This post delves into 9 Fall skincare tips that will help you protect your skin against the inevitable dryness brought on by colder, harsher weather. Discover essential fall skincare products to keep your skin hydrated, healthy, and glowing all season long!
When you start to feel the crisp Autumn breeze replace the summer heat, you know it’s time to adapt your skincare routine for fall. Your skin needs a change of clothes just link your wardrobe!
Summer was all about lightweight lotions and factor 50 sunscreens but now you might find your skin craving extra hydration and protection.
Before you know it, fall brings with it dry, irritated skin but with the right fall skincare routine, you can glow all year round.
We’ve got you covered with the best fall skincare tips to help you transition your routine. From choosing the perfect fall skincare products to discovering essential skincare tips for fall, we’re going through all the best tips and tricks together.
Whether you’re dealing with seasonal dryness or just looking to revamp your skincare for fall, these tips will keep you glowing as bright on the outside as you do on the inside.
So let’s get into it the best fall skincare tips to keep your skin hydrating and healthy.
Why You Need to Change Your Skincare For Fall
As the weather changes from a hot summer to a colder, cozier fall, your skin experiences significant changes. The cooler temperatures and lower humidity levels can lead to damage to your skin barrier which can present as dryness and discomfort.
By adjusting your routine with these fall skincare tips, you can give your skin what it needs to stay resilient and healthy during the seasonal shift.
Your priority will be to maintain a healthy skin barrier. Itâs a natural protective barrier that helps your skin retain moisture and protect against external factors. It helps keep the goodness in and the harshness of the outside world out.
Fallâs colder climate can actually damage your skin barrier which can lead to dryness and in bad cases tightness and flakiness.
Fall is a transitional season that gives you the opportunity to make small, slow changes to prepare for winter. By prioritizing these adjustments in the fall, youâll prevent any early damage and be prepared and protected by the time winter comes around.
Just as you make changes to your wardrobe as the seasons change, itâs just as important to make changes to your skincare routine. What works during the hot and humid summer months may not get the job done in fall and winterâs drier conditions.
Neglecting to make any changes can result in a bunch of different issues like dry patches, flakiness, and redness. These problems will only get worse as you head into winter. Itâs much easier to prevent them than to try to play catch-up later on.
These 9 fall skincare tips make it super simple to prevent all the woes of winter dryness by proactively preparing for the seasons ahead.
Understanding Winter Dryness
Understanding the factors that lead to winter dryness will allow you to customize your fall skincare routine to address these changes and protect your skin so that your complexion stays healthy, hydrated, and radiant throughout the colder months.
There are four main seasonal changes to watch for
- The first is low humidity levels. Fall and winter air can be cold and dry, with overall lower humidity levels than in the warmer months. The lack of moisture in the air means that your skin has less humidity to pull in to maintain its hydration balance.
- The second main factor is the use of indoor heating. As the weather gets colder, what do we do? We start using our indoor heating systems to keep our spaces warm. However, heating can further dehydrate the air and reduce overall humidity. The combination of dryer air indoors and outdoors is the main contributing factor to why your skin gets so dry during the colder months.
- Thirdly, in the colder months, our production of sebum actually goes down. Sebum is the skinâs natural oil and it acts as a protective barrier to lock in the hydration in our skin. Meaning, even if your skin is plenty hydrated, without enough sebum it will be impossible to maintain the hydration over time.
- Lastly, fall and winter bring cold winds. These winds are super harsh on the skin stripping away moisture and causing chapping. Youâve probably heard of windburn but did you know it also happens on a small level that can slowly amount to major damage to the skin? Itâs crucial to take extra steps to protect your skin in particularly windy weather.
Without further ado, here are the 9 fall skincare tips to prevent and avoid winter dryness.
9 Fall Skincare Tips to Prepare for Winter Dryness
Tip #1: Hydration is Key
Keeping the skin hydrated is key to skin health and will leave you with a soft radiant glow. But everyoneâs skin has different needs.
Did you know thereâs a difference between hydration and moisturization?
Hydration refers to the water content within the skin cells and the overall level of humidity within the skin. While moisturization focuses more on the skin barrier that seals in the hydration and prevents water loss.
For maximum hydration, itâs important to keep both in mind. Start with hydrating serums (best if applied to damp skin!) and finish with a rich cream or oil to lock everything in.
And donât stop at your face and neck. Make sure to keep your whole body hydrated throughout the colder months.
