Natural Skincare for the Changing Season

As the weather gets colder, our skincare requirements change, and, especially in the UK, we need a lot more moisture to keep our skin healthy. Harsh conditions, hot showers and central heating can all leave our skin dry or dehydrated and contribute to a dull, lacklustre complexion. Dehydrated skin is a common complaint, with many people mistaking dehydration for dryness.

With dry or dehydrated skin, it’s important to not strip the skin of its natural oils, so using a cleansing cream or balm such as Balm Balm cleansing balm is a good place to start. Even if you suffer with oily or combination skin, you still need oil and moisture to hydrate and plump the skin.

Using a slightly heavier moisturiser than you would in the summer is advisable, but if, like me, you suffer with an oily T-zone, use a mattifying lotion or primer under your moisturiser to avoid shininess. Funny Bee Smile and Play moisturiser is a rich, nourishing organic lotion which will hydrate your skin without feeling greasy. For the T-Zone, I like Neals Yard Remedies Palmarosa Mattifying lotion which stops any oiliness in its tracks.

At night, try using a facial oil 3 times a week, as this will really help to hydrate the skin and will give almost a mini facial effect. Again, don’t be afraid if you have oily skin, you can fight oil with oil! Just choose a lighter oil, such as Balm Balm’s Frankincense Facial Oil. Use a hydrating mask once a week, and try to get quality sleep. Earth’s Kiss have some fantastic face masks, for just £1.99 for a sachet.

Don’t neglect your body! During the summer, we tend to moisturise our bodies more, be it with sunscreen when we are out in the sun, or just taking more care of our skin as more of it is on display. But come the winter, we tend to be covered up, and the moisturising regime can slide. For really dry areas, such as hands, feet, elbows and shins, try Weleda Skin Food, a supermodel’s favourite skin replenisher that’s had the same formulation since 1926. Everywhere else, Skin Blossom’s Moisturising Body Lotion is organic, affordable and easily absorbed.

What do YOU think?

And finally… I have always been advised to use sunscreen on the face, even during the winter months. Just because the sun isn’t shining this doesn’t mean that there aren’t any UVA and UVB rays. However… Some people don’t believe that you need sun protection during winter, and that by wearing it we are actually blocking vitamin D. I’d be really interested in hearing readers thoughts on this, so if you’d like to leave me a comment and let me how you feel about sunscreen, please do!