A winter routine for wind-dried skin
The Atlantic in January is beautiful and brutal. Four changes that keep skin comfortable until spring.
Cold wind strips water from the skin faster than anything except a hot shower, and in winter we get both. If your face feels tight an hour after cleansing, or stings with products it loved in summer, the barrier is asking for a break.
1. Change the cleanser
Swap foaming cleansers for a milk in the morning, or just rinse with water. Samphire Milk Cleanser removes SPF and light make-up without the squeak.
2. Pause the acids
Drop exfoliating toners and peels to once a week, or stop for a fortnight. Keep retinal if your skin is used to it, but buffer it with cream.
In winter, the kindest thing you can do for your skin is less.
3. Seal it in
Use a richer cream at night, and on the windiest days press one or two drops of face oil over it. Ceramide Barrier Cream has the lipids your skin is short of; a drop of Fennel Seed Face Oil on top keeps them there.
And keep wearing SPF. Winter sun off the sea is still strong enough to leave marks.
