With Holistic Skincare therapist, Sarah Brown.

With autumn upon us, you may have noticed some appearance changes to your skin which is simply because your skin may have different needs in this cooler season. While there is nothing you can do about seasonal shifts (and why would we, seasonal changes bring lots of new adventures!), that doesn't mean your skin has to suffer. 

Which raises the question -

Do you really need to revamp your skincare seasonally? 

Yes, external factors like weather, can lead to our skin needing additional attention. Simply swapping skincare products, ingredients and formulas according to the weather can make for healthier skin year-round.
 

Why does your skin change from season to season?

Your skin is your body’s largest organ and functions more efficiently with consistency. So, when factors like weather, start to change, our skin will respond.  

Our skin is constantly communicating with us through visual changes, we just need to watch and react appropriately while our skin adjusts to the new environment. 

As we shift from summer to autumn, temperature and humidity will fluctuate, so your skin will have to work harder to maintain adequate hydration as cold weather starts to kick in.  If your skincare ritual does not support these changes, you could find the outer layer of your skin cracking, increased redness and inflammation which is down to the PH level of your skin being disturbed. This can seriously impact the overall health, therefore appearance, of your skin. 

However, we can’t blame all negative skin changes on the weather alone. In cooler weather we tend to find ourselves taking hotter showers, using central heating in our homes and drinking more hot drinks which tend to come with that caffeine hit. All these lifestyle habits lead to high levels of dehydration that contributes to the dryness and inflammation associated with this transitional stage. 

How to take care of your skin during autumn

Pre-Cleanse - all skin types should use an oil-based pre-cleanser to effectively lift away the day’s dirt, pollution, make-up and SPF so your treatment cleanser can effectively penetrate skin cells.  

Cleanse - choose a mild, creamy cleanser such as a cleansing milk which is gentle but still tough on removing the dirt from the day without stripping away your natural oils.

We recommend the ESPA Hydrating Cleansing Milk. 

Tone - this stage is key! Quenches your skins thirst for hydration and balances your skins PH Level. Choosing a gel-based toner over a mist toner during cooler months will give you that extra hydration boost. 

We recommend the Willow Beauty Deeply Hydrating Gel Toner.

Hydrate - Note:  moisturisers DO NOT moisturise, they prevent moisture loss! So, choosing a facial oil/serum to hydrate your skin before moisturising will make all the difference to your skin’s health. 

We recommend the ESPA Optimal Skin Instant Facial.

Moisturise/SPF  - choosing a slightly heavier moisturiser during cooler months will act as a protective barrier to external threats and trap in moisture to avoid dry skin conditions. Choosing a moisturiser that can be adapted depending on your skin needs is ideal especially during those transitional months. 

We recommend the Éminence Stone Crop Whip Moisturiser.

Body care

Limit showers to no more than five minutes and avoid hot water at all costs. Regular body brushing will help keep skin glowing and follow up with a heavy moisturise to nourish new skin cells and protect your skin from external threats. Invest in products that do not strip away your body’s natural oils such as SenSpa’s Nourishing Range which includes haircare, body wash, body butter and hand soap.