Update Your Skincare Routine For Autumn With These Top Dry Skin Essentials
Dry-skin season is upon us once again. Get ready to battle
a red, flaky face with skincare heroes and routine tips, guaranteed to make sure you come out on top.
It’s time folks: we are entering the dreaded dry-skin season. There is much to be excited for about autumn – Halloween! Pumpkin spice! New Strictly! – but with the onset of colder weather our skin is far from happy. Dramatic changes in temperature and aggressive central warming, plus everyday stress, pollution and sleep deprivation mixes together to make the ultimate recipe for sensitive, dry and reddened skin. Maybe you find your face feels tight? Or pink and enflamed? Flaky and itchy? Whichever way your skin reacts to the change in season, it’s not ideal, especially when all we want to do is sport new Autumn/Winter ’19 beauty trends.
Do not fear – before you start thinking that you’re stuck with a red face this autumn, there are a host of brilliant skincare products out there to combat just this. A rethink of your typical skincare routine is needed; it’s just like when we swap out our summer floaty dresses for knitted jumpers. This is not to say that you need to be using more products – overwhelming your skin is the worse thing you could do. Simple changes are key.
Below we’ve pulled together the top skin-care tips and best products to update your routine and combat cold-weather skin.
Go Fragrance Free
Fragrance is one of the main notable culprits for irritating sensitive skin, drying it out and causing that annoying redness. Key for transforming your skincare routine is to look for natural, fragrance-free products that are developed for sensitive skin. Our favourite natural beauty brands are Origins, The Body Shop, Sukin and Pai. The Ordinary, Evolve Beauty, Fresh, Pai and Green People.
Cleanse
Daily
Removing make up and cleansing thoroughly is key for sensitive, dry skin, especially when it comes to removing everyday grime and pollution. Don’t overdo it though – over-cleansing can lead to the breakdown of the skin’s natural barriers. Avoid cleansers that are too aggressive. We like gentle cleansers such as Fresh’s Soy Face Cleanser (£30), Clinique Extra Gentle Cleansing Foam (£19), Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cleanser (£16.50) and Origins A Perfect World Antioxidant Cleanser With White Tea (£25).
Gentle
Exfoliation
Removing dead skin with a mild exfoliant is super important. Avoid physical scrubs that can cause micro-tears in your skin and instead choose a chemical exfoliant like an AHA which is a lot gentler. The most common AHAs are glycolic acid and lactic acid.
Moisturise Like Crazy
Moisturisers are our hero products when it comes to autumn and winter. We advise adding a hyaluronic acid – a magnet that makes moisture to stick to your face – and a facial oil or serum rich in fatty acids to your routine. Double up with a thick, creamy moisturiser to reinforce your skin’s natural barriers. It’ll lock all the moisture that the acids bring into your skin.
September 11 2019 by Esther Newman