From a Sunkissed Summer to Feeling Fall Fresh - How to Transition Your Skincare as the Seasons Change
If there’s one thing we can always count on in life, it’s change. Everything changes, and just when you think the dust has settled, things change again. Food trends and diets, fashion, hair styles…it all has its season and is prone to change. Just like our food, fashion, and hair flair are changing, our skincare routines are changing as well.
When you think of seasonal skincare, you might already know that the lotions, moisturizers, and other skincare products you use now are not going to be the same ones you use moving into a new season. As fall approaches and the weather begins to change, your skin will have different needs to adapt to the new environment.
What can you expect as you transition from summer to fall? Here are some fall skincare tips that can get you thinking about it.
The Autumn Environment
Temperatures may be feeling colder, but they’re also drier. Fluctuations in outdoor temps and conditions are common in the fall. For example, in the changing season, you may see sun, clouds, rain, and wind all in the same day! That’s a lot for your skin to adjust to at one time.
Along with changing outdoor temperatures and conditions, we also tend to start moving indoors more where our skin encounters things like indoor heating. With that, our skin has to make even more adjustments as it acclimates to what can sometimes be a drier indoor environment. Sometimes, having a humidifier on hand in your home office or bedroom can help make the transition smoother.
As colder temperatures surround us, we might be tempted to indulge in a long, hot shower or two. Maybe even a hot bath. While it can feel luxurious and cozy in the moment, too much heat from hot water can be yet ANOTHER assault on sensitive skin.
All of these changes can wreak havoc on all skin types and call for some big changes to our skincare routines.
What Happens to Your Skin as the Seasons Change
Skin is the body’s largest organ and it’s the first defense in protecting your body from outside intruders such as pollution and allergens. When outside conditions change, your skin will react in an attempt to adjust to the new circumstances.
Skin responds to changing conditions in various ways. For instance, it can become inflamed, dry, flaky or cracked. When this happens, pores can clog more easily from excess dry skin or sebum production. This irritation can often stem from colder winds that can dry out our skin’s protective barrier.
What Your Skin Needs in the Fall
So what can you do when weather conditions change before your skin starts to suffer? First off, you can pay attention to what your skin is telling you. Changes in your environment equals changes to your skincare routine.
One important step you may need to alter in your skincare routine will be hydration. This isn’t just limited to the hydrating products you place on your skin, but the general amount of hydration that your body gets. Drink more water, use a humidifier, and then also add in super hydrating serums and moisturizers to your fall skincare routine. Heavier lotions and creams, as opposed to the lighter moisturizers from your summer routine, will help protect your skin from the drying influence of fall weather.
Resist the urge to use hot water for your skincare routine, as well as hot showers. We know, it’s a hard temptation to steer clear of. But hot water will further irritate your skin and make any existing irritation worse. Lukewarm water and gentle cleansers are a better choice. This doesn’t mean you have to ditch the hot tubs and bubble baths entirely, just go sparingly with them.
One thing that isn’t going out of style this season though is exfoliating. It’s still important and can help your skin to absorb moisturizer more deeply. Just remember to be gentle with inflamed skin that’s been overexposed to the elements of fall. Choosing products that use natural ingredients in their formulas can help your skin stay healthy when it comes time to stick to a new skincare routine.
Why You Still Need Sunscreen
Just because summer sun is soon to be hiding behind the clouds, doesn’t mean you can stop using sunscreen. Using sunscreen year round is essential. Many experts agree that protecting your skin from harmful UV rays from the sun is something you need to do all of the time.
Use it on a train, in the sun, on a plane, or in the rain! In your office, in a car, wherever you are!
Yes, whether you’re indoors or out, and regardless of the time of year, the sun is always out there sending warmth, Vitamin D, and happy bright light. But at the same time, too much of a good thing in the form of UV rays can cause damage to all skin types.
Using a good broad spectrum sunscreen of at least 30 SPF year round is a necessity for healthy skin.
How to Shift Your Scent
Moving into fall brings a shift in the types of scents all around us. Things like pumpkin spice, apple cinnamon, amber, vanilla, and woodsy, earthy smells delight our senses. They all smell so good! But it goes even deeper than that.
We process smells through the olfactory bulb, which is a structure in front of our brains that sends info to the central command area for further processing. Scents and odors go to the limbic system, including the amygdala and the hippocampus, both of which are related to emotion and memory.
In fact, smell is the only fully developed sense a fetus has in the womb. You might say our sense of smell has a long history of emotional and memorable attachments.
So it’s no wonder that scents affect us in more ways than just smelling good. For example, pumpkin spice can feel soothing and comforting, and Sandalwood is known for its qualities of balance and relaxation. Amber Vanilla can feel warm and luxurious. The scents that we associate with fall tend to reflect the seasonal features of the season, so it makes sense that the smells of autumn are related to grounding and slowing down. After a busy summer of activity, the natural cycle of the next season is one of reaping the harvest and taking a well deserved rest.
By finding a fall themed scent that smells good to you, you can help your body adjust to the changing season. Balancing your mindset with your environment can help create feelings of being centered and relaxed.
Transitioning to autumn in both skincare and new scents of the season is a natural part of your seasonal skincare routine for healthy skin. By using extra moisturizers, regular sunscreen, and following some extra tips for dry skin in colder weather, you can continue to protect your skin, just like it protects you!
