How to Take Care of Your Skin in Winter
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image + scrub recipe by Kale & Caramel
Growing up in Minnesota, I pretty much became a professional winter survivor. While I love the cold (layers, pot pie, mittens!) and snow (is there anything more beautiful?), I’m not a big fan of frostbite or flaky-dry skin. You already know how to dress for a polar vortex, and here I’m sharing all my tips for avoiding dull, dry winter skin.
For me, deep winter cold seems to take my skin from kinda-dry and pretty-sensitive to crazy-dry and hyper-sensitive. So my winter skincare routine is pretty simple and gentle: exfoliate often but lightly, use plenty of oils, and lock it all in with extra hydration.
For Dry Body:
Instead of using a loofah in the shower, I use a japanese exfoliating cloth that I love. Because it air dries really quickly and can go in the wash with your other towels, it’s much more sanitary and lasts longer.
To exfoliate and hydrate at once, I’ll mix together a quick scrub with sugar and whatever oil I have around - body oil, coconut, olive oil. When I’m feeling fancy, an easy DIY scrub recipe like this one makes me feel like I’m at a spa.
When body lotion isn’t quite enough, it’s time for one of my favorite deep winter tricks: apply body oil before showering. It might seem counterintuitive, but it’s the most effective moisturizing method I’ve found. Just apply a light layer, maybe let it sink in for a minute, then hop in the shower and go about your routine as usual.
Post-shower, I might add a few drops of this bronzing serum to my favorite winter body cream if I have time to let it all sink in.
For a Dry Face:
Just a few weeks ago, I started washing my face with raw honey in the mornings. It’s so moisturizing, balancing, and skin-softening that I’m hooked. Read more about it here - it’s not the sticky mess you’d think - or just try this honey mask.
In the evening I use my Clarisonic brush to exfoliate and remove every stitch of makeup. I follow that up with a facial oil on the dryest patches, usually this squalene oil or this rollerball neroli oil. The last step is adding this eye cream and this dreamy whipped night cream.
When my skin is desperate or I’m settling in for a cozy weekend, I’ll use a mask like this rose gel mask or a pair of eye patch masks. There’s always tons of extra serum in these gold eye patches, so I rub it all over my face and neck. This Origins mask is miraculously exfoliating and calming at the same time.
For Dry Hands:
It seems like my poor hands can get the worst of winter. Mixing sugar and oil in the palm of my hand to make a scrub is a quick fix for exfoliating and moisturizing, or I’ll make something fancier.
During the day, I use this SPF25 hand cream and this intensive rose-scented cream at night. I’ve tried soooo many hand creams over the years, and you can read all about my favorite ones and how I use them here.
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