Surviving the dryness of winter may feel impossible at times but is definitely doable with the right products. After many a winter spent in the cold ski resort town of Jackson Hole, WY I have found my way to a winter beauty routine that works. If you are living in an uber dry climate like mine, I suggest following my regimen to a tee. If you are graced by an environment that is a bit more forgiving with some humidity in the air and warmer temps, you may want to play around and adjust accordingly by eliminating a hydrating step or two.
face
CLEASE: I find using a cleansing balm is much more nourishing than a gel and works wonderfully when used with a warm wash cloth to remove makeup. The cleansing balm by BeautyCounter is awesome. Very moisturizing without leaving behind a heavy residue.
MOISTURIZE: All of winter skincare can be summed up in one word- moisturize! In super dry climates a few layers may be required to help quench your skin's thirst. Here's my program:
1. Mix daily face moisturizer with face oil (equal parts) and rub into face until absorbed. I am loving the Tracie Martyn face cream and mix it with whatever oil I have on hand: Beauty Counter, Little Barn Apothecary and KlurSkin.
2. Apply an eye cream. The area around your eyes is more sensitive than the rest of your face and so a cream that is light and still moisturizing is best. I'm currently hooked on the one by Circ Cell.
3. Apply thick cream layer to face. After letting the face oil and cream mixture set in, I follow up with a thick cream like the one from Circ Cell (ER3 Creme). Some days I don't need this extra layer and some days I really do.
4. Seal in moisture with hyluronic acid. You can now buy hyluronic acid on its own (tho some creams do come with it) and apply it over your moisturizers to seal in hydration. Hyluronic acid carries 10x its weight in moisture and so really help to keep skin plum and supple.
5.. Protect skin with SPF. Next I apply my Suntegrity SPF 30 Tinted Moisturizer. The tint evens out my skin without giving a 'made up' look and I know I am protected for any time spent outside.
6. At night I forgo the SPF and instead add a serum into the program as my first step after I have cleansed my skin and before I apply the oil and cream mixture. My current obsession is the Firming Serum from Tracie Martyn. It smells amazing and is super effective at reducing fine lines and giving an overall lift.
7. Give your lips some love by applying a natural lip balm that is moisturizing, like the one from Erbaviva.
body & hair
For body, I apply the same formula for my face- but with body products- and mix body lotion with body oil after the shower to seal in moisture. If you do this while your skin is still damp you will absorb that much more moisture.
Stay fresh with a light spray deodorant. Perfect for slipping under your garment and giving a refresher spritz, the deodorant from Erbaviva is one of my favorites and helps freshen everything.
I am constantly fighting the good fight of static hair during the winter. My newest solution is to apply a lightweight hair mask at night which adds extra hydration and help keep things under control without making my hair greasy. One that I have found works really well is the Perfect Hair Day Night Treatment by Living Proof. I also use a pump of this to calm things down after giving my hair a bit of curl and brushing it out. The leave-in conditioner is light enough to absorb instantly and tame fly-aways for a more pulled together look. This has become my go-to move before heading out to dinner after styling my hair.
The other thing I do with my hair is wash it less. Have you ever noticed how fluffy and static-y it gets when you have super clean hair? I wash about every three days and touch up my roots with hair powder or dry shampoo from Kloraine on the days I don't wash. It saves a lot of hair styling time too.