Just as you switch up your wardrobe every few months, it’s important to do the same for your beauty routine – especially as summer gives way to autumn. Noticed your skin breaking out and looking dull recently? The change in seasons is probably to blame – the changing climate can lead to dead skin cell buildup, which in turn results in trapped oil and bacteria beneath the surface, and increased breakouts – and on top of this, it’s likely that you’re spending more time indoors and have ramped up the central heating, so your skin will require more hydration.
Scroll down for ten simple tweaks you can make to your routine as autumn kicks in.
Reduce acids and retinols to their gentler forms
Skin becomes drier and more sensitive during the winter. You might think that exfoliation would worsen dryness, but it’s important to keep at it – just tone down the strength a little to avoid potential irritation as your skin’s sensitivity changes. Rather than a scrub, a chemical exfoliant will help both to treat tight, flaky skin and to improve moisture retention. Try the gentlest AHA available, mandelic acid (which will also help to hide evidence of summer skin sins by targeting sun spots).
Beauty editor recommends: Allies Of Skin Mandelic Pigmentation Corrector Night Serum
Introduce oils
Switching temperatures constantly (OTT central heating, cold commutes, hot showers) disrupts the skin’s moisture balance, meaning skin can become a lot flakier and drier in the autumn months. Introducing an oil into your routine will not only nourish skin in the short-term but will also help your skin to improve moisture retention in the long haul. Look for multi-oil blends that draw upon the benefits of different ingredients.
Beauty editor recommends: Herbivore Lapis Blue Tansy Oil
...and vitamin C
To maintain your summer glow into the colder months, vitamin C will help to brighten and boost skin, stimulating collagen production so skin can better retain moisture, and helping to protect it from external aggressors. What’s more it will also help skin to repair any potential long-term damage. During the summer months, our skin is exposed to a higher concentration of harmful UV rays which can result in photo damage and premature aging of the skin. The use of vitamin C will help to correct and reverse the damage and assist with maintaining an even skin tone and texture and enhancing the skin’s natural glow.
Beauty editor recommends: Bliss Bright Idea Vitamin C + Tri-Peptide Serum
Switch your cleanser to an oil or balm
If you’ve been using a foaming or abrasive cleanser throughout summer, switch it out for a cream or oil-based formula once temperatures start to drop. Your skin will be producing less oil so It’s important to wash your skin gently to prevent oil from being stripped. Cream, oil, and balm formulas will still do an effective job of removing makeup and deep pore cleansing without disrupting oil balance.
Beauty editor recommends: By BEAUTY BAY Chamomile + Oat Lipid Cleansing Balm
Use more moisturising products
As autumn gives way to winter, you’re likely to feel even more dryness (especially around areas where your skin is delicate like the eyes and lips), so now’s a good time to add extra moisture to the skin in preparation for the big freeze. Most hydrating masks, balms, and salves don’t need to be rinsed off so you can even apply and leave them on overnight for an added moisture boost.
Beauty editor recommends: Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask
Invest in a thicker moisturiser
A lightweight moisturiser will have been enough for most skin types in the summer, but cooling temperatures and central heating kicking in are signs that you need to reach for a slightly more hydrating moisturiser. Even if you prefer oil-free creams or are using an oil elsewhere in your routine, skin can benefit from something with a thicker consistency to seal in hydration – think of it as the skincare equivalent of your winter coat.
Beauty editor recommends: Holika Holika Good Cera Super Ceramide Cream
Don't forget SPF
There is one part of your summer skincare routine that should remain no matter what. It’s essential that an SPF is part of your skincare regime during the winter as the sun’s UV rays are just as harmful (remember, the radiation from the sun can penetrate through windows). Proof that come rain or shine, it’s vital to apply sunscreen to your face and other exposed areas of skin like your neck, ears, and hands, daily.
Beauty editor recommends: Supergoop! Glowscreen SPF30
Reset skin with an enzyme peel
A gentler alternative to chemical peels (so ideal for sensitive skin), enzymes gently break down the keratin protein that holds dead skin cells to the top layers of the skin. The result? Skin looks brighter and feels smoother. Many people also report clearer pores, reduced breakouts, and even fewer ingrown hairs (when used as a body treatment).
Beauty editor recommends: Peter Thomas Roth Pumpkin Enzyme Mask
Treat redness with calming ingredients
If you’re prone to redness then chances are you’ll notice it flare up more in the cooler months – especially around the nose and cheeks. Look out for calming, anti-inflammatory ingredients like cica, mushroom, and colloidal oatmeal which help to calm redness and soothe irritation.
Beauty editor recommends: Dr+ Jart Cicapair Tiger Grass Calming Gel Cream
Discover probiotic skincare
Probiotic skincare works in much the same way that probiotic supplements do on our gut – they help it to maintain balance. If you’d class your skin as ‘combination’ and find that it can swing unpredictably between dry and oily, then using a serum or moisturiser with probiotics can help to keep things in check.
Beauty editor recommends: Aurelia London The Probiotic Concentrate
