Now that there’s a consistent chill in the air, it’s about time I started transitioning my skincare routine to adapt to the new season. I know it’s not quite winter yet, but it’s never to early to start pampering your skin to maintain its smooth radiance! Winter is no joke in New England and as a car-less city dweller that walks everywhere, my skin is directly affected by the elements. Over the years I’ve come to find that certain skincare habits really do make a difference. Today I’m partnering with St. Ives to share my top five winter skincare tips to avoid dull, lackluster skin. Let’s get started!
1. Moisturize
This may seem like a no brainer, but it’s easy to just throw on your layers immediately after a shower and forget about moisturizing. In the winter I use body lotion 1-2 times a day, paying extra special attention to my rough patches like my elbows, knees and feet. I typically moisturize right out of the shower and at night before bed. I recommend sticking with a lotion that has natural ingredients, like the St. Ives Refresh & Revive Pear Nectar and Soy body lotion, which uses vegetable glycerin, shea butter and soy bean oil. It’s hypoallergenic and paraben-free making it a dream product for those of you with sensitive skin! I’ve been using both the body lotion and body wash over the past week and they smell divine.
The body wash also uses the same natural ingredient as well as pear extract. It has a really great lather and didn’t leave any residue on my skin. I’ve found that the lotion quickly absorbs into my skin, which is perfect for me since I’m usually running late in the morning and don’t have time to let my lotion “dry” before getting dressed in a hurry. I also really like the shape of the lotion bottle because the curved design allows for an easy grip. I know I’m not the only one out there that has had a massive hard-to-hold bottle slip out of their hands and crush their toes! The best part about this pearfect duo? (See what I did there?) Each retails for $4.99 and can be found at the mass retailers or your local drugstore. Aren’t drugstore finds the best?
2. Stay Hydrated
I have a particularly difficult time with this tip during the winter, mainly because I become addicted to hot, sugary beverages. I totally understand the struggle of feeling cold all the time and avoiding cold drinks, but water is an absolute essential to maintaining healthy, radiant skin, among other health benefits. For every hot cocoa, coffee, or hot toddy I drink, I aim to drink 3-4 glasses of water in between. Sometimes I have to set an alarm on my phone, but hey, whatever works!
3. Exfoliate
In between the body wash and before the lotioning up, make sure you’re exfoliating 1-2 times a week to remove excess dead skin that’s been trapped in your fleece lined skinny jeans. (Sorry, that was kinda gross.) Exfoliating is a key step to de-dullifying your skin over the winter, but don’t overdo it either. Too much exfoliating can lead to irritated skin, which is even worse than dry skin, IMO. For my face, I like to use St. Ives Fresh Skin Apricot Scrub and for my body I like to make my own sugar scrub with organic virgin coconut oil from Trader Joes.
4. SPF
This tip is not just for the winter, but also for all year long. Always leave the house with SPF on, even if it’s cloudy or 20 degrees outside. There are tons of lightweight moisturizers with SPF in them that you can find at your local drugstore. Many mineral and liquid foundations also now include SPF in them, so you don’t even have to think about it! Seriously, your wrinkle-free face will thank me in 10 years.
5. Steam Room / Exercise
This is sort of a two-part tip, but they complement each other so just roll with me! Exercising is so important to your overall health. Even if it’s only 20 minutes a few days a week, get up and get moving. You’ll feel better, both mentally and physically, and your skin will be glowing. I haven’t been the best when it comes to exercising in the winter, but this year I’m not making any excuses. I don’t have a gym membership, so I invested in a few workout DVDS (yes, people still buy those). I’ve also been researching a ton of at-home workouts on fitness blogs and YouTube. If you’re a lucky duck that does have a gym membership and uses it, I highly recommend hopping into the steam room if your gym has one. At my old gym, I used to use the steam room post-workout, after rehydrating first, and sit for about 5-10 minutes. The steam room is great for soothing tense muscles and the moisture in the room will leave your skin feeling amazingly soft.
How do you keep your skin radiant during the winter months?
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of St. Ives. The opinions and text are all mine. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep Style Tab’s lights on!
