When it's cosy and warm inside there is nothing more invigorating than the feel of that delicious, crisp, cool air hitting our face when we open the door to go outside. Which is why so many of us love winter. But as refreshing as the chilly air is, it can undo everything we have been doing to keep our skin vibrant, healthy and hydrated.
Skin is our outermost, protective shield. So when the humidity drops in the colder months and the heat is turned up inside, zapping the last few drops of moisture from the air, it’s time to switch up our skin care routine to keep skin hydrated, supple and beautiful.
Step 1: Cleanse with an oil-based cleanser
Now is not the time to be stripping any more oil from your parched skin so we recommend using a balm or oil-based cleanser throughout winter and even into spring. To give your skin its best start to the day, massage in our Corbin Rd. Restorative Cleansing Balm first thing in the morning when you wake up, to give your skin a moisture boost. Let it stay on for as long as possible, then gently remove with a tepid face cloth and apply your skincare products as usual. At night use the balm as you normally would to remove the day's make-up, pollution, dead skin and debris, and gently exfoliate with our Viteve™ Silk Exfoliating Cloth.
Step 2: Quick, tepid, and fewer showers
Get in, do what you need to do quickly, then get out. Reduce showering to once a day if possible. This will give your skin the best chance to hold moisture in, as water on your skin is not your friend during winter. And remember to keep the water temperature tepid, as tempting as it is to keep turning the heat up and stay in a bit longer!
If you’re ready to embrace something new, now may be the perfect time to add a cold shower to your daily ritual, just to feel vibrant and alive. Taking cold showers is recognised as having a number of health benefits: it can help reduce stress levels (by 'hardening' your body to moderate levels of stress), increase alertness by stimulating you to take deeper breaths, strengthen your immunity by increasing the number of white blood cells (which protect you from disease) in your body, increase your metabolic rate and assist with weight loss by stimulating the generation of brown fat, a specific type of fat tissue that in turn generates energy by burning calories. We know - cold showers are not for everyone, though!
Step 3: Moisturise immediately after showering
Your skin absorbs and locks in moisture when it is damp. So as soon as you get out of the shower start applying moisturiser on your body and face. We recommend a thicker moisturiser or oil during the colder months. Keep it clean beauty and New Zealand made!
Step 4: Layer up
Layering up with warm clothing achieves two things. One, you don’t spoil your clothes with moisturisers and oils. Two, you just might turn a heater or two off.
These two tiny steps will not only benefit your skin but save on your power bill, and ultimately be great for the planet. We recommend New Zealand-owned and ethically made merino garments from stores such as Smart Merino.
Step 5: Oil up from the inside out
Yes, drink more water and eat more water-dense vegetables, but include more cold pressed, quality oils in your diet too. We’ve switched butter for straight hemp oil on our toast with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. We add it to our smoothies too, and drizzle it into our soups. In New Zealand we are very lucky to have access to beautiful oils with some delicious infusions so we're spoilt for choice. Our favourites are Kanapu and The Village Press.
Step 6: Switch to skin-nourishing make-up
Many of us add a light coverage of foundation for work or when going out to events/functions, but a poorly-chosen foundation can contribute to the dehydration and undernourishment of your skin. Winter is definitely the time to review the contents of your make-up bag and, if necessary, switch to a more nutrient-based foundation. Our favourite is Aleph Beauty Concealer/Foundation. Aleph Beauty products are made in New Zealand from naturally-sourced ingredient, and infused with naturally active ingredients to increase cellular metabolism and protect the skin from environmental stressors.
Try our Corbin Rd. Restorative Cleansing Balm and Viteve™ Silk Exfoliating Cloth today!