Medically reviewed by Minimalist Health Specialist - Written by Rupali Goswami (Beauty Expert) on 30th Dec 2020
All the Ammo Oily Skin Needs During Winters!
There are not only seasons that change. Our clothes, food, and skincare routine changes with them. This happens because every season brings changes in the wind, climate, and weather that can directly have a negative or positive impact that depends from skin to skin as everyone's skin reacts differently in every season.
It is true that weather has a significant role in defining your skin's health and influences the behavior in which your skin works. We often believe that everyone experiences dry skin in the winter season, but that's not how it works, as oily skin can remain oily even in winters.
Whichever season it may be, it is never too easy to figure out an ideal skincare routine as it can take up to months and years of research and understanding of what works best for your skin. Plus, it keeps changing according to your liking, surroundings, and trends.
It is all about trial & error when it comes to skincare. It would help if you found the balance and would want to include products that won't make your skin more oily than it already is and won't dry you out. We all know that is difficult but achievable. So here is a guide to a skincare routine, especially for oily skin peeps out there, that you can follow to maintain your skin's health in the winter season.
What happens to the skin in winters?
If you think you can escape skin problems in winters, then don't be mistaken as you can suffer from acne, clogged pores, dryness, and dullness in winters too. Experiencing oily skin in winters can be due to changes in the atmosphere that can also increase oil production. In winters, the air is usually drier with very low humidity levels than other seasons that make our body dehydrated. Our skin is compelled to produce more of its natural oils (which is also called sebum) to protect itself against irritation, flaking, itching, and tightness caused by the dry air.
During colder months, our skin starts to face transepidermal water loss, and that is where the moisture in the skin begins to evaporate into the atmosphere. Still, there is always a way to restore that moisture with the skincare we use. Using different products is just not enough to achieve that moisture level. You need to religiously maintain a routine that can help keep your skin fresh, glowy, plump, and hydrated at all times.
These products don't need to be the best for you because some people also have sensitive skin and oily skin. Hence, you have to identify which products are welcomed by your skin.
Winter skincare essentials for oily skin
1. Cleansers:
Cleansing is the first and the most important step in the skincare routine for a reason. If your skin is not cleaned properly, it can lead to acne, clogged pores, inflammation, and other skin concerns. No matter which products you apply afterward, it won't be as beneficial for you as your skin won't be clean enough to absorb any ingredients, and the products will end up not working for you. Keeping in mind the cold, harsh winter wind, you need to find cleansers that are not too hard on the skin that can strip off the natural moisture and help protect the skin barrier to maintain the balance of moisture in the skin.
2. Toners:
Toning helps to add moisture back into the skin and helps balance the pH levels in the skin. This step ensures that your skin is in a neutral state, ready, and prepped to take on the products. Toning is also essential to eliminate any leftover impurities, makeup, or dirt from deep within the pores that a cleanser might have missed. Toner makes our skin damp, and damp skin makes the other products absorb better into the skin. For oily skin, an ideal tonner would contain ingredients like glycolic acid, salicylic acid, witch hazel, and others, which can help control excess sebum and help unclog pores.
3. Serums:
In the skincare routine, out of all the steps, serums are the most effective ones. They contain a dose of highly concentrated active ingredients that can help with some specific skin concerns such as acne, aging signs, enlarged pores, dullness, and dry skin. Because of their high concentration power, serums can sometimes damage the skin if used in the wrong way. Most serums consist of small molecules, which makes it easy to penetrate the skin quickly and deeply. Using a serum can change your skin entirely as the formula inside those little bottles can be wonderfully beneficial and powerful for the skin.
4. Moisturizers:
No matter what you do, your skin can not survive without using a moisturizer, especially during winters. Moisturizing is the step that helps bring back your skin to life. From delivering hydration to seal the skin's moisture, a moisturizer ensures firmness and softness. While we generally prefer using a moisturizer with a gel-like consistency in summers due to its lightweight formula, winters call for a thicker formula in the form of creams or lotions. The crucial thing to remember here is to look for active ingredients that can help provide hydration to the skin without clogging your pores, such as ceramides (that help skin hold onto moisture), glycerin, and hyaluronic acid.
5. Eye creams:
While the rest of your skin may be oily but just like some other parts of our body, our eyes do not have any sweat or oil glands that can help with the hydration bit. It is also considered the thinnest and most sensitive area of the body. Our eye area tends to get drier more quickly than other parts, and that's why it is the first one to show the signs of aging like fine lines and wrinkles. You can save a couple of bucks here as you do not need a separate eye cream. Just mix your moisturizer with active ingredients with a slightly plain cream with everyday ingredients and BAM! You've got yourself an eye cream!
6. Face oils:
We know what you are thinking, and no, it is not the same as a moisturizer. While a moisturizer works by deeply penetrating the skin, face oils sit on the top of the skin. It is not there to give you hydration but to provide a soft and glowy touch to the skin's surface layer. Face oils are too thick to penetrate deeply, and that's why it also comes in the last steps of skincare routine. Face oils are for everyone. People with oily skin can opt for face oils with a lighter formula like jojoba oil, rosehip seed oil, etc.
7. Sunscreen:
If you follow a skincare routine at nighttime, then face oils would be your last step, but if it's the daytime, you should never skip this step, not even by mistake. Seasons may change, skincare routines may change, but sunscreen should be there forever. The sun is always outside (even when you can't see it) and can damage your skin badly doesn't matter if you belong to dry, combination, oily, acne-prone, or sensitive skin. Some products like chemical exfoliants AHA and BHA because the skin usually becomes sensitive, and it is necessary to use sunscreen.
Some steps you can follow
- Hot showers can make your skin woes worse as these can dry out your skin like crazy and kick-start the oil production process that gives rise to more problems. It is best to avoid extremely hot water; instead, choose to wash your face with lukewarm or cold water.
- You might be sick of hearing this but drink lots of water. Our water intake reduces drastically as we don't feel so thirsty anymore, but our body constantly needs fluids to maintain an optimum hydration level. No moisturizer, serum, or face oil has the power to replace water.
- It's not easy to maintain a routine, but essential to keep our skin in a healthy state. It is not a one-day thing that will take your skin from zero to a hundred in just a matter of a few days, but a consistent effort will surely change the way you maintain your skincare routine.
Conclusion
We are not saying that you should change your skincare routine. No matter what the season is, some products in your skincare routine, you cannot go without! Such as a cleanser, toner, moisturizer, and of course, a sunscreen. Still, in winters, your skin tends to become extremely dry and can get stripped off all the moisture leading to irritation, redness, itching, flaking, and can even cause your skin to bleed due to dry conditions. To avoid such events, it is important to make a suitable skincare routine according to your skin needs and consistently follow that routine to protect your skin against winter damage.
Oily skin can be tricky to deal with as it can become extremely oily if you keep putting on certain products and can also remain oily if you stop putting on anything at all.
It is essential to identify the right kind of products and ingredients for your skin. A one size fits all approach to your skincare routine won't work; the routine you follow needs to be altered according to each individual's skin type. Once you figure out what to do, the process gets way easier, more fun, and effective during the cold winter months.
