This past December, at every city I have been in (skoah city that is), I have had the same conversation with many different customers. "What is happening to my skin!!!???" The concern was either one of suddenly noticing breakouts or flakiness. "This," I explained "is happening to many, many people."
The skin is a very reactive part of our body. It is designed to work that way to protect us and alert our insides to outside dangers. Think of the reaction we have to touching something hot, or the feeling we have when we are sunburned. So, when a sudden weather change occurs, like the first cold snap of the season, you can bet your skin will have something to say about it.
It may seem counterintuitive for the skin to breakout during a cold spell, but it is very common. What can happen is that when our skin is exposed to cold, dry air, it often produces extra oil in order to compensate. This can lead to breakouts. So, while it may seem strange, adding hydration helps. Beefing up your moisturizer a notch or two, adding a hydrating serum or treatment mask is a great solution.
On the flip side, flakiness can also occur. In most cases, I see this as a result of a pH imbalance (I will explain this in a moment). But it can also be the result of skin that becomes so dry, it starts to peel and flake. In this case, I recommend a gentle exfoliation (nothing harsh or too strong, aha or face skrub are great choices) and a more lipid intense product (such as skin quench serum, gold kream, and face balm).
The pH imbalances in our skin can happen fairly easily. Simply washing our face or applying water to the skin can tweak this balance. If skin is too acidic we typically experience flakiness. If it is too alkaline, we can experience breakouts. It's a simple fix. Spritzing on the tonik or turbo tonik can rebalance the pH and prevent some of these issues.
My final winter weather fix is the protection part. Locking in the moisture and treatment products with our face balm is a fantastic solution. This product was tested on some world class Olympic level skin and snowboarders before it launched! It is a vegetable based treatment balm that protects the skin from wind, cold air, dryness and harsh elements. I apply it on the mornings I run outdoors, or before skiing or hiking. It can also be used to spot treat dry, flaky areas. It has saved my skin from irritation and redness.
-Andrea
