Vote your way to moisture!

Happy election day BGND readers! Hopefully you have all gone out there and done your civic duty (whether your blood runs blue or red). I have a feeling that some of you had to stand outside waiting in line or even more likely, walk a bit to your polling place? And I bet the weather at your polling place was one of three options depending on what part of the country you live in. 1)Cold and blustery, 2) cold and clear or 3) dry and clear. Now, just like that "I Voted" sticker is displaying your patriotic spirit, your skin is showing the effect of today's election and the weather you faced to cast your ballot. So in this post, I am finally going to address the TON of mail that I have received about the effects of winter weather on our poor faces. (I recently addressed dry skin on the body (see the post from 10/30/08) but today, the face is front and center.)

We all know winter skin is different from summer skin. And often times it seems like as soon as we get one skin care routine down pat, the seasons change and we are faced with a whole mess of new skin irritations to deal with. To clear up some of the confusion and help you survive the gray months, the following is my list of winter skin MUSTS...things that will not only help your skin during the dry and/or cold winter, but will allow you to come out ready to rock some glowing skin come spring.

1) Exfoliation is not just for summer

Just because your skin is dry and patchy, maybe even irritated, it does not mean you should stop exfoliating. Now, don't go crazy with super harsh scrubs because they can make things worse but use a creamy scrub that will allow for the cell turnover you need during this time of the year but won't cause any more redness than you already have thanks to the elements. If you don't exfoliate, all those sad, dull, dry skin cells will just sit on the surface of your face, making things worse than they already are.

2) Winter is not another term for "no sunscreen months"

NOPE. Don't even think it. Ever gotten burned on an overcast day? You always need sun protection and just because the sun isn't beating down doesn't mean those pesky UVA and UVB rays aren't sneaking through.

3) Winter clothes, winter moisturizer?

One common winter mistake is that people switch to a winter cream but do not go with the right one. I have seen 25 year old girls buying cream designed for mature skin just because they want something super thick and hydrating. You have to make sure that what you are using is right for your unique set of problems, and not just something that looks heavy duty. Always make sure it still has the ingredients you need but doesn't conflict with anything else you may be doing. So if for instance you are someone with dry winter skin that is noticeable flaky or irritated, look at what you have been using in the summer months - see what the ingredients are and they try to find a creamy or richer version of that. This will usually do the trick. You will be moisturized but not missing or conflicting with any of your other regimen steps. A good example of this kind of "step-up" would be the Clinique moisturizers. They offer many that come in different moisturizing strengths..so if you are someone who generally uses their Oily skin level, drop to the more hydrating combination skin level and see if that extra surge of moisture does the trick. It usually will and you will still be getting all the good things you need into your skin.

(A side note on this, if you are not using a serum- please start. It truly is the first step in getting nutrients into your skin and sealing in moisture. A good serum can make more difference than any different or new moisturizer could. That may be all the switch or winter upgrade you need. More on this in tomorrow's blog post.)

So all, whether or not your candidate wins today - at least your skin will look winning!

Keep looking fabulous!

BGND