Anti-Aging Winter Skincare Routine
The cold, windy and chilly winter weather attacks your skin from all angles, making it dry, dehydrated, flaky, red and inflamed. With the correct anti-aging skincare routine, you can continue to have fantastically soft and luminous skin throughout winter. Experts recommend adding these anti-aging skincare elements to help keep your skin clear, moist, supple and fresh looking throughout the winter months.
Prevent Dryness with Layering Serum and Moisturizer
Preventing dryness and dehydration is an absolute priority for your anti-aging skincare routine during the winter season. Applying a serum and moisturizer will help to hydrate and lock moisture into your skin.
- Hydrating serum/oil. Serums contain a significant proportion of the active ingredients you will applying to your face. Serums are thinner and lighter than moisturizers and are specifically formulated to penetrate deeper into the layers of your skin. Applying serum early in your skincare routine before applying other products provides maximum opportunity for it to be fully absorbed into your skin. Although you will be applying serum to your face in the morning and at night, you will need a daytime and night time formulation. A daytime formulation will include antioxidants that protect your skin form harmful environmental factors, whereas a night time formulation will include anti-aging and skin repair ingredients.
- Once the serum has been absorbed into your skin, apply an intensive moisturizer. Moisturizers are most effective when applied to your skin while it is still slightly dam as this helps the skin absorb the product, hydrate and trap in the water that provides an overall more youthful appearance.
Continue to Protect Your Skin with SPF
Despite the cold weather, you are still being exposed to damaging levels of UV light rays (yes, even when it snows!). To be at its most effective, sunscreen needs to be applied over face oil (as applying an oil over the sunscreen will reduce the sunscreens effectiveness). Apply a broad-spectrum, waterproof sunscreen (SPF 30 or higher).
Switch to a Gentle Cleanser
During the winter months, you skin is exposed to cold and dry weather which makes your skin dry and dull looking. This might be a good time to switch to a creamier, gentler, hydrating cleanser that is soothing on your skin.
Exfoliate for a Brighter Looking Complexion
The cold winter weather and low humidity can leave your skin feeling tight with patches of dry skin on your face. Regularly and gently exfoliate your skin to promote cell turnover and collagen production. Select a gentle formula (harsh ingredients may cause micro-tears in your skin leading to skin damage) and work on the principle of undertaking your exfoliation on a semi-regular basis to begin with (two to three times a month). If you currently exfoliate as part of your anti-aging skincare routine, consider undertaking this a little more regularly during the winter months. Avoid the temptation to overdo this as this may damage your skin.
Apply Retinol / Bio-Retinol
To help combat the stressors the winter months place on your skin, consider adding Retinol or Bio-Retinol to your anti-aging skincare regime. Retinol can leave your skin dryer and more irritated in the winter months as your skin is already under a lot of stress. If you are adding retinol to your routine, begin by using a small amount on your face and neck a few times a week at night (before using it on a nightly basis). If you are using a bio-retinol, you should be able to use this in the morning and at night on a daily basis.
For day time Golden Oil® recommends Bio Retinol Day Time Anti-Aging Elixir which combines Bakuchiol and Nicotinamide with an impressive blend of hydrating oils to replenish and improve the glow of skin.
For night time Golden Oil® recommends Bio Retinol Night Time Anti-Aging Elixir which combines Bakuchiol, Nicotinamide, Bidens Pilosa and high concentrations of genistein, vitamin A, B, C and E, essential fatty acids (EFAs), and lecithin which help to reinforce the skin’s surface so it takes on a younger, smoother replenished appearance.
If your skin is particularly sensitive and prone to irritations, Golden Oil® recommends Bio Retinol Cannabis Sativa Anti-Aging Elixir.
Protect your Lips with Lip Balm
Your lips are in the from line of winter attacks and are prone to dryness and cracks. To keep your lips protected and moist, use a hydrating lip balm fused with antioxidants and firming peptides which will protect them against harmful environment toxins, thinning, wrinkling and dullness.
Adjust Your Shower
It is tempting to indulge under a long hot shower following a long hard cold day. However, this will dry out your skin further, so stick with milder temperatures and only for the short period of time you need to wash.