WINTER DRYING YOUR SKIN OUT? TRY THIS...

I'm not a fan of quick fixes, or the word 'hack', but the UK is bracing itself for the coldest week of winter, and if you were feeling it on your face before, you may really be feeling it going into the weekend.

Along with the usual hyaluronic acid uptake, consider switching out your balm/oil cleansers for milks/creams and dropping acids to once a day.

Balms and oil used in freezing cold weather can be a tad dehydrating if not broken up occasionally with a milk/cream.

Milks and creams have a higher water content, are easier to remove, therefore need less rubbing with the flannel. If your makeup is soaking into your skin and going patchy, or your skin feels tight, consider investing in a milk to use as a second cleanse and definitely switch out your oils/balms for a milk in the mornings.

In this weather (snow and minus zero degrees) I use exfoliating acids in the evenings, and then layer with hyaluronic acids. Freezing cold winter cleansing routine:

Mornings:

• Apply milk/cream to dry or damp skin.
• Massage gently, wet hands and loosen the cleanser.
• Remove with a flannel wrung out in tepid water.
• Spritz something preferably hyaluronic acid based.
• Apply hyaluronic acid serum.
• Moisturiser.
• SPF.

• Apply either balm/milk/cream to loosen makeup/SPF. Don't spend too long on this stage, this is not the massage stage, it's the removal stage.*
• Remove with flannel rinsed in tepid water.
• Second cleanse with milk/cream cleanser.
• Remove with warm flannel (obviously if you can't use a flannel, splash fresh from the tap).
• Follow up with your evening treatments whether that's retinols/exfoliating acids/serums etc
• Moisturiser if wanted

Oils: an oil will offer temporary relief in this weather and help seal everything in - but don't forget the hyaluronic acid - that's key. *I've been tagged in a few things on social saying that one cleanse is sufficient and that you can massage it for longer and just rinse once. That's fine if you're in a hurry/exhausted. The point of the first cleanse is to shift makeup/dirt/spf. Apply it, loosely massage, get it off quickly. It doesn't remove everything. The second cleanse cleans the skin. Go straight on after you've rinsed/removed the first one and spend longer massaging. No-one wants to massage makeup all over the face.

People who advocate a single cleanse have never given a facial and seen what comes off the skin after round two. You can do it all in the same amount of time, it's not about speed, it's about efficiency. Ask any facialist if they have ever given a facial and cleaned the skin once. Never. (Obvious exceptions are you've been at home all day, aren't wearing makeup and SPF and just need a gentle quick wash. Otherwise, wash twice.)

Stay warm everyone!