Winter Sensitive Skin Savers

Key Points

• Winter skincare routines for sensitive skin are perfect for redness, flaking, and dry skin.

• Cold temps, indoor heating, and harsh products all have a negative effect on sensitive skin.

• Create a winter skincare routine for sensitive skin with daily regimens that decrease sensitivity.

Sensitive skin and winter have a complicated relationship. Sensitive skin sufferers constantly adjust to frequent temperature swings and brutally cold weather. Plus, they deal with flaky, red, irritated skin or skin disorders daily. Is there a great winter skincare routine for sensitive skin to ease winter weather-related issues?

Yes, there are great winter skincare routines out there! This article covers the details you need to create the best routine for your sensitive skin. Winter skincare routines for sensitive skin also provide relief from breakouts and inflammation. Add in hydration and emollient ingredients for the perfect skincare cocktail.

Moisturization is the key to surviving the harmful effects of extreme weather on the face and body. Begin a routine that fits your budget, lifestyle, and unique sensitive skin concerns.

Why Is Your Skin So Sensitive?

Winter-related skin concerns cause easily reactive skin to kick into overdrive. Here are a few frequently experienced triggers:

1. Cold Temperatures: The cold temperatures and dry air lead to tight, itchy, and vexed skin. The harsh wind makes chapped and dry skin more susceptible to cracking and bleeding.

2. Indoor Heating: Central heating systems dry out the air, causing the skin to become dehydrated. This leads to a loss of elasticity, fine lines, and wrinkles.

3. Harsh Products: Winter weather makes your skin dry and irritated. People then reach for overly harsh products to fix the problem. However, these products often worsen the situation by further drying the skin and causing irritation.

4. Fluctuating Temperatures: Going from the cold outdoors to a warm indoor environment causes the skin to become flushed and aggravated. This fluctuation leads blood vessels to dilate and contract, causing redness and sensitivity.

Winter Skincare Routine for Your Sensitive Skin

Creating a winter routine may involve adding or subtracting steps from your current skincare regimen. Here are some winter skincare routine basics that are a must for sensitive skin:

1. Gentle Cleanser: Look for gentle, fragrance-free, and non-foaming cleansers. Products with a creamy or lotion-like texture are less likely to irritate. Heed this advice for hand, body, and face cleansers.

2. Hydrating Moisturizer: A hydrating moisturizer that contains ingredients like glycerin, hyaluronic acid, or ceramides is crucial in keeping your skin hydrated and protected from the harsh winter weather.

3. Sunscreen: Look for a fragrance-free and non-irritating sunscreen with a minimum SPF of 30. Physical sunscreens that contain zinc oxide or titanium dioxide are often a good choice for sensitive skin types.

4. Lip Balm: Cold weather and wind cause lips to become dry, chapped, and painful. Look for a lip balm that contains nourishing ingredients like beeswax, shea butter, or vitamin E to protect and hydrate your lips.

5. Gentle Exfoliator: Regular exfoliation is important, but choosing a gentle and non-irritating exfoliator for sensitive skin is crucial. Products that contain alpha-hydroxy acids or gentle physical exfoliators like jojoba beads are suitable choices.

Not all skin reacts the same to new products, so if you experience any skin irritation, discontinue use immediately.

Specific Products for Sensitive Skin

If you have sensitive skin, choosing skincare products that are gentle, non-irritating, and formulated specifically for sensitive skin types is essential.

La Roche Posay Lipikar AP+M Moisturizer

If your skin needs extra pampering, try La Roche Posay Lipikar AP+M Triple Repair Moisturizer. This fast-absorbing cream provides triple action to repair your moisture barrier. Clinically shown to offer 48 hours of moisturization, Lipikar AP+M is perfect for people with sensitivities searching for a winter weather escape.

This product has many benefits, some of which are listed below.

1. Restores and strengthens the skin barrier: La Roche-Posay Lipikar AP+ Moisturizer for Dry Skin contains nourishing ingredients, including shea butter, niacinamide, and glycerin, that repair and strengthen the skin barrier. This is important for sensitive skin types, as a compromised skin barrier leads to dryness, irritation, and sensitivity.

2. Soothes and calms skin: The moisturizer contains La Roche-Posay’s unique Thermal Spring Water, which has natural properties that reduce skin’s redness and inflammation. This is especially beneficial for sensitive skin types, as it calms flare-ups and irritation.

3. Non-irritating and fragrance-free: This moisturizer is non-irritating and fragrance-free, making it suitable for sensitive skin. It is also free from parabens and other potentially harmful ingredients, making it a safe and effective choice for daily use.

Overall, La Roche-Posay Lipikar AP+ Moisturizer for Dry Skin is a highly effective product from this French line known for clinically tested ingredients.

