Be a winter wonder

Maintain a naturally healthy glow this winter with these tips from natural beauty expert Cherry Woods

Plan ahead
It’s the perfect time to make a skincare plan for the party season. Skin loves routine so set up a realistic plan and stick to it through the winter to get visible results. The perfect party skin glow doesn’t happen overnight so put the effort in now with good sleep patterns, healthy diet and exercise and of course your skincare routine as advised by your skincare professional.

Make sure you exfoliate
Cell metabolism slows down in winter mainly due to lack of UVB, which means that exfoliation becomes even more important. The trick is to ‘dupe’ the skin into believing it is summer by helping skin cell renewal. Most facialists will tell you that breakouts are on the increase at this time of year. When skin cell turnover slows down it often leads to blocked pores. The stark contrast in temperatures doesn’t help as we switch from the freezing fresh air to a packed commuter train and then an air conditioned office. Sweat, oil and dead skin cells can end up in a bottle neck and it shows up in our pores.

Stock up on supplements
We’re more incentivised to reach for fruit and veg in the summer months. Conversely in the winter, comfort food seems to creep up on us, especially during party season. Supplementing with high quality omega-3 is always important for glowing skin and in terms of combating winter dryness and blotchiness, it’s a winner as it helps to support the fatty bi-layers allowing our skin to hold onto water better. It also supports skin immunity and reduces redness and inflammation. Max your vitamin C intake too. It helps support our immunity and also helps stimulate fibroblast cells which produce collagen. Take a therapeutic level of quality vitamin C as guided by your skincare professional to get noticeable results.

Cook up some superfood soups
Superfoods soups are a great way to get dark green veggies into your daily diet – just be careful about oil and salt if you are not making your own batch. Sugar is often sneaked in too. Add raw veg as well as steamed, such as tomatoes, basil, spinach, watercress, kale and bell peppers. Soup recipe combinations are endless so try something new. Borscht is a great one to add to your list – it’s delicious and beetroot is a fantastic skin food and rich in vitamin C. Mix in some anti-inflammatory turmeric too.

Stay hydrated!
Dry skin is rife in winter but it can easily be avoided. Remember to keep sipping water throughout the day. Moisturise and add quality, good grade sunblock to lock in the moisture. This gives you more bang for your buck too as you don’t need to top up your moisturiser constantly. Good quality sun protection has anti-inflammatory ingredients and is designed to stay on the surface so you are protected when you’re walking the dog, skiing in the freezing cold or switching to the warm indoors with central heating and commuting in uncomfortably sticky environments. Applying sunblock like this keeps your skin in a constant environment even though you’re not!

Switch it up
Remember to make seasonal adjustments to both your cleanser and moisturiser choices. Your skin doesn’t get the same results from the same products all of the time. For example – party make-up may need a more thorough cleanse than daywear cosmetics. The change of season is a good prompt to switch up your skincare products and to visit your skincare specialist for advice. In the winter, you might need to switch your light, foaming cleanser for a balm or a milk for example. A more replenishing moisturiser may get better results than a lighter, summer choice. One product cannot do everything and if your expectations are not met, you might fall out of love with your favourite.

Treat yourself
Winter is a stressful time of year for our skin and the lack of light can leave us feeling down. In winter we are often less active and generally a bit slumpy! Don’t hit the carbs and sugar for a pick-me-up. Pre-plan healthy meals and snacks, fun exercise and pamper yourself and your skin. A warm, winter glow will soon show up on your skin.

Cherry Woods is a luxury facialist and founder of The Cherry Woods Clinic.
Visit www.cherrywoodsclinic.com

Read previous Your Look articles here...

Read articles from our latest issue here...