Cold weather geekery...

...AKA how to save your skin when it's so damn cold, featuring... my wet towel trick, an £8.75 miracle worker for cracked heels and what you should probably leave OUT of your routine

I’ve run away to the mountains for a few days but, by the sounds of things, it’s been almost as cold and snowy in London as it has out here so I thought I’d dedicate part of this week’s newsletter to the products that I rely on to look after my skin when it’s bitterly, bitterly cold.

This is something I know quite a lot about, because there is very little I won’t sacrifice to get some time on skis. The mountains, especially in winter, are my happy place. Even if the result has, in the past, been scaly shins, cracked heels, a chapped chin, and horribly painful splits in the skin on my thumb near the nail. But after years of trial and error I’ve found what I think are the best ways to keep skin from being ravaged by the cold.

I will endure extreme cold for views like this

First up, what is it about cold weather that is so bad for the skin? It’s partly that cold air has the capacity to hold less moisture than warm air, but this is exacerbated by the fact that when we heat the cold air in our homes without adding moisture to it, it has the capacity to hold more moisture than when it was cold and so tries to leach moisture from wherever it can i.e. our skin.

Add moisture to your environment

That’s why my first cold weather skin preservation tip is not product related, it’s about trying to boost moisture levels in your home. Do whatever works for you. You don’t need a fancy humidifier — I bought the expensive Vicks ones for the kids’ rooms for when they have colds but TBH I think a cheapo Amazon one (I bought this £14.95 one seven years ago and it’s still going strong) is just as effective. And if you are going to get one, get the biggest capacity one you can so it doesn’t conk out after a couple of hours. But another option — and this is what I tend to do when I’m travelling — is a wet towel on a radiator or even hanging on a hook somewhere in the room — not dripping-on-the-floor-sopping-wet but wet-and-wrung-out. It helps add moisture to the room and helps me sleep better. A bowl of water by the radiator is an equally good solution.

Consider ditching certain actives

If I’m only away for a week (or if the cold snap is short-lived), I ditch any actives that could make my skin more sensitive — when it’s cold, it’s all about skin barrier preservation and even though my skin is pretty tough, from bitter experience, I’ve realised that leaving out my prescription tretinoin is the best thing for my skin. If I do that, I know it can handle my daily vitamin C and pretty much anything else. For you that might be about dropping your retinoid or an AHA for a few days. That doesn’t mean I’m not using any actives, I’m just focusing on those that address my melasma without causing any irritation — at the moment that’s any combo of La Roche-Posay Mela B3 Dark Spot Serum (£48), Eucerin’s Anti-Pigment Night Cream (£34), and Skin Rocks The Hyperpigmentation Serum (£85) — more on all these in this feature I wrote for the Mail.

Swap gels for oils and balms

When it’s this cold, everything I do — from cleansing onwards — is about adding more moisture into my skin, and locking it in there. (Humectant ingredients — such as hyaluronic acid and glycerin — draw moisture to the skin, and occlusive ingredients — oils and butters — help lock that moisture in.)

I love oil and balm cleansers at any time — mostly as I’m lazy and I want a one-and-done way to get rid of makeup and sun protection, but when it’s cold, they’re absolutely non-negotiable for me. I’m generally not picky. I know some people don’t like fragrance in their cleansers, but my skin generally isn’t sensitive to fragrance so I don’t have a problem with it. As long as they emulsify nicely and cleanse effectively, I’m happy.

I’ve talked before about my love for Erborian’s Centella Cleansing Oil (£17.60) but I also really like e.l.f cosmetics Holy Hydration! Makeup Melting Cleansing Balm (£12) — my only beef is that it’s quite a small pot. The one I’m currently using is Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Replenishing Cleansing Oil (£30) — honestly, I’m not convinced that a cleansing oil is in contact with my skin long enough to replenish ceramides (ceramides are an essential part of a healthy skin barrier and more on them later) but it’s a gentle and effective cleanser. When it’s not so cold, I’ll often use a gel cleanser after a balm or oil to remove the oily layer that can be left behind as I think that can be a barrier to whatever actives you use after. But when my priority is moisture and skin barrier repair, I don’t bother.