Cetaphil Intensive Moisturizing Cream for Dry Skin

If your sensitive skin needs the ultimate moisturization, the Body Moisturizer by Cetaphil is a must-have for the winter. The intensive moisturizing cream has ingredients known for powerful healing and restorative properties, including niacinamide, panthenol, glycerin, and sweet almond oil.

Dry to very dry skin types enjoy up to 48 hours of soothing relief and moisture. This cream for sensitive skin replenishes and protects the delicate moisture barrier.

Benefits of Niacinamide

Here are some of the key benefits of niacinamide in Cetaphil Intensive Moisturizing Cream for Dry Skin:

1. Improves the skin barrier: Niacinamide improves the skin barrier’s function, reducing water loss in deeper layers of the skin and keeping it hydrated. Board-certified dermatologist Patti Farris comments, “One of the unique benefits of niacinamide as an anti-aging ingredient is that it enhances barrier function.” 

2. Reduces inflammation: Niacinamide has anti-inflammatory properties, which makes it beneficial for skin conditions such as acne, rosacea, and eczema. It reduces redness, soothes irritation, and enhances overall skin health.

3. Suitable for sensitive skin: Niacinamide is a gentle and non-irritating ingredient, making it ideal for even the most sensitive skin types. It is well-tolerated and effective for a range of skin types and conditions.

Remember to slather this extra emollient cream on your hands and use gloves at night to soothe and soften cuticles and work into the webs of your fingers.

When using this product on your feet, add to the healing experience by wearing socks at night to soak in essential hydration and smooth any cracked areas like heels.

Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask

Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask is a popular K-Beauty product that does wonders for dry winter-worn lips. Apply the mask before bed and it works overnight to repair and restore dry, cracked, and chapped lips.

Here are a few benefits this product offers: 

1. Deep hydration: Sensitive skin types tend to be prone to dryness and irritation, especially in winter when the air is cold and dry. Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask provides deep hydration to the lips, helping to restore moisture and prevent flakiness.

2. Nourishing ingredients: Vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, and antioxidants work together to protect the delicate skin on the lips. These ingredients repair the effects of environmental stressors and restore the lips’ natural moisture barrier.

3. Gentle formula: The Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask is a gentle formula free from harmful chemicals, such as parabens and phthalates.

Bio-Oil Dry Skin Gel

Bio-Oil is likely a familiar brand for those who use the original oil for scars and other marks. The first new product from this company in 30 years is the Bio-Oil Dry Skin Gel.

This gel has softening oils and butters that work together to heal damaged or scarred skin.

Here are a few key benefits of this product:

1. Formula: Bio-Oil Dry Skin Gel has a non-greasy formula that absorbs quickly into the skin, leaving it feeling soft and smooth without any residue

2. Skin barrier protection: Bio-Oil Dry Skin Gel has a blend of nourishing ingredients, including shea butter and glycerin, which improve the skin barrier and prevent moisture loss

3. Suitable for sensitive skin: Bio-Oil Dry Skin Gel is an excellent choice for sensitive skin because it is non-comedogenic, fragrance-free, and dermatologist-tested.

4. Multipurpose use: Bio-Oil Dry Skin Gel addresses other skin concerns, such as stretch marks, scars, and uneven skin tone. This versatile product is ideal for year-round use.

CeraVe Hydrating Mineral Sunscreen Face Lotion SPF 50

Winter skin needs sunscreen. Sensitive skin, more than any other, must use some form of protective barrier from the sun’s harsh rays. Harmful UV damage occurs even on overcast days. CeraVe Hydrating Mineral Sunscreen Face Lotion SPF 50 is great for everyday sun protection.

This product also offers many additional benefits:

1. Mineral-based formula: CeraVe Hydrating Mineral Face Sunscreen Lotion has zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, mineral-based ingredients that provide broad-spectrum protection against UVA and UVB rays. Mineral sunscreens are gentler on the skin than chemical sunscreens, making them a better option for sensitive skin.

2. Hydrating formula: The Hydrating Mineral Face Sunscreen Lotion includes three essential ceramides that restore and maintain the skin’s natural barrier. These ceramides lock in moisture and keep the skin hydrated, especially during the winter when the skin tends to be drier.

3. Non-comedogenic: The lotion is non-comedogenic, meaning it won’t clog pores or cause breakouts, making it a great option for those with acne-prone skin.

Create a Skin Saving Solution

Start a routine that works with your budget, lifestyle, and skin type. Remember to exfoliate, cleanse, hydrate, and protect your skin consistently.

The products above are a great place to start building a winter skincare regimen, your key to comfortable skin during the frigid and harsh winter.