Don’t worry, we’re not going to spring Halloween decorations and pumpkin spice everything on you, but Fall is officially here -- and with it, changes to the weather and, if you’re doing things right, to your skincare regimen.
Here are the skin changes to look out for and how to update your daily routine to reflect what it needs.
Summer is all about lighter skincare products, SPF, and exfoliation, which makes sense when you think about what you’re dealing with in the summer months: depending on where you live, factors like heat and humidity generally increase oil and sweat production, thereby increasing skin’s overall moisture level (and unwelcome oil-related issues like clogged pores and breakouts). Plus, UV exposure and environmental damage can cause hyperpigmentation, while lots of water and chlorine can break down the skin’s natural barrier.
This makes barrier-repairing light moisturizers, antioxidants, and exfoliation absolute necessities, and you should look specifically for clarifying and moisturizing ingredients like kaolin clay, glycolic acid, hyaluronic acid, vitamin C and SPF.
As the seasons change, though, so do your skincare needs. Particularly if you live in a varied climate, factors like colder air, wind, and more layers of clothing can cause the skin to dry.
Plus, you may be dealing with leftover summer skin issues - like breakouts and a stripped barrier - while preparing for frigid winter months. In short, it’s a huge transition. This is what your skin needs to make the transition gracefully.
The good news? Making this switch isn’t actually a huge deal, and it only requires two main changes.
Again, if you’ve spent a lot of time in water our outdoors, your skin may be more stripped than you might like. Plus, if you’ve spent a significant amount of time in the summer, you may have racked up some damage that may require some TLC. To this end, you can:
Next, you’ll want to work on maintaining that skin barrier and ensuring that your skin doesn’t get dry or dehydrated. Again, in the fall, you’re going to be adding a lot of layers and dealing with other harsher weather conditions - and your skincare needs to help you fight that.
Ingredients to help this include:
You’ll also want to focus particularly on your eye area and your lips. The skin around your eyes and lips is more delicate than the skin on the other areas of your face because these areas don’t have oil glands and the skin in thinner. That means that you’re likely to notice dry eyes, chapped lips, or puffiness and exacerbated fine lines before you notice anything else.
Luckily, a great eye cream and nightly lip mask should do the trick here.