Is your skin feeling stressed this winter?
Have you noticed it's much drier, irritated, with pesky breakouts?
Read on to discover why the Winter can impact your Essential Moisture Barrier and how you can help support it this Winter.
WHAT IS THE SKIN BARRIER?
Imagine your Skin Barrier to be like the roof to your house… you wouldn’t want holes in your roof, imagine the essential heat you would loose and the leaks you would have!
The Skin Barrier is the same, if it becomes compromised you loose essential hydration/ moisture and allow irritants in.
Your Skin Barrier is made of skin cells and lipids, we need these to be nice and compact to create this perfect seal, if this becomes unsettled this can lead to an unhappy, unbalanced skin and in the long term, can lead to premature ageing.
WHAT FACTORS IMPACT THE SKIN BARRIER IN THE WINTER?
The Natural Skin Barrier can be weakened by the following factors in the winter months:
Cold weather
Low humidity
Central heating
As well as using unsuitable and harsh skincare products
Eating rich processed foods… overindulgence in the holiday period!
Increased alcohol consumption
Reduction in water consumption
Sound Familiar?...
All of the above can cause tiny, superficial cracks in the skin that breaks down your skins Natural Moisture Barrier, this allows irritants in and essential natural skin moisture out!
This creates a vicious cycle in the skin…
The temptation is to change everything in your skincare regime or try quick fixes which can further upset the skin. Quite often just a few gentle adjustments are needed.
WHAT SYMPTOMS DO YOU EXPERIENCE ON THE SKIN?
Dry and sensitive
Flakiness
Redness
Stinging
Irritation
Breakouts!
HOW CAN YOU HELP REPAIR THE SKIN'S MOISTURE BARRIER?
AVOID
Harsh products such as AHA peels and PHYSICAL SCRUBS, these can cause tiny scratches on the skin.
Foaming gel cleansers, these ingredients are extremely drying and irritating. Make sure your cleanser doesn’t contain: SODIUM LAURETH SULFATE or SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE.
Toners containing SD ALCOHOL 40 OR DENATURED ALCOHOL, these strip moisture and water from the skin, which, ironically, can lead to an increase in breakouts and prematurely age the skin.
Ingredients that are too occlusive like MINERAL OIL OR PETROLATUM. These can clog the pores, causing breakouts and redness.
Steer clear of fragrance in your skincare. It will be displayed on the INCI list as PARFUM, FRAGRANCE or PERFUME, it's not needed by the skin and can cause irritation.
DO
Keep your Skincare routine simple; strip back to a gentle cleanser and moisturiser, slowly adding actives back in, a week at a time.
Use a moisturiser with a high lipid-rich oil that can help repair those tiny little cracks so the moisture can stay in and the irritants stay out. Some key ingredients to look out for in your moisturiser:
· Evening Primrose Oil
· Ceramides
· Linoleic/Linolenic Acids
· Squalane
· Shea Butter
Drink more water!
Increase fibre intake with 5 portions of your fruit and vegetables.
With a New Year, Create New Skincare Habits and help seal that Natural Moisture Barrier!