Winter brings some beautiful things, like snowflakes, ice skating, and warm cuddles by the fire. While all that can be great, looking in the mirror and seeing flaky, dull skin on a head of hat-hair staring back at you is definitely not great. Cold, dry winters can do some serious damage to our hair, skin, and makeup. But don’t worry: through my years in the makeup and hair industry, I’ve learned a few secrets that I’ll share with you today.
The dreaded split ends. Unless you have super-human durable hair, you’ll probably have to deal with these at some point, especially during the dry, cold winter months. My favorite solution?
Coconut Oil.
Yes, seriously, coconut oil. By now you’ve probably heard about its health benefits from your organic friend, but coconut oil is an awesome beauty multitasker. For split ends, simply rub a dime-sized amount of unrefined coconut oil into wet hair. Try wearing a braid and letting your hair air-dry that day so it can soak up the maximum amount of oil.
Want an even more intense treatment? Try an overnight coconut oil hair mask. Simply massage the oil from root to tip, making sure to cover the hair evenly. Throw on a cute turban, shampoo the next morning, and voila! Silky, hydrated hair.
A common misconception I hear from my clients is that they have “dry skin”. When I ask them what products they use, they usually list of an arsenal of oil-heavy creams, lotions, and moisturizers. But what they don’t know is that their skin is actually dehydrated.
When you’re thirsty, do you drink oil? No, obviously, you drink water. So if this winter makes your skin feel patchy and tight, and oil-based products just aren’t doing the trick, look for products that will actually hydrate your skin.
I personally love sheet masking at night to re-hydrate, then wearing an oil-based moisturizer in the morning. When buying a sheet mask, don’t look for “moisturizing” or ones with “oil” in the title, look for “water replenishment” or “hydrating”. You’ll be glowing in no time!
For most of us, the cold air doesn’t just mess with our hair and skin: it can totally mess up our makeup game, too. If you find that any part of your face is flaking, make sure that you’re using a winter-specific primer.
A primer is like a barrier between your skin and your makeup. It allows your skincare routine to work effectively, protects your skin from the outside environment, and provides a smooth, clean base for your makeup to lay on. Because most primers have silicone or dimethicone bases, we may think they feel “heavy” in the summer—but by the time winter rolls around, our face could really use that extra cushion.
Look for primers that have “hydrating”, “smoothing”, and “anti-aging” benefits. These will work best for the dry skin that’s causing your makeup to look flaky and patchy. When you test them out, look for “slip”: that’s an industry word for how smoothly a primer feels on your hand. The more slip, the more it’ll protect your makeup from patchy grossness.
Thanks for reading! Stay beautiful.
