Transition Your Skincare Routine For Winter With These Products
Just as you change out your clothes for the winter, it’s a good idea to also update your skincare routine for the colder, drier weather. The goal is to maintain a glow and avoid flaky, chapped skin if you can. That’s why we put together this guide in partnership with iHerb to help you find the best products for your winter skincare routine needs.
The following tips might seem like a typical skincare routine to some, and it could be if you have dry skin year-round, but it’s important to note a big difference in this routine is the focus on ceramides and lipids in your moisturizer to replenish your skin. Another big difference? You can layer more hydrating serums than you normally would without the worry of a heavy feel.
Double Cleanse
If you’ve been following Mixed Makeup for a while, then you know we’re all about the double cleanse. This involves a first cleanse to break down the makeup, sunscreen, dirt, and oil that accumulates on your face throughout the day. It’s followed by a second cleanse that whisks everything away, and gets your skin clean and prepared for all the other skincare goodies to follow.
While some prefer micellar water as their first cleanse, an oil or balm cleanser might be a better choice in the winter. This type of cleanser contains nourishing oils and emollients to gently break down makeup without stripping your skin. If you have acne-prone or oily skin, don’t be afraid of these types of cleansers – your second cleanse should remove any oil left behind.
Heimish All Clean Balm ($15) is great for all skin types, even sensitive skin. It starts off as a sorbet-like balm and melts into a silky oil as you massage it into your skin. It emulsifies beautifully as you add water and rinses away cleanly.
Another great choice is Banila Co. Clean It Zero Cleansing Balm ($19). It’s also an award winning favorite in our private Facebook group “Beauty Questions Answered by Mixed Makeup.” It contains vitamin C from acerola cherry and conditioners like Vitamin E to effectively remove makeup and SPF without stripping the skin.
For the second cleanse, choose cleansers with hydrating ingredients. CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser ($17) is a dermatologist-recommended cleanser that’s great for all skin types. It’s especially great for winter because it contains hyaluronic acid to hydrate the skin, along with ceramides to help restore and protect the skin barrier. Your skin barrier is a lot more vulnerable in the dry, winter weather, so ceramides are your skin’s best friend.
Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Cleansing Gel ($9) is a great choice for those who prefer gel cleansers because it contains hyaluronic acid to really hydrate your skin.
Exfoliate
Exfoliating your skin is important year round, but it’s especially important in the winter because you want to clear away dead skin cells and other debris to help your other skincare products penetrate better. A great ingredient to add to your winter skincare routine is the alpha-hydroxy acid (AHA) called lactic acid because it exfoliates and hydrates your skin at the same time.
Acure Resurfacing Inter-Gly-Lactic Peel Pads ($17) contain lactic acid as well as glycolic acid, another hydrating and exfoliating ingredient. These peel pads also contain hyaluronic acid, so you really get a boost of hydration while you exfoliate.
Another ingredient to have in your skincare routine is a retinoid. It’s a vitamin A derivative that helps speed up skin cell turnover (so your exfoliator can whisk dead skin cells away) and boost collagen production. Collagen is what keeps our skin plump and youthful, so it’s a must-have ingredient year-round.
A gentle retinol to begin with is CeraVe Skin Renewing Retinol Serum ($22). What makes this retinol serum a good choice is it contains ceramides. As mentioned above, ceramides help to protect and restore your skin barrier, so it’s essential when you’re using an active ingredient like retinol.
Hydrators
You might notice hydration is a big theme of this guide. The dry winter air tends to draw moisture away from your skin, so you need to replenish that hydration with humectants that hydrate your skin. (You also want to lock that hydration in, but we’ll get to that in just a bit.)
While most, if not all, skincare products out there contain hydrating ingredients, there are a few that really take hydration to the next level. One of our favorite ways to boost hydration is with hydrogel face masks. We prefer hydrogel to cloth or paper masks because they don’t dry out or potentially draw moisture out of your skin.
