best ingredients to prepare your skin for winter
A change of season usually means a change in how our skin feels and what it needs.
When it gets a bit colder our skin can often go quite dry and flakey, we might get some blemishes, rosacea might come into play and the overall tone of our skin can often look a bit lifeless. Although all of these things are really common, it's not what we want! On top of dreary weather, we don't also want our skin bringing us down.
So I thought I would compile a little list of the best ingredients to use to get a head start on having our skin looking and feeling it's best for the cooler months ahead.
1. Shea Butter
FOR SOFTNESS & MOISTURE
Shea Butter is one of the best natural ingredients to soften and soothe the skin. It helps to heal and protect our skin, which is exactly what it needs during winter. It will not only combat dryness with its amazing moisturising properties, but will also help lock in that moisture making sure our skin stays hydrated all day. It also helps to fight free radical damage caused by the cold, harsh weather, making it pretty much our skin's winter hero.
2. Sodium Hyaluronate or Hyaluronic Acid
FOR INTENSE HYDRATION
As our skin is more prone to dryness as a result of the cold air and heated indoors, we want an ingredient like Sodium Hyaluronate.
Sodium Hyaluronate is a game changer when it comes to hydration. It is a counterpart of Hyaluronic Acid and holds 1000 times its weight in water making it the ultimate hydrator. Sometimes both are referred to as ‘Hyaluronic Acid’ but there are some key differences, with the main one being Sodium Hyaluronate has a much lower molecular size, which allows it to penetrate the skin better. It also helps our skin retain the moisture so it stays supple for longer.
3. Essential Fatty Acids
FOR IMPROVED TEXTURE & BARRIER FUNCTION
These acids are so beneficial to our skin as they help the layers function and work optimally. They will ultimately heal and strengthen our skin's natural barrier, which if compromised, can lead to all kinds of skin concerns. They will help even out tone, combat dehydrated skin, increase hydration, reduce redness and sensitivity. These are pretty much the pillars of good skin health and they can be found in things like hemp oil, jojoba oil, avocado oil and olive oil.
4. Macadamia Oil
FOR PROTECTION & MOISTURE
This is one of the best oils because not only is it an excellent moisturising and protective oil, it is also extremely lightweight and absorbs quickly into the skin without feeling too greasy. This is perfect for this time of year because although we want moisture, we don't want to it to feel heavy. Macadamia oil also contains a fatty acid called palmitic acid, which is naturally found in our own skin sebum, which softens our skin and helps it to retain moisture.
5. White Willow Bark
FOR GENTLE EXFOLIATION
As our skin is usually going through different temperatures, from being really cold outside to probably a heated room, our skin cells tend to dry out and die quicker than the other months. As a result, we want something like White Willow Bark to gently exfoliate the skin. This will help get rid of those dead skin cells and help the skin to look fresh, polished and revitalised. It will also help other skin care products to better penetrate the skin giving optimal results.
6. Chamomile
TO CALM
It is very common to experience rosacea, redness and also inflammation during winter. This is often because our skin is being exposed to different temperatures, from the cold air, to a heated room and back again. To help with this, we want to calm and soothe the skin and one of the best ingredients is the chamomile. It will also help to calm any irritation you may have and restores moisture giving our skin a natural glow.
7. Vitamin C
FOR COLLAGEN & BRIGHTNESS
Vitamin C is vital for assisting with the production of collagen, which helps the skin look plump and youthful. Because our skin can often look a bit lifeless during winter, this is pretty much a skin pick-me-up. It will have our skin looking fresh, vibrant and bright, so much so that we'll forget it's gloomy outside. Vitamin C can be found in ingredients like Kakadu Plum, Carrot Seed Oil, Quandong and Pomegranate Seeds.
Hopefully this list has sparked ideas of what you could add to your regime to keep your skin glowing for the colder months. Or perhaps ideas of what things you may already have that you could use a bit more of.
The Bare Essentials range includes all of these amazing ingredients, which you can discover here.
Please also let us know if you have any other favourite ingredients you love to use for this time of year, we'd love to hear!
xx
Image via @biancatuzee