Winter signals the glorious start of the holiday season. It’s the perfect time to get together with the girls, go shopping and maybe even steal a kiss under the mistletoe at the office party. Unfortunately, winter can come with some pretty unpleasant side-effects for those of us with dry skin. Say hello to flakiness, tightness and skin that’d be better suited to a faux-gator handbag.
If your skin seriously suffers in winter, we’ve got the solution. It doesn’t involve anything wacky (like nightingale excrement facials) or complicated. Instead, let’s just go back to basics and look at one product that might be exacerbating your skin issues without you even realising it: we’re talking about face wash or facial cleansers.
Why do we use facial cleansers?
Let’s face (see what we did there?) it, our skin takes a daily beating. We slather it in make-up, we let it soak up UV rays and sometimes we even lean on it with our oily fingertips. So, whether you have dry, oily or combination skin, it’s important to wash it every evening (in the AM too, if you’re oil prone) to remove dirt, free radicals, sebum and dead skin cells from your face. This process facilitates the production of new cells to leave you looking your radiant best.
Help. My facial cleanser is making my skin drier!
However, if your facial cleanser is leaving your skin drier than the Sahara desert, we can generally narrow the problem down to one of two culprits.
In some cases, excessive dryness is caused by over-cleansing. We know that squeaky clean feeling is awesome, but over-cleansing can remove the oils from your skin that keep it glowing with health. This in turn leaves your skin begging for moisture. If your skin is tight and flaky, cut down on your cleansing routine.
Another common cause of dry skin in winter is facial cleansers that contain harsh ingredients. Even if these products work great for you during the warmer months, you may need to say goodbye to ingredients such as glycolic acid (often present in exfoliating scrubs) during winter. Your skin will thank you for it. Instead, look for cleansers that promise to be gentle on your skin and boast intensive moisturising properties. Heavier, cream based products are ideal and fragrance-free products are always a plus for sensitive skin.
What are the best facial cleansers for dry skin this winter?
When it comes to skin-care, the word ‘best’ can be heavily subjective as no two people have identical skin needs. However, we can point you in the direction of 4 great quality cleansers (in no particular order) that will keep your skin hydrated this season and hopefully banish those scales!
1) Sukin Cream Cleanser ($9.99)
Sukin Cream Cleanser via www.beautydirectory.com.au
Sukin is an Australian natural skincare line that focuses on providing gentle products that “don’t cost the earth”. The Sukin Cream Cleanser is, like the rest of the range, formulated without synthetic fragrances, animal derivatives and harsh chemicals that might dry out or irritate your skin. It’s billed as a “light, cream based formula for a gentle cleanse”, and best suits mature or dry skin types.
The Sukin Cream Cleanser can be used up to twice daily to remove make-up and impurities from your skin. It contains avocado, rose hip oil and wheat germ to nourish your skin and aloe vera, burdock, horsetail and nettle to leave you feeling invigorated and refreshed.
(This product has stockists around the globe, but US buyers may need to pay Amazon a visit.)
2) The Body Shop Aloe Calming Facial Cleanser ($14.50)
The Body Shop Aloe Calming Facial Cleanser via www.beautydirectory.com.au
The Body Shop is another brand that prides itself on natural ingredients and fair-trade practices. Their Aloe Calming Facial Cleanser is described as a “mild and creamy soap-free cleansing lotion”, which promises to leave your skin feeling baby soft and oh-so hydrated. If you’ve got sensitive skin, this aloe vera infused product is for you. It boasts a range of completely satisfied customers from teens to those in their 60’s and beyond, with dozens of reviews to back up its claims.
3) Clinique Comforting Cream Cleanser ($19.50)
Clinique Comforting Cream Cleanser via www.clinique.com
If you’ve got a little more cash to spend, the Clinique Comforting Cream Cleanser comes highly recommended and with good reason. This allergy tested and fragrance free product is extra gentle on dry and sensitive skin and removes make-up as effortlessly as it does other impurities from your skin. Clinique suggests that you use the product nightly for optimum results. This beautifully whipped cleanser performs particularly well on mature skin.
4) Burt’s Bees Intense Hydration Cream Cleanser ($10.00)
Burt’s Bees Intense Hydration Cream Cleanser via www.beautydirectory.com.au
The title says it all. Burt’s Bees Intense Hydration Cream Cleanser is another product that harnesses the power of natural ingredients to bring us an intensely hydrating product, inspired by the Clary Sage plant’s unique ability to trap moisture to help it thrive in a dry environment. This dermatologically tested and noncomedogenic product will gladly see your skin through even the harshest winter. Like the other cleansers in this list, it also performs brilliantly at removing make-up and other impurities from your skin, leaving it radiant, clean and perfectly moisturised.
It’s no coincidence that these four cleansers all embrace natural ingredients, as harsh chemicals and synthetic fragrances are a totally no-no when working with dry and sensitive skin. If your skin is suffering this holiday season, why not ask one of your friends or family members to stuff one of these babies into your stocking? Can’t wait for Christmas? Treat yourself – none of these products are going to break the bank and a little goes a long way!