Easy tweaks that can lead to a healthy glow year-round. Just as you update your wardrobe every season, you need to do the same with your beauty routine. That’s because each season has a different effect on skin, and you therefore need to adjust your skincare products and routine accordingly.
Don’t worry: You don’t have to give your beauty arsenal a complete overhaul. With these simple tweaks, your skin can stay bright and healthy every day of the year.
Make Sure Your Layers Include SPF
Even during the colder months, the sun is still shining—so you still need to be diligent about your sun protection. (Plus, snow reflects UV rays, so sun exposure in the winter months can be just as strong as summer.) No matter the time of year, SPF 30 is still the minimum recommended by the American Academy of Dermatology. Then, once spring rolls back around and you’re spending more time outdoors, consider upping your SPF level and stocking up on sun-protective gear, like hats, unbleached cotton, and clothing that offers built-in sun-protective technology.
Adjust Your Hydration
No matter your skin type, moisturizer is a year-round must. But the level of moisture you need varies throughout the year. In the summer months, wear a lightweight lotion with hyaluronic acid, which gives your skin the hydration it needs without clogging pores or feeling heavy on skin. Then, in the winter, switch to a rich cream. As the air becomes cool in the fall and winter months, it gets drier—and so does your skin. Plus, moisture protects your skin against the elements, and without it, your skin may be more vulnerable to irritation. A more substantial cream will create an oily barrier to seal hydration into skin and give it an extra protective layer.
Consider Your Lips
As the dry air in fall and winter sap moisture from your skin, it does the same for your lips — they’re skin too. And as your lips don’t have oil glands like the rest of your skin, they’re even more delicate and prone to dryness and flaking. So treat your lips 24/7 with a nourishing balm like ChapStick Total Hydration 3 in 1, which helps renew the natural moisture barrier of the lips and keeps them moisturized for up to eight hours.
Incorporate Hand Cream
If your knuckles tend to crack in the winter, get in the habit of applying a rich hand cream early in the season; keep it next to the sink and apply it after you wash and dry your hands. Plus, it’ll protect your hands against the combination of low temperatures and dry air, and keep your nails from feeling brittle. When you’re out during the day, wear gloves for another layer of protection against harsh weather.
Go Oil-Free
While it might be common knowledge that skin gets dry in the winter, you may not realize that skin, conversely, gets oilier in the summer. But a study published in Skin Research & Technology found that all skin types produce significantly more sebum (skin’s naturally occurring oil) in the summer months. While that means skin is more hydrated, there can be too much of a good thing—and that excess oil can lead to clogged pores and shiny skin. So, when it’s warm out, wash up with a cleanser that contains salicylic acid, which gently exfoliates and keeps pores clear, and try an oil-free moisturizer.
Originally published on RealSimple.com/Strive.