Layer on moisture

After cleansing at night and using one or more of my melasma serums, I’ll slather on various moisturising products. Elizabeth Arden was doing ceramides way before they got trendy (and TBH I think it’s a crying shame that they didn’t do a better job of owning that space.) The capsules are brilliant for travelling and there are various versions but I am a fan of the original Ceramide Capsules (£40). Once I’ve used a capsule, I slather Aestura Atobarrier 365 Cream (£19.09) liberally over the top. This ceramide-packed cream (yep, more ceramides) is a recent discovery but when I was researching a K-beauty piece, loads of people told me how much they loved it. It’s moisturising without being too greasy and I wake up in the morning and my skin feels great.

Sun protection = non-negotiable

If I only put one thing on in the mornings, it’s always broad-spectrum SPF50 and I’m particularly careful when I’m in the mountains where the sun is reflected off the snow. I’m not super picky about which I use, but I tend to layer up different types of sun protection to ensure that I’m putting on enough, and I will normally include a tinted one as it means that it contains iron oxide which is particularly useful for melasma. I’m currently using the La Roche-Posay Anthelios Anti Dark Spot Fluid (£22) which contains the same Melasyl anti-pigment ingredient that’s in the Mela B3 serum I use at night. And then Avene SPF50+ Tinted Fluid (£22) on top. (Plus the Vichy Idéal Soleil Sun Protection Stick SPF50+ (£11) for lips.)

Don’t forget your body

I’ve made no secret of the fact that I’m lazy but when it comes to body care I’m even lazier which is why, especially in winter, I will always try to opt for a shower oil rather than a shower gel. I used to love the Neutrogena Shower Oil but it’s not easy to get your hands on these days. I use the Bioderma Atoderm Shower Gel on my kids — it’s £16.50 but that’s for a litre bottle that lasts for ever. I prefer something fragranced and L’Occitane Almond Shower Oil (£22) is one of my long-time loves, but I’ve also tried and liked Naturium’s The Glow Getter Multi Oil Hydrating Body Wash (£19) and Soap and Glory Perfect Zen Nourishing Bath & Shower Oil (£9.75). My other big tip is to keep your body oil or moisturiser in the shower and slather it onto wet skin before you get out. It traps in the moisture (and in my case means you actually put it on).

I don’t know about you but when it’s cold my hands and feet need extra love — I slather on any and every hand cream — currently rotating Gatineau Aromatique Hand Balm (£35), La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Hand Cream (£9) and CQ Gardens Celery Seed Hand Salve (£24.50) — I can find at every possible opportunity. (The Gatineau is lovely but I had no idea it was so expensive until I wrote this — for a less expensive option, I love Heath London Hand Salve (£10))

As for feet, CCS is not a sexy brand but my goodness it works. The Cracked Heel Repair (£8.75) is packed with urea and lactic acid which exfoliates and moisturises. My feet were wrecked before I even got here and I’ve used it three nights in a row and it’s already transformed my trotters.

Emergency repairs

I feel like following this regime mostly means I don’t end up with sore, chapped skin but if I do, my go-tos for repair are La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Balm (from £11), Avène Cicalfate Cream (from £10) and CeraVe Advanced Repair Ointment (£11.50). The first two are also the ones I’d use on any random bit of inflamed skin, on me or my kids, while the CeraVe one is a bit greasier and so it’s the one that I use on those cracks you get in fingers and feet.

Anyway, that’s how I’m trying to look after my skin during the cold snap. Any gems you think I’ve missed, I’d love to know. Until next time…

Note: I only write about products I really rate. I can earn commission on products I mention here. If you hate the idea of this, please let me know, as this is very much a work in progress and nothing is set in stone.