under my moisturizer, along with oil to top it off. I’ve had to switch to even more emollient moisturizers and more hydrating oils, do some layering and use a humidifier in the winter. Prior to living here I’d never had an issue with dryness in cold climates (Massachusetts in my childhood and four years of college in Iowa) but as I’ve gotten older I’ve gotten even dryer, so I had to switch body products too because for the first time ever I started itching. (Curel Anti Itch bodywash and lotion have been holy grails for that.)

Nina Avatar

I have oily skin and live in the Hudson Valley where it’s as humid as Miami for many months. In the winter the only thing that takes a beating dry and cracked wise are my hands. I have been using Clarins Hand and Nail Treatment Cream for almost 30 years. It works so I don’t try and find a cheaper dupe. For many years I loved the lemony smell, not so much anymore but it’s tolerable because it heals my skin.

Genevieve Avatar

It can get very cold and windy here in Melbourne town, especially in the outer East where Iive, close to the hills/mountains, so you do need lip balm, moisturiser for your hands and so on.
As for skincare, I keep to pretty much the same routine and might use a more heavy duty one at night.

Samanatha Avatar

Absolutely! As I got older my skin became drier so when the weather becomes cooler, I have to pay more attention to all day and night moisturization. I amp up my mask game during the autumn through winter season to ensure my skin is getting plenty of care. I usually get tired of hearing the “drink water” mantra – but I’ll tell yousomathing as I have gotten older, the water drinking has become my go to ALL YEAR ROUND. Its not just the skin on my face that I pay attention to – I also make sure to aim my moisturization routine fo all over my body. during the cooler months I use a heavier face and body moisturizer. My favorite go to for the past years for my face has been the L’occitanne Shea Butter moisturizer (the heavier one). I also start using face oils more (my go tos have been L’Occitanne Immortelle Divine oil and Youth to the People Superberry face oil). A little of these go a long way to help seal moisture into my face. For my body I love using the L’occitane Almond oil with whatever body lotion I am using. I also love to incorporate a good face serum (last year it was the Clarins Double Serum but this year I am using First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Hydrating Serum. I try not to use too many different products and once I settle on a routine of certain products, I stick to that for the season. (FYI, I find the spring and summer to be the best months to test out new products because my winter face is more sensitive.)

Helene Avatar

Most of my skincare is the same all year round. I do use lighter moisturizers in the summer and slightly heavier in the winter. The “normal” parts of my combination (oily – normal) gets a bit dry in the winter, the oily parts is still oily.
I use SPF 50 all year round.
We have four seasons here so we do have winter, we can get lots of snow and as I live by the ocean the wind can be quite brutal, I sometime feel odd as I love walking by the ocean when it’s really windy.

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