Our favorite hydrating products:
Our favorite moisturizing products:
Tip #2: Switch to Gentle Cleansing
Cleansing is highly dependent on your skin type and it takes trial and error to learn what works for you. In this fall skincare tip, we recommend switching to a gentler cleanser in colder months.
Foaming cleansers can be stripped to the skin, removing the highly valuable oil that makes up the skin barrier. Try switching to a creamy or oil-based cleanser.
You may even want to try switching from cleansing twice a day to just once. In the morning, you may find that washing your face with just warm water gets the trick done and prevents unnecessary dryness.
Speaking of warm water, try to avoid hot water on your face during these months. Hot water strips the skin and worsens dryness. Opt for lukewarm water instead.
You’ve probably been washing your face since you were a teenager but this article from our friends at Cerave has all the tips and tricks to cleanse like a dermatologist.
Our favorite tip: try washing your face for a full 60 seconds to let the cleanser take full effect and get to the deeper layers of skin.
Our favorite products:
- For oily skin: Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser
- For dry skin: CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser
- For extra sensitive skin: Aveeno Calm + Restore Nourishing Oat Cleanser
Tip #3: Exfoliation Balance
Exfoliation is an important part of any skincare routine but itâs important to find a healthy balance between sloughing off dead skin cells and leaving fresh, vulnerable skin exposed to the harsh elements.
Harsh exfoliants, such as physical exfoliants, can leave the skin exposed to the elements. Try switching to a milder exfoliant for the colder months to protect your skin.
Look for ingredients like lactic acid and enzyme-based products. They will still promote renewal without leading to damage and dryness.
You can also reduce your frequency of exfoliation. Maybe in the summer, you can get away with exfoliating twice a week. Try once a week instead. Or if youâre using a gentle daily formula, try every other day instead.
If you want to become an exfoliation expert, check out Paula’s Choice’s guide on exfoliation for beginners. It covers everything from why you should exfoliate, the different kinds, and how can incorporate them into your skincare routine.
Our favorite products:
- Versed Weekend Glow Daily Brightening Face Toner Treatment
- Aveeno Calm + Restore Nourishing PHA Facial Exfoliator
- COSRX AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner
Tip #4: Protective Barrier, Protective Barrier, Protective Barrier
As the weather gets colder, your skin’s natural protective barrier can become more fragile or even damaged, exposing your skin to dryness, irritation, and sensitivity.
The skin barrier is the outer layer of your skin and acts as a shield against the external environment blocking out things like pollution, harsh weather, and toxins. It also seals in hydration to keep your skin bouncy and plump.
You might be wondering why it’s extra important to maintain your skin barrier’s health during the fall season. The cooler, drier air can strip away the skin’s natural oils, damaging your skin barrier and leading to moisture loss.
To keep your skin healthy, use gentle, hydrating ingredients like ceramides and oils. You’ll also want to avoid harsh exfoliants like we mentioned before and instead look for niacinamide, squalane, and hyaluronic acid.
By keeping your skin barrier health in mind, you can maintain the summer glow all year long.
Want to learn more about how you can protect and repair your skin barrier? Check out this video from one of our favorite skincare experts, Dr. Shereene.
Our favorite products:
- Soon Jung 2x Barrier Intensive Cream
- La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer
- Paula’s Choice RESIST Barrier Repair Moisturizer
Tip #5: Take the Preventative Approach to Lip Care
Weâve all experienced it, the super chapped lips that just wonât go away. They hurt like hell and practically ruin your day! Once lips are chapped, it can be quite hard to heal them. However, itâs much more effective to take a preventative approach.
The same principles apply, lock in hydrating products with rich creams and balms layered over top.
One small tip is to make sure that the same products you use on your face reach your lips. Thatâs right, you can put your hydrating serums and moisturizers directly onto your lips.
Make sure to also carry around a high-quality lip treatment and apply it frequently to prevent chapping. When looking for the right product, look for high-quality ingredients like peptides, ceramides, and oils. Avoid wax-based products.
Our favorite products:
Tip #6: Skincare from the Inside Out
The fall skincare tip is a bit unconventional, as there is a significant connection between what we consume and the health of our skin.
During the fall months, pay extra attention to maintaining a balanced diet. It shouldn’t be too hard with all the delicious seasonal fall products available. Incorporate antioxidant-rich foods like apples, pumpkins, and sweet potatoes.