The Petitfée Gold & Snail Hydrogel Mask Pack ($17) are a fun way to hydrate your skin because they contain snail secretion filtrate (yes, snail slime). Snail secretion filtrate contains hyaluronic acid, glycoproteins, and even glycolic acid. All of which work together to hydrate your skin and boost collagen production. The mask is also gold, so you feel extra fancy while you wear it.
Another way to hydrate your skin is with essences. Essences are basically toner-serum hybrids. They often feel thicker than a toner, but thinner than a serum. We like Benton Fermentation Essence ($24) because it contains ceramides as well as galactomyces, a fermented ingredient that soothes the skin and, like ceramides, helps strengthen the skin barrier. It absorbs quickly into the skin and leaves your skin feeling soft and prepped for the next step.
A similar essence (and Mixed Makeup Facebook group award winner) is NEOGEN Real Ferment Micro Essence ($38). It contains a blend of fermented ingredients that work to hydrate and brighten your skin.
And of course, we can’t forget about serums. Some By Mi Galactomyces Pure Vitamin C Glow Serum ($18) is a great option to apply during the day because it contains vitamin C in addition to hydrating ingredients.
Moisturizers
As mentioned above, you need to lock in your hydrating products and you do that with moisturizers that contain occlusive ingredients. You want to go for thicker “creams” over “lotions” and “gels” to really protect your skin from the winter weather. This is also where you really want to look for products that contain ceramides to help repair and protect your skin barrier.
CeraVe Skin Renewing Night Cream ($22) is always a favorite amongst dermatologists and skincare enthusiasts. It contains ceramides as well as moisturizing ingredients like shea butter and dimethicone. It also has good ol’ hyaluronic acid as well as soothing niacinamide. Another cream that contains ceramides is COSRX Comfort Ceramide Cream ($26).
If your skin tends to get especially dry and red, then Cetaphil Redness Relieving Night Moisturizer ($14) is a great choice. It contains soothing and anti-inflammatory ingredients like niacinamide, allantoin, and panthenol.
Sunscreens
Sunscreen is an essential part of your skincare routine, even in the winter. Yes, those UV rays can still affect your skin and cause burns and aging sun damage. Look for sunscreens that contain those aforementioned hydrating and moisturizing ingredients. You can either double up on that moisture by applying over your moisturizer or use your sunscreen as your daytime moisture.
CeraVe AM Facial Moisturizing Lotion SPF 30 ($20) contains ceramides, hyaluronic acid, and niacinamide, so it has all those good ingredients your skin needs in the winter. It also provides broad-spectrum coverage as it contains both chemical and mineral sunscreen filters. If you’re looking for a mineral-only sunscreen option, then Neutrogena Healthy Defense Daily Moisturizer with Sunscreen SPF 50 ($16) is a great option.
If you’re worried about sunscreen leaving a white cast on your skin, then try NEOGEN Day-Light Protection Sunscreen SPF 50 ($30). It contains UV filters that are popular in Asian sunscreens that won’t leave behind a white cast. It also absorbs into the skin nicely and doesn’t feel greasy.
Lip Protection
Of course, this wouldn’t be a winter skincare guide if we didn’t include lip protection. Low humidity in the air combined with frequent lip-licking to combat the dry air create the perfect conditions for chapped lips. Turns out, your saliva can actually strip your lips of moisture causing them to become drier and drier. That’s where a lip balm comes in.
Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask ($18) has a special place in our hearts because it combines antioxidants with moisturizing ingredients like shea butter and murumuru seed butter. Plus, it comes in a variety of fun flavors like berry, apple lime, and mint chocolate. Keep this on your nightstand and don’t forget to thank us later.
During the day, we like to choose a lip balm with SPF protection. EOS Sunscreen Lip Balm SPF 30 ($4) contains moisturizing ingredients like aloe and shea butter as well as chemical UV filters. Plus, you can’t beat the affordable price point.
These are only a few of the great skincare and wellness products you can find at iHerb (sponsor). They offer a wide selection from a variety of brands from all around the world at a variety of price points – you can even pick up products from some of our favorite Korean and Japanese skincare brands!
What are your winter skincare tips? Tell us in the comments below.
