Winter-Proof Your Skin: Local Pros Share Their Top Tips
Local skin pros share their best hydrating and skin-protecting tips to get you ready for the cold weather season.
iStock/lielos
Winter may not have officially begun, but the cold, dry air is already starting to show up on your skin. Maybe it feels tight after cleansing, looks a little flaky around the nose, or has that dull, thirsty look that shows up the minute the temps drop.
Early-season chill paired with indoor heating creates the perfect storm for moisture loss. When your skin dries out, its barrier—the outermost layer that keeps water in and irritants out—starts to develop tiny cracks. That can lead to redness, irritation, and that uncomfortable “my face feels tight” sensation.
To help you get ahead of the winter skin struggle, Pretty Local tapped Long Island estheticians to share their top tips for winter-proofing your skin before the deep freeze truly settles in.
Add a Pre-Cleansing Oil to Your Routine
A cleansing oil dissolves makeup and dirt without stripping the skin of its natural oils. It helps keep the skin barrier intact, allowing the skin to retain its moisture levels better. Follow the pre-cleanse oil with a creamy cleanser, not a foaming one, which can be drying, to thoroughly cleanse without disrupting the skin’s natural lipid balance, says Jamie Kaufman Watkis, owner of Harbor Skin Care & Massage in Cold Spring Harbor.
Apply Hyaluronic Acid to Damp Skin
“To hydrate the skin, you have to get molecules into the dermis [skin’s middle layer] that pull water into that part of the skin,” says Christine Gerena, PA-C, owner of Beauty Bomb Aesthetics in Smithtown. “Hyaluronic acid (HA) is paramount for hydration,” she says. HA is a humectant, which means it attracts water. Gerena says the trick to using it effectively is to put it on a damp face—right after the shower or spritz the skin with water before applying. Applying hyaluronic acid to a dry face will pull water out of the skin to that surface layer, ultimately leading to more dryness. Applying it to damp skin allows you to drive that moisture into the skin. . Gerena likes Noon Aesthetics Halo-Ronic Serum (sold in professional offices). Seal it in with a moisturizing cream.
Scrub Your Hands
Slathering hand cream on top of dead skin won’t help your dry hand skin, says Ally Simoes, an esthetician at Viana Hotel and Spa in Westbury. “Make sure to exfoliate your hands so your moisturizer absorbs,” she says. She likes a sea salt scrub for hand skin.
Start Slugging
Slugging (a.k.a. basting) is a skincare technique that involves applying a thick ointment to the skin as the last step before bed. Here’s why, according to Rachel Lozina, master esthetician and founder of Blue Water Spa in Oyster Bay and Southampton (and Pretty Local Pro Advisory Board Member): “Applying hydrating serums thinnest to thickest is always the way to go with dry skin,” she says. “Slugging is useful because the larger molecular size of an ointment like Aquaphor seals in all the serums and prohibits evaporation into the atmosphere.”
Add a Humidifier to Your Bedroom
They’re not just for sick kids! A humidifier can save your skin. “Humidifiers can be helpful in the winter by adding moisture to the air, preventing skin from becoming dry,” says Hillary Bekelis, NP, owner of Hello Gorgeous in Babylon.
Don’t Skip the Sunscreen
Even when it’s cold outside, skin still gets sun’s rays, especially ultraviolet A rays (UVA), a longer wavelength that stays constant throughout the year regardless of the temperature. “Sun exposure, especially UVA rays, can weaken the skin barrier, making it more prone to moisture loss and irritation,” says Emeliss Curo, owner of Mystical Esthetics in Farmingdale. “The effect is compounded by the cold weather and indoor heating, which already strips moisture from the skin,” she says. Curo likes Nelly DeVuyst BioSolar Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30, a lightweight, mineral-based sunscreen with non-nano zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, along with aloe, hyaluronic acid, and vitamin E to soothe, hydrate, and strengthen the skin’s barrier.
