We can say that now it’s a proper winter, with degrees under 0. Have you already switched to winter skin care? I mean, you must have, because you cannot just treat your skin as if the weather is all nice, warm and springy. It’s time for lot of hydration from inside and outside as well as introducing some anti-aging products, such as Stemuderm.

In case you haven’t properly started with your winter skin care routine – or you have already transitioned but you want to improve – I have compiled for you my top 5 winter skin care tips to make your skin look ah-mazing!

Winter skin care tips

1. Moisturize!

I cannot stress this enough. My first and foremost of my winter skin care tips is “Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize”! The skin cannot have enough and has to be nourished. Extra! now that the weather is harsh and the cold dry wind takes its toll on your precious face, you have to slather that cream! I’m talking about eye cream, sunscreen (d’oh!) and an oilier cream than usual. Apply this morning and before going to sleep (no sunscreen here) and go for some serious sheet masking every 2 days or so – even every night – before apply your night cream. If you find the sheet masks in Sephora rather pricey, order ahead of time on an online Korean shop plenty of sheet masks. The shipping could take 2 weeks on average, but the price per sheet mask can be as low as 1$! Stock that up!

2. Drink water

This is also super important not only for the skin but for the entire health of the body. On warm days I drink way more liquids (water and iced coffee) than in winter (mostly hot coffee) and this is not right! We need to aim for those 2l of water or so per day. You could also include some green tea in this – you get your water intake plus the extra benefits of the green tea. I do not drink enough water if I do not have it in a bottle always with me. I am way too lazy to go and get from the water dispenser. So either buy your water in bulk (I always go for the cheapest one, it’s just water) or get yourself a pretty reusable bottle.

3. Sunscreen

So many people think that sunscreen is only for summer time or for going to the beach! Nope – couldn’t be more wrong. You have to apply that on your face and neck every.single.day. of the year! YES! Do not skip that sunscreen no matter what!  Ever since going to Japan, I have been adding way more sun protection to my skin care routine. I usually start by applying an SPF 50 face cream. Then I can add a BB cream with SPF 30 or a foundation with SPF 50 (this depends on how much makeup I want to wear). If I use my Japanese loose powder, there’s again SPF 30 in that one. Otherwise, it stops before, as the Sephora powder has none of those magical protection powers.

4. Cleansing & Exfoliating

Obviously you have to be gentler with the skin now that the weather is harsher. In the beginning of this year, I was using, after my oil-based makeup remover, a Shiseido cleansing foam, to remove the left overs. And my skin was rather red and dry. However, when summer came along, this combo worked great for me. Until the cold weather started to crawl back, and I opted for a more moisturizing cleansing foam for sensitive skin. It is so much better. When it comes to scrubbing and peeling (especially getting rid of those stupid blackheads on the nose. ugh!), you also have to bring it down a notch. During summer, I was cleaning my face every 2 days or so, with a LUSH scrub and my skin was great. But try doing this in winter, and your skin will get red quickly. Reduce the scrubbing and the intense blackhead removal technique to maximum twice per week. Followed every time by a proper moisturizing routine. Don’t forget how important moisturizing is! The less you do, the drier the skin, the more oil it produces. Thus more blackheads.

5. Less hot water

I know that winter is perfect for a nice hot bath. But you have to reduce that and opt for showers with lukewarm water. I particularly hate washing my hair with mostly cold water as I have to prolong my candy-colored hair as much as possible, but this is also way better for the entire skin on the body. Hot water is extremely drying, and if you cannot take lukewarm showers, then at least wash your face with water as cold as possible. You can do this!

Now, all these winter skin care tips might sound like a hassle to you and you might think ‘pff! I’m just in my 20s and my skin looks JUST fine!’. Well, think again! Not taking tare of your skin as you are aging (you are not forever young even though you wish for that) so you have to adapt. Already in my mid-20s I started including more anti-aging products to give me a head start. I want to look like all those pretty Korean and Japanese women with glowing skin, as long as possible; for being asked for ID before seeing an R rated movie at the cinema or for the airport passport checking employees to expect me to be accompanied by an adult, for as long as possible. Might be looking 10 years younger now, but who doesn’t want to look as young as possible as time passes by?

What are our best winter skin care tips? How do you switch from a summer skin care routine to a winter one?