After a hot and humid summer, autumn air can be refreshing. The transition from hot to cooler weather, however, can be very drying to the skin. As the weather becomes cooler, it’s also drier. There is less humidity, and drier air can strip the skin of moisture.
As the seasons change, we might also notice the damage summer fun has caused. Exposure to the sun from wearing less clothing while at the beach, doing outdoor sports, workouts and other outdoor activities.
Excessive sun exposure from spending more time under damaging UV rays can lead to redness and peeling from sunburn and other skin problems like age spots and hyperpigmentation. Even insect bites might have contributed to dark spots.
Skin Care
2 important things to do for your skin during the fall is to repair any damage and to keep skin hydrated.
1. Repair
Excessive sun exposure to the face, neck, décolleté and hands, causes uneven skin tone, discoloration, and dark spots. Look for products that contain vitamin A and other products that even out skin tone and diminish pigmentation problems.
2. Hydrate
Add moisture-rich products to your routine. With moisture-stripping temperatures and air, you’ll need products with hydrating formulas. Swap lighter lotions for rich moisturizers and creams. Skin produces fewer oil in the colder months, so even those with normal and oily skin need a more hydrating formula than usual. If you have mature, photo-sensitive, or dry skin from conditions like eczema and psoriasis, you need products that protect and replenish the skin barrier.
Also, See:
- Help for Dry Skin
- Hydrating Face Serums
- Include a day cream. Add a moisturizing, anti-aging day cream to the mix, especially if you have dry skin.
- Serums and oils. Also use serums with added benefits to suit your needs (like anti-aging, to replenish moisture, to even skin tone) and oils like avocado (great for dry skin), argan oil, moringa oil and jojoba oil (even good for oily skin).
- Eye cream. Pay attention to the delicate eye area. Not all dermatologists think they’re necessary, but if you have problems with under-eye darkness or puffiness, you might consider using an eye cream or serum.
Are Eye Creams Really Necessary?
Sunscreen. Don’t retire the sunscreen. We tend to forget sunscreen because it’s cooler out and the rays of the sun don’t feel as strong, but they are and can continue to cause damage. Be sure to continue using sunscreen or a moisturizer with adequate broad-spectrum protection.
Cleansers
Dry Skin
Switch to more hydrating cleansers. Those with dry skin definitely don’t want cleansers with ingredients that further dry out the skin (like alcohol) or strip away natural oils.
Normal & Oily
Replace gels and foam cleansers to creamier formulas or moisturizing foam cleansers.
Exfoliators
The normal skin shedding process also tends to slow during the cooler months. Skin can get drier, rougher and get a dull texture, and if you don’t exfoliate on a regular basis, dry, flaky skin can accumulate and clog the pores. Even normal, combination and oily skin needs additional moisture during fall and winter, and exfoliation helps moisturizers and other products penetrate the skin.
Dry Skin
Exfoliate once a week (and no more than two times a week) if you have dry skin).
Normal to Oily
Normal and oily skin types can exfoliate two-four times a week. (Part of this exfoliation can be through cleansers that contain exfoliants.)
Exfoliating Facial Treatments
Extras
Skip toners. You can forgo the toner unless it has a gentle, hydrating formula.
Add a facial mask to your regimen. Use a mask (pore cleansing masks, hydrating masks, etc.) one to two nights a week.
Nighttime ritual. Use a nighttime repairing cream and wake up to replenished and rejuvenated skin.
Treat yourself to a professional facial. If you can, visit an esthetician or dermatologist for a facial and consultation to refresh your skin for fall and to get suggestions on a skin care regimen that will work for you.
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4 Skin Care Extras to Add to Your Beauty Routine
Toner, micellar water, facial essence, floral water. You’ve probably heard of toners and floral water, but the new beauty extras are essences, used in Korean beauty rituals, and micellar water, which originated in France. Are any of these beauty products necessary?
1. Toner
Toners are often replaced by facial essences and micellar water, but they are coming back into use. Toners fell out of favor because many of them were astringents and contained alcohol, known to be very drying to the skin.
Toners are used after cleansing the skin. The original purpose of toners was to restore the skin’s pH balance, which could be disturbed by harsh cleansers. Toners now come in a variety of formulas; some are still astringents meant to remove oil and tighten skin and pores, others are moisturizing or pore clarifying. There are also toners formulated for the various skin types and conditions, such as dry skin, acne-prone, sensitive and combination skin.
Make Your Own:
Dry skin – Mix 1/2 cup witch hazel, 1/2 cup distilled or filtered water, 4 tablespoons aloe vera gel, 4 tablespoons rose water into a glass bottle or jar. Shake well before use. Lasts for about 10 months.
Normal to oily skin – Steep 1 tablespoon of peppermint leaves and 1 tablespoon of chamomile in one cup of hot water. Cover and let stand for 15 minutes. Strain the liquid. Mix the peppermint and chamomile infusion with 1/2 cup of witch hazel and 1/2 cup of distilled or filtered water. Shake occasionally and before each use.
Oily/acne prone skin – Infuse two tablespoons of chamomile in one cup of hot water as above. After straining the liquid, mix the chamomile with 1/2 teaspoon of tea tree essential oil and 1 cup of witch hazel and pour into a glass bottle. The toner will stay fresh for 8 – 9 months.
2. Essence
Essences are used in Korean skin care regimens and are used instead of toners. They are basically lightweight serums and come in formulas to treat specific skin care needs, such as acne and rosacea. Essences are used after a cleanser and before moisturizer.
3. Micellar Water
Micellar water is a combination cleanser, makeup remover, and toner, depending on the product. Like toner, it has a no-rinse formula and is often used in a pinch, like backstage at a fashion show when makeup and dirt needs to be removed or the face cleansed and prepped in the absence of water. Due to micelle technology, micellar water pulls out oil and impurities from the skin.
4. Botanical Waters
Botanical waters include floral waters and herbal waters and are used to hydrate and freshen the skin. You’ll find these botanical waters (like rosewater) in a number of beauty products, including toners and micellar water. A mist of floral water can be used before applying moisturizing oils and lotions and can be especially helpful for dry skin. To make a floral water or facial spray, you can add 6 – 8 drops of essential oil (such as chamomile, lavender, orange blossom, rose or any oil that is good for your skin type) to a 4-ounce spray bottle and add distilled or mineral water. Shake well before using. You can also make floral waters by taking the actual blossoms, such as rose petals and buds and simmer with enough water to cover the flowers. Allow to cool and then pore into a spray bottle.
Herbal waters are also good for skin care like chamomile, sage, and comfrey leaf. Take 3/4 cup of fresh herbs and place inside a glass jar with one cup of distilled water. Cover tightly and shake each morning and evening for two weeks. Then strain and bottle.