By Jenna

Last year, my holiday vacation took me to Hawaii, where I shared my beauty tips for a tropical winter. This time around I’ll be in the cold and snow at a gorgeous resort in Lake Arrowhead. I won’t be alone though, winter skin has already hit and that means my skin is dry, delicate and a little sensitized. To make skin matters worse, the snow on the slopes + the mountain air will intensify these effects on my skin and I’ll see some inflammation, redness, chapping and a nice sun burn. Luckily, I already have my winter skin care routine lined up and can offer you some skin care tips to help take care of your skin in the snow.

Source flickr user: Tambako the Jaguar

Falling down the mountain while snowboarding is the least of my concerns because my skin is always number one. I can lay out all day long in the sun on a beach and never get burned, but when it comes to being in the snow, a sunburn is almost a guarantee. Truth is, snow can reflect up to 85% of the sun’s UV rays right back at you causing you to burn worse than you would on a beach. Sun damage leads to the breakdown of collagen and elastin in your skin causing aging, so a high SPF blocker is a must. Using an SPF in your daytime moisturizer, lotion and your makeup is the best way to go because you’re putting on protection on different levels to ensure that you’re covered. Remember, even if you have an SPF in your foundation, you still need to wear SPF under it or over it. Why? Because unless you’re caking on a ton of that foundation, you are not getting the amount of protection that it claims. Your best bet in the snow is using a hydrating moisturizer with antioxidants with a high SPF to combat dry skin. The one I’ll be using is Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare’s Powerful Sun Protection SPF 45 and I’ll be reapplying every 80 minutes to make sure I’m not coming home for new years with a pink face.

Dry skin care is so important, I can’t emphasize it enough. When your skin is dry, you have more of a chance of getting sensitized skin and wrinkles,  and your skin doesn’t have optimal defense against the elements because its natural lipid barrier isn’t fully functioning to protect it. Hydrating your dry skin is a must, so use a hydrating toner to help retain moisture without causing any irritation. Juara’s Tamarind Tea Hydrating Toner (a Beautyfix favorite) is perfect in this case because it contains antioxidants like black, green and white tea to provide antioxidant protection and treat inflammation and irritation while honey and hyaluronic acid hydrate for ultra-soft skin. Another beauty product to incorporate into your regimen can be a hydrating serum. This is a good way to ensure hydration, vitamins and antioxidants will be helping your skin along in the battle against the elements. Since my skin will be flushed from the cold, I’ll be incorporating Couperose-C Serum by Eminence to help with redness, inflammation and dry skin. Don’t forget! The serum will go underneath your moisturizer.

Skin care tip: You have 3 minutes when you get out of the shower to put on your lotion and moisturizer. Don’t dilly and don’t dally, get your skin hydrated before that time and put on your moisturizer with damp skin. Don’t dry your skin completely with your towel, keep your skin a little moist and put on lotion, body balm or body butter right away to lock in that needed moisture.

Adding a moisturizer, a hydrating toner, serum and a simple rule to follow when drying off can make a huge difference in treating dry skin in cold weather. How will you combat the cold weather this holiday?