Written by OSEA Staff | Published December 10, 2024
The transition from sizzling summer into cooler autumn and winter weather is filled with colorful leaves, pumpkin spice drinks and plenty of flannel. Beyond colder temperatures and the fall aesthetic, the seasonal transition means the air is drier. To ensure your skin remains hydrated and happy, it’s a good idea to adjust your current skin care practice in favor of a dry skin care routine. Keep reading for suggestions on how to build an effective ritual for winter dry skin specifically for your skin type.
Why Do Skin Care Needs Change According to the Weather?
The epidermis—or the outermost layer of skin—is covered by the skin barrier. This forcefield requires moisture to thrive and look healthy. During dry weather, the skin loses moisture, and the barrier has fewer lipids.1 These conditions compromise the skin barrier, leaving it drier and uncomfortable.
Taking hot showers and cranking the heat indoors also contribute to dry skin. Your skin care routine should not make skin even drier, which is why all skin types should use gentle, non-stripping cleansers and exfoliators and serums that address specific concerns while also helping hydrate skin.
When it comes to moisturizers and creams to establish a skin care routine for dry skin, here are suggestions based on skin type.
Normal Skin
Normal skin is well-balanced, meaning it is not too dry or oily. Still, cold air has a drying effect on normal skin types. Pamper dehydrated, drier skin with products that aid hydration to address the stripping of natural oils. Doing so will help replenish the skin barrier to lock in moisture.
Our Hyaluronic Sea Serum is the perfect skin care solution to maintain an optimal skin barrier. The Japanese Miru seaweed replenishes the skin’s natural moisture levels and helps keep the skin hydrated. The two molecular weights of hyaluronic acid also help hydrate thirsty skin.
The trio of a plant-based bio retinol, Undaria seaweed and biomimetic lipids in the Advanced Protection Cream are also effective hydrators to save winter skin. Complete your daily and nightly skin care practice with our Essential Hydrating Oil to help retain moisture from the Hyaluronic Sea Serum and Advanced Protection Cream.
Oily Skin
When skin is naturally oily, many people with this skin type might believe the dry weather won’t strip their skin of natural oils (because they have it in excess). Unfortunately, the drier conditions can cause oil production to increase. The skin produces more sebum (natural oil) to compensate for the dryness.2
Choosing a lightweight, fast-absorbing moisturizer can help you manage sebum production and moisture loss while addressing weather-induced dryness. These products aid hydration and moisturization without leaving a pore-clogging layer on top of already oily skin.
Right after cleansing (and before applying serums and moisturizers), spritz your skin with our Sea Minerals Mist. The aloe vera increases skin’s water content to manage oily skin in dry weather. Next, try the Seabiotic® Water Cream, with ingredients to replenish the moisture barrier.
Combination Skin
Individuals with combination skin have oily and dry skin. The oiliest areas are typically the forehead, bridge of the nose and chin, while dryness takes over the cheeks.3 It’s understandable to wonder how to manage areas that can become drier in winter due to natural oil and moisture loss while also keeping sebum production in check.
Adding our Sea Minerals Mist and Seabiotic® Water Cream or Blemish Balm to your combination skin care routine can deeply hydrate skin to maintain the proper balance without contributing to more oiliness.
Sensitive Skin
Naturally sensitive skin boils down to genetics4 and can quickly become irritated by chemicals and different environmental conditions, such as temperature and windy weather.
Use hydrating skin care products that help skin maintain moisture while helping relieve weather-related irritation. The two molecular weights of hyaluronic acid in the Hyaluronic Sea Serum work synergistically to boost hydration, fullness and firmness of skin. The Japanese Miru seaweed balances moisture levels and snow mushroom locks in that moisture.
The marine extract in the Advanced Protection Cream can help soothe and soften sensitive skin, while the biomimetic lipid complex helps increase the skin’s hydration to visibly smooth the skin. Apply the Dayglow Face Oil® as the final skin in your morning and nightly skin care routine for a dewy, glazed finish.
Sources
1. Eagle, R (March 16, 2021). What to know about dry skin in winter. Medical News Today. Retrieved October 24, 2024, from Winter dry skin: Causes, treatment, and more (medicalnewstoday.com)
2. Brown, J (February 24, 2023). Sometimes, Oily Skin Can Get Even Slicker in the Winter—Derms Say These 4 Ingredients Can Help. Well+Good. Retrieved October 24, 2024, from How To Manage Oily Winter Skin, According to a Derm | Well+Good (wellandgood.com)
3. Derrick, J (October 1, 2024). How to Tell If You Have a Combination Skin Type (And How to Care for It Accordingly). Byrdie. Retrieved October 24, 2024, from How To Tell if You Have Combo Skin and How to Care For It (byrdie.com)
4. Dancer, R and Prinzivalli, L (February 16, 2022). Everything You Need to Know for Identifying and Treating Sensitive Skin. Retrieved October 24, 2024, from Sensitive Skin: Causes, Symptoms, Triggers and Treatment — Expert Tips | Allure
