Spooky season is upon us… and just as our wardrobe will change as we say goodbye to summer, our skincare will change too. Transitioning from hot and humid to cool and dry can take a toll on our skin, but if we add the right products and ingredients into our fall skincare routine, you’ll be sure to keep that summer glow all autumn long. Follow these skincare tips and tricks as we approach the chillier months to ensure your skin is ready for fall!
Hello, Hydration
While summer humidity can make bad hair day every day, it actually provides a lot of benefits to our skin. During summer, it’s easier to keep our skin moisturized as the humidity acts as a moisture barrier to the skin. This allows us to use more light-weight skincare products. To make the transition from humid to dry a little easier on your complexion, we recommend using both a hydrating serum and a moisturizer. In the summer, you can usually get away with using a hydrating serum alone. During fall, however, due to the drier air, our skin is far more likely to dry out during the summer months. By using a hydrating serum and then following up with a moisturizer, you will provide double the hydration to your skin.
Enter Exfoliation-mode
Colder fall months bring drier, flakier skin. This can make smooth makeup applications a bit of a reach. While some people worry that exfoliating can over-dry skin, the fact is that if you are properly hydrating post-exfoliation then it is the perfect technique to keep your skin fresh and silky smooth. During the summer our skin isn’t as dry so we can usually get away with skipping a weekly exfoliant, but during fall we recommend making an exfoliant apart of your regular skincare routine.
If you are using a harsher exfoliant, opt for once a week so that you don’t irritate your skin. Another option is to add in a cleanser to your skincare routine that gently exfoliates your skin daily. This option is great because it is gentle enough to not dry your skin out when used daily, but effective enough to rid of any dry skin flakes that could build up and form bacteria if not taken care of appropriately.
Don’t forget your SPF
SPF isn’t just for the sunny, summer months. Your skin is susceptible to sun damage year round, so you must be sure to include SPF in your fall skincare routine, too! We always recommend opting for a mineral based sunscreen instead of a chemical based sunscreen, as the more natural ingredients are better for our skin. The skin cancer foundation recommends using an SPF of at least 15 or higher every day to properly protect yourself from the harmful effects of the sun. Doing so will decrease your chances of melanoma by 50%, while also preventing premature aging including wrinkles, sagging of the skin, and sunspots. Need we say more?
Double up your serums
Two is better than one! Serums should be the highlight of your fall skin care routine. The reason we love them so much is because they are so easy to layer, and we should layer our skincare the way we layer our clothes throughout the fall to properly protect our skin! First, we recommend using an antioxidant serum and then following up with a hydrating serum to lock it all in. This will greatly increase the amount of nutrients taken in by your skin and trust us when we say… your skin needs the extra lovin’ in the colder months!
Layer Up, but Do It Right
Layering up those skincare products is a great way to prepare your skin for fall, but you have to make sure you’re doing it right! Failure to put your products on in the right order could have you missing out on some of the great benefits that come from piling on the nutrients. As a general rule of thumb, always apply your products in order of lightest to heaviest (or thinnest to thickest). This rule applies to all of your products, including your serums (apply the lighter one, first).
More specifically, in the morning you can follow this general order: cleanser, toner, serums (lightest to heaviest), eye cream, spot treatments, moisturizer, face oil, SPF.
Similarly, at night you can follow this general order: Cleanser, Toner, Serums (lightest to heaviest), Eye Cream, Spot Treatments, moisturizer, retinol, face oil.
We understand that every skincare routine is a little bit different, which is why we tried to include a variety of different types of products in our general morning/nighttime routine orders shown above. If you don’t see a specific product that you use mentioned above, feel free to just follow the general rule of thumb: lightest to heaviest. By doing this you will sure that your products are soaking into the skin as effectively as possible and working well with the rest of the ingredients in your routine. This is so important to follow, especially for our fall skincare routine when layering up is so vital!
Invest in a Humidifier
A less known skincare hack for the colder fall months is to invest in a humidifier. Humidifiers have many benefits for our complexions, especially as the temperatures begin to drop. As the temperatures drop outside, we tend to crank up the heat inside our homes, which can make for some super-drying air. Adding a humidifier to your home is a great way to hydrate the air and ensure your skin doesn’t dry out.
During fall, the harsh air outside combined with the harsh air from artificial heat inside can be a killer to the skin, causing not only dry skin but cracks, flakiness, and premature aging as well. Add a humidifier to the bedroom so you can treat your complexion to hydrated air while you sleep at night. This will ensure that toxins continue to flush out of the skin, while fluid continues moving to the capillaries. In other words, your skin won’t over-dry, and you’ll be as hydrated as you are in soft summer air.