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.
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As we start to head into the colder seasons, these 9 fall skincare tips will help you prepare for the inevitable winter dryness.
The shift from summer to fall comes with a change in weather (and the excitement for the cozy season ahead!) The colder, harsher, and drier conditions can have a major effect on our skin. The drier air can lead to hydration loss, barrier damage, and tight or even flakey skin. We call this winter dryness.
The good news, it’s super easy to avoid these changes with some small updates to your fall skincare routine.
With a couple of small tweaks you’ll give your skin what it needs to hold up against the new season. These tips focus on protection, hydration, and light exfoliation.
Why You Need to Change Your Skincare In Fall
As the weather changes from hot summer to 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. It’s 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.
Fall’s 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 which gives you the opportunity to make small slow changes to prepare for winter. By prioritizing these adjustments in fall, you’ll 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, it’s 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 winter’s 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. It’s much easier to prevent them then to try to play catch up later on.
However, 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 over.
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 combinations of dryer air indoors and outdoors is the main contributing factor for 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 skin’s 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. You’ve 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? It’s 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 everyone’s skin has different needs.
Did you know there’s 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, it’s 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 don’t 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. How water strips the skin and worsens dryness. Opt for lukewarm water instead.
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 it’s 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 you’re using a gently daily formula, try every other day instead.
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
Exfoliation is an important part of any skincare routine but it’s 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 you’re using a gently daily formula, try every other day instead.
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
We’ve all experienced it, the super chapped lips that just won’t go away. They hurt like hell and practically ruin your day! Once lips are chapped, it can be quite hard to heal them. However, it’s 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. That’s 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 don’t 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 don’t stop at just food; it’s 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 what’s right for your body, so we won’t make a strict recommendation.
If you feel like you’re 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 you’re making your way down this list of fall skincare tips and you’re 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. It’s hard to control the humidity of the air around you as you go about your day, but you can correct for 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
You’ll 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.
Sunscreen protects your skin from UV damage. That’s right, damage! The exact thing you’re 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. It’s just as important to protect your skin during the gray months.
Make sure that you’re 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. There’s 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.
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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