by: Isabella Sarlija

Allow us to mourn summer for a bit–we will miss the days sipping on cool Pilsner’s in the scorching heat and spending quality time with friends at the shore. Although we will miss these positive aspects of the warm season, let us look ahead to what’s to come in our fall skin care. As we prepare our spaces with all the blankets and pillows we can imagine, we must also remember to prepare ourselves through our fall skin care routines. If you’re feeling unsure of how to tend to your skin during this transitional season, read on. 

Humectants

Humectants are ingredients in skin care that draw water from the environment. Although it is crucial to wear ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerin during the summer to pull water from the humid outside world and onto your skin, wear these ingredients sparingly during the cooler months. Here’s why: given that fall and winter are much less humid seasons than the spring or summer, there is less water in the air for these ingredients to pull. Since these ingredients are essentially water magnets, they will attract moisture from wherever they can get. With nowhere else to turn, humectants will start to draw water from your skin, resulting in dehydration. We recommend using fewer humectant ingredients in the fall and winter than you would in the spring and summer. Instead, opt for a hydrating mask a few nights a week. 

Occlusives & Emollients

As we scale back on our use of humectants, we must remember to replenish our moisture barriers and seal in all the moisture we can for dewy and plump skin all year long. Use ingredients like ceramides, cholesterol, fatty acids, and oils that all work to deeply moisturize the skin and protect any hydration from leaving your precious face. 

Tools

With more time indoors during the fall and winter, we are bound to move around less than we would have during those outdoor summer activities. As our body remains less active, our lymph system can stagnate, resulting in puffiness and breakouts. Be sure to use these tools for daily lymphatic drainage massages, and add them to your fall skin care routine.