And donât forget about omega-3 fatty acids. They play a vital role in many bodily functions and can also help improve your skin condition.
Looking for inspo? Check out 5 Healthy & Easy Fall Weeknight Dinners Ready in 30 Minutes.
But donât stop at just food; itâs also super important to hydrate from the inside out. Make sure to drink enough water daily to maintain the appropriate hydration levels within the body. You know whatâs right for your body, so we wonât make a strict recommendation.
If you feel like youâre drinking a lot of water but are still not hydrated, try adding a pinch of salt or trace mineral drops to your water. Both help improve the absorption of water into the body.
Tip #7: Try a Humidifier At Night
If youâre making your way down this list of fall skincare tips and youâre still struggling with dry skin, it could be a good idea to try adding a humidifier by your bed at night.
Humidifiers claim a whole host of benefits for your body such as prevention of dry eye, enhanced sleep quality, reduced allergies, and better respiratory function.
And of course, they can lead to improved skin hydration. Itâs hard to control the humidity of the air around you as you go about your day, but you can correct that with a high-quality humidifier improving the air around you as you sleep each night.
Here are our favorite humidifiers:
- Best budget: Raydrop Cool Mist Humidifiers for Home
- Best splurge: Vitruvi Cloud Humidifier for Bedroom
Tip #8: Protect from UV Rays
Youâll find this skincare tip in just about every article. Even in fall when the sun is less bright, you need to wear sunscreen every single day.
In case you didn’t believe me, check out this video and I don’t think you’ll need anymore convincing.
Sunscreen protects your skin from UV damage. Thatâs right, damage! The exact thing youâre trying to avoid during the colder months.
UV damage is caused by multiple forms of ultraviolet light and not all of it is the bright light that you feel on a hot summer day. Itâs just as important to protect your skin during the gray months.
Make sure that youâre wearing a broad-spectrum SPF with at least SPF 30 and reapplying throughout the day.
You can supplement your UV protection with protective clothing such as hats, sunglasses, and clothes that cover your chest, arms, and legs (much easier in the fall!)
Our favorite sunscreens:
- All around favorite: ROUND LAB Birch Juice Moisturizing Sunscreen
- Best tinted: EltaMD UV Physical Tinted Face Sunscreen
- Most hydrating: Aveeno Protect + Hydrate Moisturizing Face Sunscreen Lotion
Tip #9: Trial and Error
The last item on our list of 9 fall skincare tips is the reminder that you know your skin best, and trial and error is an inevitable part of any skincare journey. Your skin is unique, and you should treat it as such. Thereâs no one-size-fits-all skincare routine that will work for everyone.
Customize your routine slowly and pay close attention to the results. Try adding one product at a time and closely monitoring the effects on your skin.
Your skin loves consistency, so try to minimize switching up your routine too often. Make small changes slowly over time, and your skin will thank you.
With these 9 fall skincare tips, you have all the information you need to transition your skincare routine for the colder months and prevent winter dryness.
Take a proactive approach as prevention is much easier than treating it, especially as the weather conditions get progressively worse as the season continues.
Final Thoughts
As the leaves start to change colors and the air becomes crisp, it’s the perfect time to give your skin some extra TLC with an updated fall skincare routine. Transitioning your skincare lineup for fall to adapt to the changing environment can be simple.
By following these fall skincare tips, you can easily keep your skin plump, hydrated, and glowing throughout the colder seasons.
You don’t need to go out and buy a whole new routine, by investing in a couple of the right fall skincare products, you can make a big difference in your skin’s health and appearance. The fall skincare essentials shared here can help to protect your skin from dryness and irritation.
Whether you’re making a simple swap for your daily moisturizer or adding a hydrating serum to your routine, the goal is always to repair and shield your skin against the elements (and indoor heating!)
Consistency is everything when it comes to fall skincare. Adjust your fall skincare routine slowly and stay committed to see the best results.
We hope these fall skincare tips bring you your most radiant and glowing skin yet!
Happy pampering,
A small note for my readers â Over here at VLHhealth, we occasionally include affiliate links in our posts. This means that if you purchase using my links, I will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
You might also like:
- 5 Healthy & Easy Fall Weeknight Dinners Ready in 30 Minutes
- 13 Common Skincare Mistakes That Might be Ruining Your Skin
- Affordable Nighttime Skincare Routine For Women In Their 20s
- Ultimate (Science-Backed) Morning Skincare Routine for Your 30s
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