Each season affects every skin type differently. Winter, however, is an exceptionally hard time for every type of skin. It’s a season where everything typically slows down. Showers are hot, baths are long and heaters are on high. And due to the low humidity, there is also more dryness in the air. For the skin, winter means that moisture is limited, circulation is decreased, and the cell renewal process is greatly reduced. The epidermal layer becomes tight and flaky, leaving our skin with no signs of a healthy glow. Without some tender loving and care, you might just get a huge build-up of dead skin cells and have cracked or chapped skin.

Generally speaking, dry skin gets the worst end of the deal during the winter season. What is already dry hits an extreme, and the struggle with dandruff becomes even more real. Though no matter which skin type you may have, these changes happen when winter is upon us, and our skincare regime must adapt. Just like our wardrobes change with the seasons, so must our bathroom shelves: out with the lightweight moisturisers and in with the heavy duty stuff. The ultimate goal: stopping our skin from weathering in winter.

Do you have any recommendations?
You betcha! The Amazingy HQ is stocked with all kinds of lotions and potions and the team is always eager to trial. Our most helpful tip is to find products which are not water-based. Instead look for oil or aloe-based, because they provide extra hydration.

Oily skin

Unlike in the warmer months, oily skin types will usually see an improvement in their skin as soon as it gets cold. The drop in temperature closes your pores and slows down oil production, making the skin appear less oily. Using oils on oily skin is the most effective way to get an overall balanced complexion. When you topically apply oils, it’s letting the body know that the skin doesn’t need to produce more. Eventually finding a balance.
Jojoba oil is closest in attributes to the type of oil the skin produces, and it’s also low reactive, meaning it is unlikely to aggravate the skin in anyway.

However, if you can splurge, invest in Votary’s Super Seed Facial Oil — you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the extra nourishment it provides, as well as the uplifting feeling it gives.

Dry skin

People with dry or dehydrated skin see and feel the effects the most during the cooler months, as the skin starts to tighten and sometimes even crack due to the weather. If you have this skin type, it’s best to cleanse your face at night, only rinsing in the morning. Cleansing more than once a day can lead to over-washing and damage the natural skin barrier. But the most important thing to remember is: moisturise, moisturise, moisturise!

Once the face is washed, that’s when you want to get moisturiser into your skin. Therapi’s Nourishing Honey Moisturiser with Rose Otto oil gives a deeply nourishing moisturisation that hydrates the skin. It’s vitamin-rich and contains rosehip oil and shea butter to promote softer, younger looking skin.

M Picaut also does a hydrating overnight mask. It contains hyaluronic acid to boost moisture retention and even won an award in Sweden for its effectiveness.

Combination skin

Combination skin can also have it pretty hard during the wintertime. The oily T-zone area will become less oily and balance itself out, but the ‘normal-dry’ areas around the cheeks will become even more dry.

The best way to go about tackling this mix is to get yourself a moisturiser with a lighter texture, avoiding heavy creams. Le Sérum Anti-Soif by Absolution is a gel-like substance which absorbs quickly, leaving a matte finish and giving a whole ton of hydration in return. It’s also been clinically proven to lock in moisture for up to 8 hours.

The Lips

One last note for an area of supple, soft skin that easily gets cracked and broken: the lips. It is important to provide extra moisture to the lips, especially if you are living in a more extreme climate. If you’re worried that the use of lip care products can become addictive, see our Beauty Myth Buster #1 on lip balm.
Abhati has a lip treatment, for instance, which is a velvety conditioner. It’s nourishing with a neutral smell. And doubles as something to tame the eyebrows — win!

The goal here is to have your skin looking its very best during the winter months, keeping it in optimal condition. If you can manage to keep this up until spring rolls around, the transition will be much less traumatic and thus far less damaging on your skin’s appearance. And in my opinion, it’s definitely worth the hassle.

Editor’s Note: For accuracy, this article was updated in January 2018. Originally published in December 2014.