Throughout high school science, we were taught that skin is an imperative organ that performs many important functions. Your skin is the protective layer that shields your body from the external world; it combats temperature, humidity, dryness, sun, wind, snow, air pollutants and micro-organism. However, your facial skin is least protected from these outside irritants, which is why we see aging in our face and neck first. There’s a simple solution: Make sure to worship and protect your skin all year round! Winter is harsh on the skin, regardless of age; the air is cold and dry, sucking the moisture out of our skin. Moving from the frigid air to indoors, where there is forced hot air, humidity levels drop causing moisture loss. With winter around the corner, precautions need to be taken to keep your skin happy, healthy, and glowing.
5 easy steps to take this Winter:
1) Hydration is Key. Moisturizer or Face Oils?
Hydrating moisturizers are the way to go this winter season. Find yourself a light moisturizer that deeply penetrates the skin to hydrate and renew your skin! Look for products with Hyaluronic Acid, it helps your skin retain moisture and increase suppleness. May I recommend Veriphy’s Self-Absorbed? It’s deeply hydrating without feeling heavy or greasy and works to plump skin to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Face oils are great because they are typically high in actives, but they aren’t readily absorbed into the skin so we won’t get the deep hydration we need this season. However, face oils sit on the skin so it will give you a glow and act as a second barrier to protect against the frigid Canadian winds. I suggest adding a few drops of oil to your favourite moisturizer for the perfect combination.
2) Gentle Cleansing
Cleanse your skin! Skin takes a lot of environmental stress in the winter; your skin needs to be cleansed and taken care of! Use a fragrance-free gentle cleanser that repairs your moisture barrier and doesn’t strip it. Try Veriphy’s CTRL+ALT+DELTM Facial Cleanser! This silky cleanser hydrates and soothes your skin while reducing the appearance of unwanted skin redness and fine lines. It’s free from harsh sulfates but works to remove dirt, oil, and makeup. CTRL+ALT+DELTM contains Cannabis Sativa oil, an extract that aims to increase the skin’s fatty-acid content, which is imperative for your skin’s barrier function while it’s soothing, anti-inflammatory properties are ideal for calming down wind-burnt skin from the ski slopes this winter.
TIP: Don’t rub your face/skin dry! Pat dry with a gentle towel to avoid disrupting your skin’s protective barrier.
3) Keep Warm, Not Hot
As the weather gets colder, it’s tempting to take a steaming hot shower. Unfortunately, that hot water will dry out your skin’s moisture barrier resulting in the quick dehydration of your skin. Instead, use lukewarm water and follow up with a moisturizer.
4) Reduce Exfoliating
Cold weather dry’s out the skin, using harsh exfoliators are counter-productive. Micro-bead exfoliators, chemical peels, and abrasive scrubs disrupt and temporarily damage your skin’s protective barrier, causing your skin to lose moisture and dry out. Still want to gently exfoliate the skin without the damage? Use a facial serum containing a gentle AHA (Alpha hydroxy acid) and be sure to follow it with moisturizer! Veriphy’s Power Trip is a must-try, it has ingredients to exfoliate and soothe the skin! It contains lactic acid, a gentle but effective AHA, as well as an AHA Fruit blend to exfoliate and renew the skin. Combined with Arnica & Calendula Extracts to soothe and calm the skin. This lightweight formula is packed with active ingredients to penetrate deeply and provide maximum benefits.
5) Kissable lips
Don’t forget to keep a lip balm handy! Keep those lips hydrated and if you can, avoid drying lipsticks (put the Matte lipstick down for now). Find yourself a hydrating balm to moisturize your lips, maybe with a subtle colour tint to keep them looking healthy and flush!
TIP: Suffering from chapped lips this winter? Gently exfoliate your lips with a toothbrush and a sugar scrub to take off the dry peeled skin. Don’t forget to rehydrate them immediately after with a moisturizing lip balm!
Did we mention moisturizing is key? Because it is! Keep your skin happy, healthy and glowing this Holiday Season!