A Healthy Winter Skin Care Routine: 8 Essential Tips for Mature Skin

(Last Updated On: November 1, 2023)

Winter Wellness Series Part 2

This is the second installment of our Winter Wellness series, the ever-essential topic of a healthy winter skin care routine.

As women over 50, we know that our skin changes as we age. We live the effects of this every day, don’t we? So taking some additional time and care with our precious skin is well worth the time, effort, and maybe even a few extra dollars.

Creating a healthy skin care routine specifically for the colder months of the year isn’t hard, if you know what to look for and where to focus your efforts. Let’s take a closer look at these 8 winter weather tips.

A Healthy Winter Skin Care Routine

1 | Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize!

Keeping our skin hydrated is always important, but particularly during the winter months when the air is cold and dry. When it’s really cold outside, our skin is less able to protect itself. This can result in cracks in the outer layer of skin, loss of hydration, and even inflammation.

A thick, moisturizing body wash that hydrates rather than a harsh exfoliator is gentler on your skin during the winter months. I love Aveeno’s body wash products, and when combined with their moisturizers, there really is a difference in the look and feel of my skin.

Look for a moisturizer that contains hyaluronic acid and ceramides to help keep the moisture barrier intact and also help prevent dryness.

2 | Suncreen & Sunglasses, please

Your winter skin care routine should include sunscreen, always, on your face, hands, and neck. Check your makeup and see if it includes UV protection. If not (or if you don’t wear any type of makeup on your face), use a moisturizer with UV protection included, or, apply a UV protection cream specifically formulated for that purpose.

Skin care products that contain vitamin C promote collagen formation and also work to repair damage, which is key at any time of the year. Here are a few suggestions to consider:

I wear sunglasses almost all of the time when I’m outside, no matter the temperature, or even if the sun is shining. It helps me to see more clearly and is much easier on my eyes.

In the colder weather, the glare from the sun and snow can harm the skin around your eyes and cause brown spots, fine lines, and other issues. A good quality pair of UV protected sunglasses are worth the investment!  

3 | Cleanse, but don’t dry out the skin

Your skin has different needs in the winter than in milder seasons of the year, so you might think about switching to a cleanser that contains moisturizer, and is not too harsh.

I’m so glad that my skin care products from PROVEN are formulated to my particular needs as well as my climate, and the formulations vary with the seasons. So I know that I’m always using the right combination of ingredients on my mature skin that lives in the tundra…I mean, in the Midwest. 🙂

Skin care for my face is quite simple, but effective:

• Cleanser once per day, in the evening (a.m. and p.m. may work for you)
• Light moisturizer with UV protection in the morning
• Uplift Firming Serum from City Beauty
• An anti-aging overnight moisturizer in the evening, to work wonders on my skin while I get my beauty sleep 🙂

Masks, peels, and products that contain alcohol might be more beneficial to you when the weather warms up. Be aware of exfoliating your skin too often in the winter as well. Once a week is the recommendation, and the drier your skin is, the more careful you should be about how often.

And, keep your water temperature from getting too hot when washing your face and showering.

4 | Stay hydrated

With the dryer air in winter, both inside and outside of our homes, water will evaporate from our body easily.

So…another benefit to drinking water regularly, every single day, and essential component of a healthy lifestyle.

You can also use a humidifier inside your home to help manage the moisture level. I can tell by my dry skin, and the oh-so-regular use of lip balm that my home is dry in the winter. I’m considering one of these small humidifiers to put some moisture back into the air of my home:

5 | Pucker up

The dry heat inside our homes as well as going outside without protecting our lips from the cold, winter air can leave us with dry, chapped lips. And that’s no fun.

Long-lasting or matte lipsticks can also make our lips feel drier because of the ingredients used in their formulation.

So, out comes the lip balm, friends. Look for those that contain any of these ingredients:

• Shea butter
• Aloe vera
• Coconut oil
• Jojoba oil
• Almond oil
• Sunflower oil
• Calendula oil

My favorite is always Burt’s Bees, and I buy them in multiples so I can keep them handy. If you walk around my house I think you’ll see a little BB tube in almost every room!

6 | Eat your fruits and veggies

Your winter skin care routine should include seasonal fruits and veggies. The vitamins and antioxidants found in berries will help your skin stay healthy in those colder months.

Choose what is in season and what you love to eat. How easy is that?

Which winter vegetables are best for your overall health, including your skin?

Here are just a few:

• Kale – it can be harvested year round, and can withstand cold and snow conditions. It’s full of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants.
• Brussel Sprouts – are an excellent source of vitamin K, as well as vitamins A, B, and C, manganese, and potassium.
• Carrots – are an excellent source of beta-carotene, which can be converted into vitamin A in the body
• Swiss Chard – very low in calories, but 1 cup includes almost half the recommended daily dose of vitamin A. I have discovered the joy of chopped swiss chard sautéed in a small amount of olive oil. So tasty!

7 | Hands & tootsies, too

My hands get so dry in the winter time, inside the house and out. It seems like I’m constantly applying hand cream!

That’s because the skin on our hands has fewer oil glands than the skin on any other part of our body, and the moisture escapes from our hands quickly. And, I wash my hands all the time, so that just dries them out even more.

Left alone, our hands can become overly dry, itchy, and prone to cracks. It is worth it to find a cream specifically formulated for the hands, like these:

Our tootsies can become particularly dry and cracked in the colder weather. What to do?

Well, here is a part of the body where exfoliation is our friend. Spend a few quality minutes with your feet regularly. Exfoliate to enhance absorption, then use a glycerin-based cream.

8 | Healthy lifestyle choices count!

Our plan for winter skin care should always include wise choices in activities and our overall nutrition.

If the weather is too cold and nasty to be outside, make a plan for how you’re going to get the workout done indoors. You might need to get a little creative, or invest a few dollars in an online workout program, but your body, including your skin, will thank you for it.

Sitting on the sofa munching on potato chips and scrolling through your favorite social media until it warms up outside is going to accomplish nothing except added weight, a bigger bottom, and dulled skin (plus the opportunity for health issues to arise). Who wants that?

Use your time spent indoors when it’s cold outside wisely, my friend. The effort you put into winter skin care and overall wellness will keep you fit, strong, and ready to enjoy the outdoors when the sun shines and the temperatures rise!

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