Optimized Winter Skincare Routine

winter skin care, cold dry skin

Winter is notoriously the “bad skin” season. We tend to spend more time indoors with poor air quality, exercise less, lack sun exposure, and eat fewer fresh foods. In addition, when we do go outside, the air is cold and dry. All of these factors are incredibly taxing on the skin.

We want to change how winter skin is viewed by providing tips and tricks to take care of your skin, from the inside out. If you’re interested in clear, hydrated, and glowing skin year-round, keep reading for our full Winter Skincare Routine!

Holistic Winter Skin Routine

Nourish Your Skin from Within: As we have said many times, your skin is like a window into your internal health. The skin is intimately tied to the health of your liver, lungs and entire digestive system. You cannot achieve truly healthy and beautiful skin without also addressing the health of your body as a whole.

environmental toxins health effects

In our modern day and age, our bodies are constantly bombarded by toxins in our food, air, and cleaning and skincare products. It’s important to avoid toxins whenever possible to avoid overburdening your eliminatory organs (liver, kidneys, lungs, etc.). High toxin exposure causes inflammation, which damages the skin. It is also important to eat a nutritious diet, rich in antioxidants to help protect the skin from oxidative damage. Great foods for the skin include healthy saturated fats like pastured animal meats, eggs, grass-fed butter, wild-caught fatty fish, and coconut oil. Additionally, focus on eating a variety of in-season vegetables to help cleanse the bowels and provide antioxidant protection.

How does your skin reflect your inner health? Check out our Chinese Face Mapping blog to learn more

Spice Up Your Diet: According to TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine), the lungs and liver rule the skin. In the winter, the lungs are susceptible to stress and this can degrade the health of the skin. TCM recommends herbs like Astragalus and spicy foods like onions, garlic, ginger, chilies, radishes, and kimchi to support the health of the lung “wei chi”, especially during winter.
Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate: Healthy skin requires water. High quality water, ideally spring water, is a great way to support collagen production on top of staying hydrated. More important than food is water, so be sure to get adequate water daily. While this varies from person to person, we recommend getting in about 2-3 liters per day.

fresh spring water

Read more: Our Ultimate Guide to Water

Choose The Right Skincare Products

Minimize Soap Use: Most of us were taught that it is important to wash and scrub, or even exfoliate, our faces daily. The truth is, not only is this not necessary, it can actually disrupt the skin’s pH and sebum production. You can spare your soap (ideally a gentle castile soap) for washing in the important regions of your body, such as the crevices, underarms, feet, etc. When it comes to the skin on your face, wash only when necessary and stick to gentle, organic and non-toxic cleansers that won’t strip away too much oil, such as our gentle Pearl Cleanser.

Most commercial cleansers can be extremely irritating, drying and even toxic the skin. If your current cleanser features glycolic, salicylic acid, or alcohol, you might want to consider upgrading to a higher quality, toxic and alcohol free cleanser. The Alitura Pearl Cleanser has none of these chemicals and is packed with highly effective natural ingredients, such as freshwater pearl powder and colloidal silver.

Pro Tip: Moisturize immediately after cleansing to lock in moisture.

Overnight Skin Care: Moisturizing the skin overnight is smart for a few reasons. First, the body repairs and rejuvenates while in REM sleep. Supporting the skin with a nutritive and lubricating moisturizer can assist the regeneration of the skin. Secondly, there is the basic factor of time: While you sleep, your moisturizer has 6-8 hours to soak in.

Ideally, you want to choose a moisturizer that has been engineered specifically for regenerating the skin overnight. The Alitura Night Cream features a variety of soothing organic and natural oils, hyaluronic acid, plant-derived stem cells, and potent antioxidants that are fantastic for keeping the skin hydrated and revitalized.

best alitura night cream