As the seasons change many of you will be thinking about changing your wardrobes to adapt to the colder temperatures and harsh elements. However, a factor that is often ignored is changing your skincare regime to better protect and repair your skin on a daily basis. Some elements involve preparing your skin before the seasonal shift in climate, whilst others involve daily advice to help keep your skin from drying out or becoming damaged. So here are 3 simple tips to help keep your skin undamaged and clear throughout the Autumn/Winter months.
1) Get a Facial Treatment
Going to see a specialist and getting a full dermatological treatment can help repair any damage your skin may have picked up during Summer, as well as strengthen it ahead of the approaching colder months. Ensuring that your skin is nourished and rejuvenated provides the best form of protection against drying, cold temperatures and icy moisture. Remember, the best form of defense is a good offense so make sure to be pro-active in your skincare preparations.
Now we realise that this is always a touchy subject for men as this sort of treatment has somewhat effeminate connotations that many men would feel emasculated by. Firstly, your mindset will make-or-break the way you feel about this treatment, so don’t fear it. Own the fact that you’re making your skin stronger and more resilient to the elements, call it a workout if you really need to settle your nerves. There are some great spa treatments for men out there, we particularly like the services offered by The Skin Health Spa in Marylebone, who provide men-only treatments.
2) Up Your Moisturising Game
Your skin faces a variety of damaging and harmful elements during the winter seasons including cold winds, frost, excessive rain and dry air conditioning so it has a lot to deal with. A good quality moisturiser will help with a lot of the recovery your skin will have to do on a daily basis, applying it in the morning and evening will ensure your skin recovers more quickly and easily.
A couple of things you should look out for in a good moisturiser:
- A bigger price tag does not mean better, do your research on the product.
- Check for decent sun-protection, even in Winter it’s important to protect against sun damage.
- Look for Retinol, it’s been shown to help reduce skin imperfections and signs of ageing.
- Vitamin A & C are always signs of a good daily moisturiser.
We recommend any of Kiehl’s Heavy-Lifting range as they tend to be light enough to apply without residue but also thick enough to be nourishing to the skin.
3) Avoid Very Hot Showers
We know this is going to be a pretty unpopular piece of advice, it’s Winter after all and you’ll be wanting a hot shower to warm up in before heading out or at the end of the day. However, excessively hot showers and baths are one of the easiest ways to damage your skin without you even knowing it. Hot water removes the protective, natural oil barrier on your skin which can lead to redness, irritation and drying out of the skin, which in turn can accelerate the ageing of skin and cause permanent damage.
A much better option is to go for a luke-warm shower and then slowly cool it as your body temperature adjusts to the water. This will mean you don’t inadvertently damage your skin and there are also a multitude of health benefits to taking a cold shower instead of a hot one.
Well those are some of our top skincare tips to help you with your Autmn/Winter regimes. As usual if you’ve enjoyed the article then do feel free to like, comment and share this with your friends/followers. You can also sign-up to be notified of new posts and follow The Male Stylist activity. If you have any comments or tips that you’d like to add feel free to leave them in the comments below.
By Adam Walker