See How Easily You Can Prepare Sensitive Skin For Cold Weather

The leaves are already starting to fall from the trees. The nights are getting darker earlier. It’s that time of year again - Autumn. The weather is changing. Time to dig out those thick jumpers, coats and autumn boots. But what about skincare? A lot of us notice that the change in weather has an effect on our skin. Should you be changing products with the seasons? How can you treat skin concerns that you might get during the colder months? We asked Dermalogica therapists Jane and Naomi to guide us through their top tips for preparing your skin for cold weather.

Should You Change Products With The Seasons?

Well yes… if your skin concerns change! At Jersey Beauty Company we firmly believe that there isn’t a “one size fits all” skincare routine. We spend a lot of time reviewing products and asking experts to come in and chat to us so you can choose the right products for your unique skin concerns. If your skin reacts to colder weather, perhaps becoming dry or dehydrated, then you may need to change products to address the specific skin concerns during that season.

Dermalogica therapist Naomi explains that a lot of us experience increased sensitivity during the colder months. Sometimes that leads us to think we have sensitive skin. There is a difference between skin that is truly sensitive, with a skin condition like eczema or dermatitis, and skin that becomes sensitive when exposed to certain weather conditions. 

Both skin types will need some extra help during the colder months so you should add in products where needed to address those skin concerns.

Is Your Skin Dehydrated?

We come across this a lot at JBC. People have been told in the past they have dry skin, when their skin is actually dehydrated. The two things are different. Dermalogica’s Jane explains it simply. If you have dry skin, if you were touching your own skin, it would feel fairly hard to touch, there wouldn’t be much movement in it, it wouldn’t feel supple. There may be flakiness and redness. 

If you have dehydrated skin, again if you were touching your skin, if you were to maybe pincer a little piece

of skin between and you were to bring it together, it would feel crepey. Basically, the skin cells are not plump. 

Dehydrated skin is lacking in water whereas dry skin is lacking in oil. It’s important you know the difference so you can treat your skin to what it needs!

How does your face care routine change in cold months?

Dermalogica therapist Jane explains that she tends to use richer products in the winter to rehydrate her skin. Whereas during summer she might use lighter products, as she does have some issues with congestion, when it comes to the colder months, she knows her sensitive skin does need more of a helping hand. As therapist jane has issues with eczema and sensitive skin, she uses Dermalogica Barrier Repair.

Repairing The Lipid Barrier

When it comes to sensitivity, it is often because the lipid barrier is impaired. This is the oily layer on top of the skin that stops pollutants and irritants getting to the deeper layers of skin. When this barrier is impaired, due to a lack of oil, the skin is open to irritation and sensitivity. 

Dermalogica Barrier Repair does what it says on the label - it helps repair that barrier! And for those of you who are a bit oil-phobic, it isn’t an oily moisturiser! It works to lock in goodness, rather than adding any greasy residue.

Dry and Dehydrated Skin in Colder Months

So if you have dry or dehydrated skin as we enter Autumn and Winter, what can you consider adding into your face care regime? Some of these products are suitable for both dehydrated and dry skins and some are for one or the other, so we asked our Dermalogica therapists to explain each and how it might help your skin.

Precleanse

Dermalogica now have two types of Precleanse - the Precleanse and the Precleanse Balm. It can be really tempting, when you have dry or dehydrated skin, to think that less is more when it comes to cleansing. But actually, you may be making the job your skin has harder! If you are using products that are designed to get deep into your skin and repair cells, you need to have really clean skin.

As well as deep cleansing the skin gently, Dermalogica Precleanse will also remove any excess cells so your barrier can begin to repair itself.

Cleanse and Tone

Dermalogica’s Naomi recommends Essential Cleansing Solution for both dry and dehydrated skin types. As well as replenishing the lipid barrier, this gentle creamy cleanser also works to rehydrate and nourish skin. It has active ingredients of Vitamins C and E to put back in goodness.

It also has really mild astringents, rosemary and lemon, to refresh and tone tired skin.

Exfoliate

During the colder months the last thing we can feel like doing is exfoliating! But Dermalogica Daily Resurfacer is a great leave on exfoliator that also has hydration built in, making it great for dry and dehydrated skins. Dry skin might be flaky and this is a great way to gently exfoliate those areas.

Moisturise

If you want to really treat your skin during the colder months, you can add Dermalogica Super Rich Repair to your face care routine. It is what it says - super rich care for your skin. It works for both dry and dehydrated skin. As it is super rich you might want to just swap for the Super Rich Repair at night and then use your normal moisturiser in the day. By using it at night you are giving your skin added help at just the right time - your skin repairs itself overnight as you sleep so the active ingredients in this product help with that process. 

Masque and Boost

Changing your masque and adding a booster are simple and effective ways to change up your face care routine for the colder months. Dermalogica Naomi recommends Dermalogica Hydrating Masque and Dermalogica Power Recovery Masque for sensitive skin. Both of these masques are full of amazing active ingredients to give your skin a treat. By using a masque twice weekly, you are adding to the effects of your daily face care routine. Starting this in Autumn is a great way to prepare your skin for the harsher weather of winter.

Another great way is to add a booster. Dermalogica’s Jane shows us a great way to add a booster to your face care routine. You can add a few drops to your moisturiser before applying to get the goodness of both! For dry skin, try adding an SPF Booster - like Dermalogica Solar Defense Booster SPF50. You should always be wearing sun protection factor - even when it doesn’t appear that sunny! So this is a great way to turn your regular moisturiser into an SPF booster. 

For dehydrated skin, Dermalogica Skin Hydrating Booster has the amazing active ingredient, Hyralounic Acid, which helps skin to cells to retain mositure. Add a few drops to your moisturiser will help your skin to hold onto the water it needs to rehydrate.

When Should I Think About Changing My Products?

My friend was telling me the other day about a competition her and her brother have this year - to see who can be last to turn on the heating at home. I am not into those kind of competitions! When it comes to preparing for colder months, we say get prepared now! If you start to pump up the hydration and repair your lipid barrier in advance of the really cold months, your skin will be better prepared to face the change in seasons.

Find out more about looking after your unique skin

If you are now thinking you might have been thinking you had sensitive skin all this time but now aren’t so sure, or have dehydrated skin but aren’t sure if you are using the right products, you can get answers to all your skincare questions with our free guide. Download your free Ultimate guide to skincare here: