Winter is arguably the prettiest of all seasons - blanketed gardens, frost-tipped branches, piercingly blue skies - but it’s not quite so picturesque for skin, and you’ll need some solid winter skincare tips to help.
If you’re experiencing dry patches, flaky skin and a complexion as dull as dishwater, then layering rich creams, oils and masks will help keep moisture locked in. But dedicating the time to maintaining healthy, hydrated skin can be tricky when you’re busy juggling work, packed lunches, party invitations, and all the other 'mum balls' in the air. You may have a bathroom cabinet brimming with toners, boosters, facial oils and eye creams for dark circles but if you don’t even have a minute to grab lunch or go to the loo in peace, then you’re not likely to carve out the hours needed for a 10-step skincare routine.
“Keep it simple,” advises expert facialist, Charlotte Connoley. “Morning routines need to be quick to get the kids to school and yourself to work - a quick cleanse, a hydrating serum, a moisturiser and an SPF is enough.” Trust me, I know - I barely have time to wash my hair these days but I’ve learned to streamline my regime to include non-negotiable elements, like sunscreen for your face, and choose multi-faceted products, which offer additional skincare perks. Treat this list a pick 'n mix for your face, choosing the tips that work best for you and your skin. These top tricks and product picks sit in the middle of my Venn diagram of my life as a Beauty Editor and mum-of-two, and I’m confident these winter skincare tips will work for you too.
8 winter skincare tips for busy mums
1. Upgrade your cleanser
Cleansing is the bedrock of great skin, and arguably the most important step of any regime. Do it right, and your skin will be cleansed of impurities and better able to absorb all those lovely skincare ingredients in your serum and moisturiser. Your skin’s ability to retain moisture drops by 25 per cent in winter, and the less hydrated it is the more likely it is to appear dull and flaky. If you’re currently using micellar water or a foam cleanser, switch to a balm or cream during the colder months to put back in what winter takes out.
I do a double cleanse with a balm filled with nourishing oils. My makeup and sunscreen slip right off, but my skin is left plump and perky.
This cleanser is my skin's B.F.F, the O.G, the G.O.A.T...and any other complimentary acronym you can think of. It is as close to a spa treatment as you can get, with its silky, slippery texture and dreamy lavender and eucalyptus aroma. It blasts through makeup and leaves my face glowing.
I always come back to this creamy cleanser when my skin is feeling a little neglected. It comes with a muslin cloth, which provides gentle exfoliation - a great alternative to harsh exfoliants, which should generally be avoided during winter when the skin is most vulnerable.
"This is a great, hydrating cleanser that's not too stripping or harsh," says expert facialist, Charlotte Connoley. Enriched with shea and cocoa butters, plus nourishing vitamin B5, this cocooning balm is a tonic for tight, touchy skin.
2. Invest in a super serum
Dr Aiza Jamil, consultant dermatologist at sk:n Clinics, implores everyone to apply a serum containing antioxidants every day. ‘Antioxidants are the substances that help to protect the skin surface from oxidative damage caused by free radicals and environmental triggers like UV rays,” she explains. “Vitamin C, resveratrol, vitamin E and hyaluronic acid are a few examples. All have excellent anti-ageing properties, preventing fine lines and wrinkles, boosting collagen production and improving skin texture and elasticity.”
Everyone should add a vitamin C serum to their morning routine. Vitamin C in the morning, vitamin A in the evening - they're my skincare staples. I apply this serum every morning. Vitamin C prepares skin for the day, stimulating the natural moisturising factors, protecting collagen and brightening over time.
This is a great serum for busy mums with fast, impressive results. It's proven to increase hydration by 60% in just 30 minutes. Hyaluronic acid is a humectant, which binds water to help skin retain moisture. Niacinamide is added to brighten skin, as well as being crucial to a strong, healthy moisture barrier.
Boosters are highly concentrated skincare serums, and can be used on their own or mixed in with your favourite moisturiser to give an extra surge of hydration. This one is made with vegan collagen to leave skin looking plump, glowy and hydrated.
3. Incorporate retinoids
Another vitamin to add to your winter wishlist is Vitamin A (AKA retinoids). Retinoid is the umbrella term for anything derived from vitamin A, with retinol being the most famous over-the-counter ingredient. There are stronger, more potent derivatives like Tretinoin and Retinoic acid, but they are only available on prescription. The one major downside to retinoids is their potential to irritate. Doesn’t sound like a brilliant match for winter skin, right? Trust us when we say the benefits far outweigh the cons.
Retinoids are such brilliant anti-agers. You’re not going to get more bang for your buck than a quick smear of a retinol serum right before bed. Expect plumper skin and a more uniform tone with very little time and effort required. Whichever retinoid you choose, only apply in the evening, since vitamin A can make skin more reactive to the sun.
I always recommend Skin + Me, an online service where personalised treatment plans are devised by a team of dermatologists. For £29.99 a month, you’ll be sent medical-grade ingredients, like Tretinoin, in a daily doser - so you know you're getting exactly the right amount you need.
The clever thing about the Inkey List's serum is it is powered by Retinyl Acetate - a slow-release form of Retinol, so it’s less likely to cause dryness and sensitivity. Slower doesn't mean less effective - it will gently resurface skin to improve lines, acne and pigmentation.
This plant-powered retinoid serum is hot off the press and another great option for sensitive skin. The retinoid is gentle enough to use daily but has a powerful effect on three types of stubborn wrinkles - forehead lines, smile lines, and crinkles around the eyes.
4. Use a targeted eye cream
The eyes are often the first place to show signs of tiredness and ageing. "The skin around your eyes is only 0.05mm thick and the most delicate skin on the body. It has fewer sebaceous glands and collagen and elastin fibres compared to the rest of the face,” explains leading ophthalmologist, Dr. Maryam Zamani. “This makes it more prone to losing moisture and becoming drier."
This pot of gold is a one stop shop for eyes, treating everything from dark circles and puffiness to fine lines and wrinkles. Powered by collagen-boosting Tri-peptide, Hyaluronic Acid and Albizia Bark Extract, which strengthens capillaries, it's proven to boost moisturisation by up to 33%.
Caffeine peps up tired, puffy eyes, while skin is kept smooth and hydrated with a nourishing trio of squalane, vitamin E and those little barrier-boosting heroes - ceramides. Don't be fooled by the light, silky formula - it's deeply-hydrating.
As if craggy, crepey skin wasn't bad enough, winter will also make dark circles look darker, as it causes blood to stagnate. This is my 'you'll never know I was up three times in the night' hero. In 15 minutes, it magically tightens the under-eye and depuffs bags so I look human again.
5. Stock up on sheet masks
A 90-minute facial, once a week, should be available on prescription for new mums. The excuse to lie down, eyes closed, is reason enough to book in, but a facial also happens to be an effective way of bombarding skin with moisture, especially in winter. But for many of us, this sort of treatment can feel like an over-indulgence, too time-consuming and financially-unjustifiable.
As a Beauty Editor, I have been lucky enough to try many facials over the years, but since having my children, they’ve taken a backseat to DIY treatments that I can do at home. A sheet mask in the bath is my go-to when my skin looks particularly sad. They trap moisture in so it has nowhere to go but into your skin.
These sheet masks - and this very one in particular - are always in my bedside drawer. They're the juiciest, dewiest masks I've used. In fact, each sheet is impregnated with a whole bottle's worth of serum. And they cost less than the price of an Americano!
Enriched with caffeine and hydrolyzed collagen, these under-eye masks will pep up dry, tight, crinkly eyes. I keep mine in the fridge and throw a pair on when I'm prepping breakfast before everyone wakes up. The chill feels amazing on tired eyes and gives extra de-puffing power.
The beauty world is abuzz with a new ingredient called NAD+. It’s a coenzyme central to cellular energy and DNA repair. NAD+ is produced naturally in the body, and is critical to healthy ageing, but it decreases with age. These sheet masks are said to increase cell energy and boost collagen production, softening lines and breathing life into tired skin.
6. Build a barrier
A healthy skin barrier keeps the good stuff sealed in and the bad stuff locked out, but seasonal extremes can damage it. Between bracing winds, bitter temperatures and central heating, our skin takes a beating during the winter months, and the constant flux in temperature can damage our protective barrier, so skin feels more irritable and prone to flushing. Ingredients like niacinamide, fatty acids and ceramides will fortify a compromised skin barrier.
The moisture barrier can also be weakened with harsh ingredients and aggressive exfoliation. As Connoley says, "Scrubbing with a topical exfoliant can irritate the skin, so go easy on the exfoliation as you want to retain as much moisture in the skin as possible in the winter." Often, a "squeaky-clean" feeling is a distress signal for a barrier not functioning properly, so cut back on active acids and abrasive face scrubs. It's good news for your barrier, and will save you time too. Win-win!
Ceramides are the key to restoring our protective barrier. You can think of them as the cement, holding the bricks of our skin barrier together. This moisturiser protects the outer layer of skin with a cocktail of amino acids, fatty acids and ceramides.
Look for skincare with niacinamide, which stimulates ceramide production to get your barrier into good shape and prevent moisture loss. If your skin is not only dry, but dull and lacklustre, this ingredient will help soften pigmentation and brighten everything up.
This new moisturiser is powered by next-generation ceramides that penetrate deeper, delivering up to 4x wrinkle reduction. I've been using this rich, velvety cream for a few weeks and the soft-focused, blurring ingredients make skin look smoother instantly.
7. Add an oil
If you choose to incorporate just one of these winter skincare tips, add a facial oil as the final step in your evening routine. Searches for facial oil for dry skin are up by 50% on Google Trends, and it's easy to understand why. By applying last, the oil seals in the moisture from your serums and creams, but also has the potential to penetrate past them to deliver moisture deep down.
Whenever I use facial oil, I can visibly see the difference when I wake up in the morning. My skin looks softer, smoother and healthier.
"A facial oil in the evening is an absolute must," agrees Connoley. "This Rosehip Miracle Makeover Facial Oil is so lovely and light to use at bedtime. Try applying your serum on damp skin to lock in the moisture even further, and then the Rosehip Miracle Makeover Facial Oil to seal it all in."
The luxuriously thick oil wraps skin up in a deeply nourishing blanket. It's made entirely of pure plant extracts for a potent hit of moisture and radiance. Skin feels quenched so lines look less noticeable from the very first application.
Often regarded as one of the best facial oils, Trilogy's hero product is said to be used by Victoria Beckham and the Princess of Wales. Rosehip oil is rich in fatty acids and linoleic acid - an A-star moisturiser, which helps to boost barrier function - to soften scars, plump fine lines and hydrate.
8. Protect and perfect
“Using sunscreen daily is a must,” says Dr Jamil. “It protects skin from the harmful effects of UV rays, which cause skin burn, pigmentation and skin cancers. UV rays are the main accelerator of skin ageing and hence sunscreen has an anti-aging effect on skin by protecting against collagen degradation and preventing fine lines and wrinkles.”
The sun is a major cause of dark spots and uneven skin tone. This silky, quick-to-absorb formula contains vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant that corrects dull, uneven skin tone. It's our Beauty Ed's go-to daily sunscreen for the face.
"I’m exactly the same as everyone else," admits TV presenter, Cat Deeley. "I do the juggle. We’re all trying to make everything work, and that’s one of the things I love about the Ella & Jo brand. They're practical products that really work, and they make my skin nourished." Seek out multi-tasking products that offer hydration as well as other skin benefits. Cat rates this nourishing day cream as it has SPF30 built in.
Made with 3.5% niacinamide, salicylic acid and zinc PCA, this is a brilliant sunscreen for those with spot-prone, sensitive skin. Pores look more refined and skin is mattified, all the while treating the skin barrier to ceramide-boosting goodness.
