how to: keep your skin happy in cold weather

December 7, 2020

Most skincare experts agree that winter is the worst season for healthy skin. When the temperature drops, humidity levels in the air drop, and dry winter air can strip skin of its natural moisture, leaving it parched and agitated. Turning on the thermostat at home doesn’t help the situation either, as it draws humidity out of the air, continuing the vicious cycle of leaving skin dry, dehydrated, or both. Dry skin then builds up on the surface, clogging pores, triggering excess oil production…and here come the breakouts!

Fortunately (and unfortunately), all of this is normal. And it's important to remember that skin that's breaking out or irritated should not be treated more harshly in an attempt to remedy it. What your skin really needs in the winter is nourishing moisture and gentle care.

To help provide that, here are a few of our favorite ways to keep our skin happy in cold weather:

1) use a gentle cleanser

Drying soaps and cleansers are even harsher on the skin when it's already dry. Instead, you'll want to opt for a more nourishing cleanser that will lift away daily dirt and grime without stripping your skin.

At cocokind, we're big proponents of cleansing oils, which help nourish and balance your skin (even if you have oily skin!) while also removing makeup and impurities. Our cleansing oil is a great option - you can massage it into dry skin and remove it with a damp cotton pad, or with a few spritzes of rosewater on a cotton pad.

For an oil cleanse that you can actually wash off with water, try our oil to milk cleanser. This rich oily jelly transforms into a milk upon contact with water and rinses easily away.

2) unclog those pores

Dried out winter skin is often subject to dead cell buildup on its surface, leading to clogged pores and dullness. The best remedy? A gentle e xfoliator, like our sea moss exfoliator! Our exfoliator uses ultra-fine particles to smooth away uneven texture and buildup, while also unclogging your pores and bringing back your skin's natural radiance.

3) hydrate in and out

Skin loses moisture through its surface layer, or the epidermis. During the winter, you’ll want to take extra steps to prevent moisture loss and envelop your skin in deep hydration. Our matcha face moisturizer, our richest moisturizer yet, was recently reformulated; it now features antioxidant-rich matcha tea powder, which calms redness (ideal for skin irritated by the elements), as well as green tea extract, which supports the skin’s moisture barrier. With a strong, healthy barrier, skin can then better retain moisture — which in turn offsets future dryness.

For even deeper hydration, prep your skin with our glow essence, which penetrates the top layer of your skin and improves absorption of all of the products you use after. Deeper absorption of your moisturizer = deeper, longer lasting hydration.

Finally, we’d recommend upping your normal water intake by 1-2 glasses per day.

4) boost your glow

If dull winter skin is getting you down, we recommend using our vitamin C serum to bring back your glow. Our serum uses nourishing sea grape caviar, hydrating hyaluronic acid, and sodium ascorbyl phosphate, one of the most gentle forms of vitamin C to brighten skin, even out tone, increase suppleness, and protect against environmental stress.

5) install a humidifier

We all need a little extra help sometimes! Investing in a humidifier can help improve the moisture levels in the air in your daily environment. This is particularly important in your bedroom, so your skin won't lose too much moisture while you're sleeping.

6) apply sunscreen regularly

Don't let winter weather make you forget to apply sunscreen! Winter sun can be just as strong as summer sun, even if it's hiding behind clouds. And the sun can still damage your skin even if you're *not* laying on the beach all day.

Sun damage can cause a variety of skin issues, including age spots, discoloration, and fine lines. To combat this, we always recommend using sunscreen, all day every day. Reach for our daily spf, which contains non-nano zinc oxide to protect skin with broad-spectrum SPF 32. It’s super lightweight and doesn’t leave a chalky or greasy feel on skin. Plus, it defends against blue light and pollution too!

And don’t forget — some UV rays are capable of penetrating glass, which means that sun protection is just as beneficial when you’re cozying up indoors.

7) don’t forget about your body

Winter dryness affects your skin from the neck down too, as anyone with dry, itchy legs can confirm. Swap harsh scrubs for our prebiotic body scrubbing clay, which gently exfoliates dead skin with upcycled coffee grounds to soften and smooth (thus allowing your body lotion to better absorb into skin, too!). It also supports the skin barrier, thanks to prebiotic chicory root extract, and leaves skin feeling smooth and comfortable.