Seven top wellness and detox tips for your Winter skincare routine
However much you prioritise a healthy lifestyle, Winter can threaten to throw your hard-won detox and wellness gains off course.
Colder temperatures, shorter days and seasonal demands on our diets, routines and time can all impact on our skin. But the great news is you can maintain that healthy Summer glow, even as Winter bites. Here are seven top tips for the best Winter skincare routines.
Keep hydrated
Although everyone’s mindful of the fuel bills this Winter, we’re still likely to encounter more centrally heated spaces than in Summer. Which means drying air flows and even dryer skin. Which is why maintaining that NHS target of six to eight glasses of water a day becomes even more important - yes, drinking water is a part of a Winter skincare routine.
But how does that target look in your re-useable water bottle? It’s roughly 3 litres for women and 4 litres for men – check your bottle’s capacity and take it from there. Remember – drink small amounts, steadily, to get the most from your Winter skincare.
You can also consider switching from coffee to green tea and other detoxifying drinks instead – we’d recommend Twist Teas. Try to keep alcohol intake low. Alcohol has a dehydrating effect and also disturbs sleep patterns – you need to sleep well to allow your skin to regenerate. Sleep, you'll be happy to hear, is a big part of your Winter skincare routine.
Moisturise
All that central heating can get in the way of our Winter skincare as it has a drying effect on our skin. Water intake aside, the obvious answer is to moisturise. And while we might think we need to switch to a richer one in the Winter, many experts warn against this. They argue a premium-quality moisturiser – such as the IMAGE Skincare products used at the Glass House – works well all year round and is a must use for your Winter skincare routine.
Instead experts recommend your Winter skincare routine should see you apply your usual moisturiser, then add a rich facial oil. This acts as a buffer between you and the season’s windier, more drying environment and helps lock moisture in.
Enjoy a facial
Another top Winter skincare tip is to have regular facials. Many specialists advise having a professional facial once a month, to optimise the natural, full cycle of skin cell growth.
Another element of good Winter skincare is regular exfoliation and peels. These help ease off dead skin and allow your cells to better absorb the moisture they need. The result? Clear, hydrated, glowing skin – even in Winter.
Look after your lips
Don't negelct your lips when it comes to Winter skincare!
It’s almost instinctive – to lick lips that have become dry due to Winter winds and drying heating. But it’s exactly what we mustn’t do. The moisture we add through our saliva evaporates quickly, leaving them dryer than before. Instead use a good-quality, sealing cream or ointment to lock moisture in for effective Winter skincare.
Focus on wellness
Wellness as a part of a Winter skincare routine? You heard us right!
Longer, darker evenings, colder temperatures – it’s easy to try to fend them off with less energetic days, comfort food and a glass of wine. But Winter is actually precisely the time to harness wellness and detox techniques to weather the skincare storms the season brings.
So keep active and maintain your stretching and yoga routines, and adapt your Winter skincare routine accordingly. They’ll help you sleep soundly and enable your skin to restore, ready for your Winter skincare routine. Also, keep exfoliating and nourishing – even if you’re not going to be wearing sleeveless tops or swimsuits that often, your skin needs to be cared for as if you are.
Wear sunscreen
It’s easy to forget to think about protecting your skin from the sun’s rays in Winter. But it’s important we do. Even the Winter sun can cause damage if we don’t take the right steps with our winter skincare routinr. Although the sun doesn’t feel as strong or as warm, we are still being subjected to ultraviolet rays – especially UVA, which can penetrate glass and clouds.
Which is another reason to incorporate good-quality skincare products into your Winter skincare routine, such as the IMAGE Skincare ones with an integrated Sun Protection Factor (SPF).
Embark on a Skincare retreat
Hydration, facials, lip care, wellness, sun protection and sourcing premium moisturisers – there are large number of complex issues in play when it comes to perfecting a Winter skincare routine. The trick is to find one that not only tackles the challenges the season throws at us, but actually means your skin can thrive.
Which is why the expert, holistic care we specialise in at the Glass House is less of a luxury, and more of a necessity. And it’s why we’ve created an exciting new experience to help you start your Winter skincare journey – the Glass House Skincare Retreat.
This luxury four-night stay sees you checking into our purpose-built detox and wellness retreat – set amongst the Essex fields, less than an hour from Central London. After a consultation using high-tech skin scanners, we devise a programme of face workouts and facials that’s bespoke to you.
Brands and treatments include IMAGE Skincare, Dermalux Light Therapy, Peels, Mesoboost and Radiotherapy. Our fitness classes, wellness workshops, and plant-based menus will also help detox your body and strengthen your immune system. So you and your skin can take anything Winter throws at you.
Take the first steps to optimise your Winter skincare routine with the Glass House today.