Winter weather can be particularly brutal when it comes to skincare – between dryness, cracking and flaking, your skin takes a beating in cold weather. And while we’ve shared various skincare tips with you, this month we’re taking a few minutes to share our best Winter skincare tips.
Hydrate your skin: Make sure you drink plenty of water and moisturize regularly – moisturize in the morning with clean skin following a shower, and then in the evening with clean skin before bedtime. Also, drinking a lot of water can help hydrate your skin from the inside out. We additionally recommend using a hydrating face mask – either cream-based or a sheet mask – that contains ingredients like Vitamin E, which can help keep your face toned and hydrated.
Use SPF: Most of us don’t associate using SPF during the winter months in the Midwest, but it’s important that you use a moisturizer or lotion that contains SPF (at least SPF 15 or 30), to help protect you against the sun when outdoors. Using SPF year-round, helps prevent the subtle damage being done to your skin even if it’s a cloudy or snowy day. For more info on the benefits of using SPF year-round, check-out our previous SPF blog post.
Lock In Moisture with an Oil: Facial oils have tons of nourishing benefits, but one that’s incredibly important, is that they can help trap that much-needed moisture in your skin. So we recommend applying a few drops of your favorite face oil over the top of your normal skincare products (like moistures) at night, to lock all of the moisture and natural skin oils.
Protect Your Lips: The skin on your lips is thin and loses its moister really easily, which can result in dry, chapped lips, and flaky skin. So it’s a good idea to always have a lip balm on-hand – in your purse, pocket, office, nightstand, bathroom, etc. so you can consistently moisturize your lips. Also, if possible, apply a lip mask each night to help seal-in moisture while you sleep so you wake with silky smooth lips.
Skipping Hot Showers: Hot showers may feel great but using hot or really hot water can actually remove natural oils in your skin, which as we learned in our previous tip, you need to keep your skin naturally hydrated. To counteract this, we don’t necessarily recommend taking an ice-cold shower in the middle of winter but using a more lukewarm tempered water is best to support your skin health.
Using Humidifiers: Heaters in your home can dry-out the circulating air; so having a humidifier in your bedroom or primary living space is an easy way to bring more hydration to your skin. They’re also great for to support lung health as well.
While all of these tips are great, so is treating yourself to a skincare spa treatment at our newly opened Stonedrift Spa! We have a ton of great skincare packages to suit your needs and would be happy to help consult on other skincare tips in-person. You can make an appointment by calling: 815.776.5772.
In the meantime, please be sure to check back here and on our website for more news coming out of Stonedrift Spa, including additional information about our relaxing steam rooms, breath & detox rooms, wellness classes, and more.
With warmth and wellness,
-Abbi Porter, Spa Director