Ah, springtime. It is a time of renewal. As the seasons change, the weather gets warmer, plants sprout up, and animals come out of hiding. It’s a time of serious change out there!
Of course, the changing of seasons always warrants changes elsewhere. This also includes changing our beauty routines! Hey, you didn’t think you could just keep the same routine forever, did you?
Your Skin’s Needs Change Along With the Environment
As the environment changes around us, our skin needs change, too!
A lot of it has to do with changes in temperature and humidity. When it is colder outside, it can sometimes make your skin feel tighter, drier, and all-around more uncomfortable. That is because the colder, drier air in fall and winter can literally suck the moisture out of your skin! This evaporation from the skin is called Transepidermal Water Loss, or TEWL. It’s normal, but it sucks. (See what I did there?) In other words, it leaves your precious skin feeling dry and dehydrated.
On top of that, we run the heat inside homes and other buildings when it is cold outside. That heated air is extra dry by nature, leaving your skin extra parched all season long. You can combat that dry air in several different ways if your home’s heat is leaving you extra crispy.
However, once we move into warmer months, the air typically contains more humidity. Sounds great, right? Well, your skin has to adjust. It just spent several months trying to make up for all that cold, dry air. Give it a little while to adjust – and adjust your beauty routine – before you start expecting that springtime glow!
Beyond the temperature and humidity levels, there is actually even more to it than that. You also have to factor in changes in sun exposure, too. Not only are you spending more time outdoors, but there are also more hours of sunlight each day. And we all know that sun exposure equals UV ray exposure, right? UV rays are no bueno when it comes to keeping your skin in tip-top shape.
So, what are we doing when spring rolls around? We are sprucing up those beauty routines for spring, right?! If you are seeing rising temps and leaves sprouting on trees, it’s time. Let’s update that routine!
Jump Start With a Facial
Spring into the new season with a facial! You have spent all those cold months stuck inside most of the time. Do you know what’s inside? Extra dry air from the heat. And outside isn’t much better, with the dry, cold air!
Start your springtime skincare with a facial. It will do a number of things that your skin deserves after suffering through the winter. For starters, a facial will help relieve dehydrated skin. It will also provide deeper exfoliation than you could achieve at home and will unclog pores.
But did you know that facials can also increase the circulation of blood under the skin? This can be pretty important as you spring into warm weather because low temperatures can cause your blood vessels to narrow and restrict blood flow.
Spring Clean Your Beauty Routine
It’s time for a good spring cleaning, and I’m not talking about your house! Now is the perfect time to do a little housekeeping in your beauty arsenal. You obviously don’t have to wait until the spring to do this, but you might as well get it done while you’re sprucing up your beauty routine for warmer weather.
So, what are we ditching? You need to toss anything that is expired. And if you can’t find an expiration date, definitely throw out items that have been hanging around for more than a year, or that are so old you don’t know how long they’ve been in your makeup bag.
Also, throw out anything that contains harmful ingredients. If you peep the ingredients and find parabens, carcinogens, and other toxic ingredients, toss it in the trash. I don’t care how expensive of a product it is! If you need help identifying harmful ingredients, check out this list of common skincare ingredients that you should absolutely avoid.
Upgrade Your Sunscreen
Wearing SPF is an important part of everyone’s skincare routines, regardless of the time of year! I know that some people skip sunscreen in the winter, but you really shouldn’t. It doesn’t matter if it’s grey and cloudy, or it’s the dead of winter – sunscreen is non-negotiable. UV rays can and will still find you to cause damage to your skin.
With that being said, the SPF you wear in warmer months needs to be stronger than what you slather on in the winter. We get more time in the sun (and more UV rays) thanks to the tilt of the earth’s axis.
Start using sunscreen that has at least 50 SPF. Always choose a sunscreen that offers broad-spectrum protection, too. This will protect against both UVB rays that cause burning and UVA rays that cause lasting damage.
Swap Out Your Moisturizer
Just like with your sunscreen, your moisturizer could probably use a refresh for springtime, too. Many of us switch to heavier creams in the winter to combat all the dry skin caused by low humidity and cold air. Cold weather calls for rich moisturizers that are packed with emollients and occlusives to lock moisture in and prevent it from evaporating out of the skin.
Once we get into warmer weather, those rich creams might feel too heavy. And once it gets even hotter outside, heavy moisturizers can be greasy and downright uncomfortable on sweaty skin. Of course, you should still be moisturizing your skin regularly, you just don’t really need the heavy stuff.
As the temperature goes up and humidity increases, we can skip the heavy cream for a lighter moisturizer. Occlusives, like petroleum jelly, aren’t really necessary. Instead, reach for a moisturizer that includes humectants, such as hyaluronic acid or glycerine, to help attract moisture from the environment. It might also be helpful to switch to a gel-based formula that absorbs faster.
Exfoliate!
Your personal skin and how it behaves in the colder months dictates whether you’ve been exfoliating. Some people with sensitive skin might not do a lot of scrubbing (physical or chemical) when it is cold outside. Dry skin could be aggravated and dried out even more with an exfoliator.
Related: The Basics on At-Home Chemical Peels
However, as the weather warms up and the humidity increases, it’s time to slough off the dry, dull flakes. It’s prime time to jump back into exfoliating and brighten up your skin. Get all that dull, dry skin that has accumulated during winter. Plus, the changing humidity and temperatures mean that our skins will be able to better tolerate exfoliation.
Just make sure you don’t overdo it, especially if you haven’t been exfoliating regularly. You can quickly go from dull, dry winter skin to irritated, inflamed skin. Start out with exfoliation – physical, chemical, or a combination of both – once a week.
Start a Skincare Routine, and Stick to It
I know, it can be hard to stick to a skincare routine. You’ve been at work all day, your house is in need of a deep clean, and you still haven’t made dinner yet. How does anyone have the extra time or energy to execute 40 steps of cleansing and serums – and do it twice a day?
The trick here is doing your research on effective products and products that multitask. Then, come up with a bare minimum skincare routine that you can get done in just a few minutes.
If you need help putting together a feels-like-nothing skincare routine that you can do in less than five minutes, check out my bare minimum skincare routine that anyone can do. It will keep your skin looking its best, without taking up too much time.
Experiment With New Tools
There is absolutely nothing wrong with the traditional way of doing things, but there are now plenty of tools on the market that can help boost your skincare routine.
Facial steamers can help loosen up built-up dirt, oil, and other grime from clogged pores. Jade rollers and cooling facial globes are a great way to apply moisturizers and serums while also reducing puffiness. And derma rollers might look intimidating with all their tiny metal needles, but they can help your skincare products penetrate better to boost effectiveness.
Make a Promise to Sleep More
Beauty sleep isn’t just an old wives’ tale. Getting enough rest is extremely important for your skin. Just like other parts of our bodies, our skin repairs itself at night while we sleep. It also makes new collagen while you’re catching Zs. That means that you need to get your beauty rest. It’s an important part of your beauty routine.
Making sure you get enough sleep will leave you looking more refreshed and may help prevent fine lines. It’s just one extra (and free!) step to add to your beauty routine that will work wonders. There’s no time like the present to make a promise to yourself to get enough sleep. Your skin will thank you!
