I love autumn: the colours, the crispness, the cosy nights in, complete with candles and comforting food, it’s all delicious. The only thing I don’t love is how turning on the central heating swiftly turns me into a crispy critter. If I don’t take care, I end up with crunchy cuticles, cracking nails and scaling skin – I swear I look like a pink lizard.
Despite all the rain, this is clearly dry-out season and since no-one wants to shed skin flakes like trees shed their leaves, I’ve picked up some fast, low-maintenance ways to offset those less-than-lovely effects.
- Start with a gentler, creamier facial wash, such as Origins Pure Cream Rinseable Cleanser £18.50, which can be rinsed off or tissued off and isn’t stripping for dryer skin. Rinse with tepid water rather than warm-to-hot water, then blot, don’t rub, dry. Over a few weeks, these make bigger differences than you might expect. Alternatively, if you don’t wear heavy make-up, Simple Kind To Skin Micellar Cleansing Water, £3.29 (available from Boots and Superdrug) uses micelles that work like tiny magnets on oil, make-up and dirt, so it’s easy to lift it all off with a cotton pad – no scouring, hard rubbing or toner required.
- Moisturise with a cream rather than a runny lotion since thicker formulations create more of a physical barrier over the skin and therefore help prevent moisture loss and dehydration. Dermatologists also advise us to stick to daytime products with sunscreens all year round, so try Elizabeth Arden’s wonderfully rich, skin-plumping, wrinkle-bashing Ceramide Lift and Firm Day Lotion SPF30, £48.45, during the day, and at night try Skyn Iceland Pure Cloud Cream, £41, which contains lots of soothing, comforting agents for dry, irritated, stressed complexions. They include calming peptides, almond oil, oat extract, bisabolol and some deeply restorative botanical complexes. It’s like kid gloves for skin.
- Treat dry, flaky patches with a mild face scrub, but apply gently and use it no more than once a week (or as seldom as you like – once a month is enough for me) since exfoliating can irritate complexions that are already sensitised and stressed by sharp weather and dry indoor conditions. In fact, if you normally use a cleansing brush and have noticed more blotchiness and redness than usual, use it less often or stop completely until your skin settles down again. A weekly face mask may do a better job at texture-refining without being rough. For example, Elemis Tri-Enzyme Resurfacing Gel Mask, £49.50, not only deep-cleanses your pores but whisks away flakiness, softens and smooths all in one go.
- Pay attention to lips which dry out easily and then end up chapped and sore. Using pure petroleum jelly too frequently can cause a rebound drying effect, so I prefer moisturising salves instead. Good old Nivea does a wide range of nurturing, soothing lip balms and butters from about £1.55, although my favourite, their Lip Care Pearly Shine, £2.29 from Superdrug, has a frosted finish that looks pretty, too. Or, if you generally suffer from dry and chapped lips, Elizabeth Arden does a great intensive lip repair balm, more pricey but works a treat while you sleep.
- Save nails from splitting and cracking, and from painful hangnails and crunchy cuticles by using a simple nail oil such as OPI cuticle oil, £10.50 – or even simple almond oil. Apply it at least once a day and you’ll soon see results.
- Lastly, don’t forget your body. Being insulated under thicker clothes, it’s tempting to simply ignore it, but regardless of whether you use a cheap and cheerful budget brand, a high-tech anti-ageing potion or an exquisitely fragranced fashion formulation, lash on the lotion after your shower (because it absorbs best when skin is slightly damp) and you’ll stay smooth instead of scaly all year round. We love classic Palmer’s cocoa butter and Burt’s Bees Ultimate Care Body Lotion.
If you have any other suggestions for avoiding scaly skin, please comment below and don’t forget to share with your friends…
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