Fall Skincare

🍁 Fall Skincare Reset 

How to prepare your skin for the cooler months ahead. Now that October is here, it’s time to give your skin the care it deserves. October means no better time to adjust your skincare products and prep your skin for the upcoming Holiday Season!

Why Switching to Fall Skincare Products Matters

In Chicago (or any cooler climate), we go from hot and humid summers to cold and dry winters. This seasonal shift calls for a change in your skincare routine to keep your skin healthy and hydrated year-round. Today’s blog is packed with tips to help you prepare your skin for the cold months ahead, adjust your skincare products for fall and winter, and maintain your gorgeous glow especially as we move into the holiday season.

Let’s Talk About The Weather

In the summer, we sweat more, using gel or foaming cleansers and lightweight moisturizers to avoid clogging our skin. However, in the winter, the cold, dry air means more nourishing products are required.  Shifting to a cream-based or oil-based cleanser is crucial. Foam or gel cleansers tend to dry out the skin especially if you have dry skin. Starting your routine with a lightweight cleanser that cleans the skin without stripping it is key to a better routine.

Let’s pause for a moment and talk about stripping the skin. Stripping the skin is why many of us constantly feel dry.

Fall Skincare Tip: Don’t Strip Your Skin!

At Skin Deep Esthetics, having a healthy skin barrier is essential, because if your skin barrier is compromised, your skin will continue to feel dry and the products you use won’t help combat dryness. A healthy skin barrier means avoiding aggressive products, like harsh cleansers, or exfoliants that strip the skin.

How Do You Strip The Skin?

Stripping the skin means that a product is removing both oil and water from the skin. Now if you’re oily, you might think that removing oil is a great thing and important for the skin. However, the opposite is true, we need the oil to keep our skin healthy and hydrated. We also need to maintain water in the skin. Without water, our skin barrier becomes compromised.

A Healthy Skin Barrier Starts With The Right Cleanser

Having the right cleanser sets up your entire skincare routine for success! Our favorite fall skincare cleansers for fall and winter:

💧Nelly DeVuyst Cleansing Milk
💧ISDIN Essential Cleansing Oil

Skip The Toner (Or Not?)

Most toners contain alcohol which can further dry out the skin. Cleansers now are pH balanced so there isn’t a need for a toner anymore. We recommend skipping the toner, but if you still need a toner, our recommendation contains key ingredients such as Aloe Vera, Chamomile, and Glycerine to calm and hydrate the skin:

💧Nelly DeVuyst pH Toner

Should You Exfoliate in the Winter?

Exfoliation is important, however, think of exfoliating as a tool to help your skin!  As we age, our cell turnover slows down and if we don’t exfoliate, the cells build up on the skin’s surface. You want to be gentle with your exfoliant because scrubs or acids applied on a compromised skin barrier will only aggravate sensitive skin or further dry you out.

Exfoliation 1-2 times a week helps remove dead skin cells and keeps your skin smooth and healthy.  Our fall skincare exfoliant recommendations:

🎃 Nelly DeVuyst Gommage 
🎃 NuPeel (NEW!!)

Hydrate! Hydrate! Hydrate!

Hyaluronic Acid is your best friend this fall and winter! Hyaluronic Acid helps your skin retain water in our skin to stay plump and hydrated.  Hyaluronic Acid is like a magnet, when it gets into the skin, it acts like a magnet, attracting water to the skin cells. Fun Fact! When Hyaluronic Acid is in the skin cell, it can hold 1,000 times its weight. When you apply this to the skin, the cells fill up full of water and the water stays in the cell, instead of evaporating.

Not all Hyaluronic Acid is Created Equal

Hyaluronic Acid should be used in a serum form. Hyaluronic Acid comes in low and large molecular weights. And there is a BIG difference between over-the-counter Hyaluronic Acid and professional or medical-grade Hyaluronic Acid. An article published in The National Library of Medicine, states, “It has been shown that high molecular weight HA has anti-inflammatory properties…” This article talks about skin, joint fluids, wound care, etc. You are welcome to read the article, by clicking on this link. Our top fall skincare serum recommendations:

💧ISDIN Hyaluronic Concentrate Serum used 1-2 times daily
💧Nelly DeVuyst Lifting Complex Serum containing Salmon DNA that can be layered on top of the Hyaluronic Concentrate

Facial Oils: A Must for Dry Skin

Facial oils are a great addition to your moisturizer to hold water in the skin. Whether you have oily or dry skin, think of normalizing the oil. Our facial oil recommendations:

💧Nelly DeVuyst Hygia Oil for oily or acne-prone skin
💧Nelly DeVuyst Sensitive Skin Oil for dry or sensitive skin

Upgrade Your Moisturizer

As the weather cools down, lightweight moisturizers no longer cut it! Many of us need a heavier moisturizer to combat dry skin in the fall and winter. We like to re-evaluate clients in October and bump up their moisturizer.  You need something richer to lock in moisture. We have several recommendations for fall skincare moisturizers for dry or sensitive skin: 

💧Nelly DeVuyst: Dry Skin Cream or Sensitive Skin Cream (our fan favorite)
💧ISDIN: Age Contour or Age Contour Night moisturizers 

For oily or acne-prone skin:

💧Zozo Skincare Chocolate Icing Moisturizer
💧ISDIN Hyaluronic Normal/Dry Moisturizer

Using these products consistently will help your skin begin to feel more hydrated over the winter.

Monthly Hydrating Facials

Pair your upgraded skincare routine with regular facials for the ultimate skin boost! Our hydrating facials infuse ingredients + a deep hydration mask to seal moisture in the skin. All you have to do is maintain your skin between appointments!

🌟 Ready To Glow?

Book a facial or shop our skincare to get your skin fall and winter-ready! We are always available to answer your skin questions and help you find the right products for your skin

Have questions? Drop them in the comment section below – let’s get your skin healthy and glowing for the holiday season!