Flakes, They are Falling
By Glinda
No, not snow.
It’s what’s coming off my dry winter skin.
It’s finally cold enough here that the thermostat is set to heat all the time. My daughter is a petite two year old who has pretty much no body fat, and so is prone to getting very cold, especially at night. She refuses to sleep under the covers, so heavy fleece pj’s and a high temp is what gets her through the night.
However, it’s wreaking havoc on my skin, of course. That and the fact that I often have to throw the covers off me in the middle of the night have me highly annoyed.
I’ve got my Bare Escentuals Skin Rev-er Upper, but it’s got salicylic acid in it, which isn’t exactly moisturizing. I love what it does for my skin in normal weather, but my skin is dying right now.
Should I supplement? Change lotions altogether? What is your favorite winter skin moisturizer? Do share!
November 22nd, 2011 at 11:56 am
I’m not one to generate my own snow in the winter, but these are my current favorites for intense moisturizing, given that I HATE having my skin be all greasy/oily.
First, Ahava Dermud, which is pricy & smells like the Dead Sea, but the smell is addictive, and when I have used it daily on my legs, I don’t need shaving gel.
Less pricy is Crabtree & Evelyn’s lotions, which come in a variety of scents and have that lovely rich emollient nongreasy thing going on.
You can probably get samples and/or testers to see what you like.
November 22nd, 2011 at 12:47 pm
My winter regime add-in is lavendar scented baby oil put on while still wet from the shower and then rubbed in while drying off.
Yeah, I have to wash my towels more often (i live alone, i use the same towel multiple times, sue me.) but my skin appreciates it soooooooo much.
Then I just finish with Aveedo lotion like I do all summer. The extra boost of the oil helps me not get super dry patches.
November 22nd, 2011 at 1:27 pm
I have skin which is both dry and acne-prone, and during the winter I use Clinique’s dramatically different moisturizing lotion. I still have to do multiple applications throughout the day, but the DDML and regular exfoliation keep be from being a total flake-monster.
November 22nd, 2011 at 8:32 pm
I have very dry cheeks and an oily chin, and I use Korres Yoghurt Regimen Kit, I buy it from Sephora. The kit is $45 which I find pretty darn reasonable since it contains a moisturizer, a mask, eye cream and a small face wash. During the winter when I get the icky dry flakes I apply a thin layer of the mask to my cheeks and leave it on overnight, about twice a week or so. I get up and use the face wash and liberally apply the moisturizer. It works really well 🙂 Good luck!
P.S. Another point in its’ favor for me is that they use a lot of natural ingredients and everything is recyclable (at least where I live your results may vary).
November 23rd, 2011 at 12:57 am
Caveat: My skin care routine is pretty simple and inexpensive; I just used Neutrogena for years (sensitive skin day moisturizer, light night cream), following a dermatologist’s recommendation. I have no idea how what I’ve used compares with higher-end products.
As part of my recent effort to reduce the amount of sulfates and petroleum products in my hair and skin care, I recently switched to a brand called Earth Science, which I picked up at my local organic/health-food store: almond-aloe moisturizer for day and apricot intensive night creme.
So far–granting that the really bitter cold has not set in yet, where I live, which will be the true test–I could not be more pleased with the results. The almond-aloe lotion feels light but just as effective for me as my old moisturizer ever was (possibly more so, if I’m not imagining things) and doesn’t leave the oily sheen that I’d been used to having to blot soon after every application of the old one. The night creme feels a little heavy when I first apply it, but I don’t mind that when I’m going to be asleep anyway. My skin feels great.
I still use a Neutrogena salicylic acid scrub, usually once a day, and their on-the-spot benzoyl peroxide stuff, but I also switched to the Earth Science A-D-E Creamy Cleanser for dry/sensitive skin, instead of the Neutrogena gentle moisturizing cleanser for before bed.
Sorry this is so long and maybe kind of sounds like a commercial for Earth Science; I’m just super pleased with what I’ve used so far. I don’t know much about any of their other products, but I’m loving these.
(I just kind of picked them off the shelf, more or less at random, after trying a spot check of each to see that they felt good. My skin has been very sensitive in the past, but these have given me no trouble in that regard either.)
November 23rd, 2011 at 6:13 pm
Drugstore brand Cetaphil is excellent for very dry skin, and I have used it during multiple Michigan winters where my humidifier barely made a dent in the dry inside air. Dermatologists recommend it by name, and it holds up to the same standards of my “First Aid Beauty – Ultra Repair Cream” which is about 4x the cost. (still affordable at Sephora, as a little goes a long way.
I don’t put Cetaphil on my face, but I do put the First Aid Beauty on my face. Both brands have moisturizing non-soap face and body cleansers, for that extra boost.
November 26th, 2011 at 5:29 pm
Can also leave flat pans of water in safe places in your room, to put some moisture back in the air. I often leave a flat bowl of water near the blower of the space heater. It helps a little. (Bowls are cheaper than humidifiers, and don’t have the mold issue.)
November 27th, 2011 at 10:37 pm
I use Jason 5,000 IU Vitamin E Beauty Oil. I use it my itself, or mix a few drops with my body lotion. I even use it on my face. I suffered through dry skin last winter, and I’m happy to say that since I started using this beauty oil, my skin has remained moisturized, and even glowing!