The best body saviours in brief
- Tatcha The Kissu Lip Mask (£27) – spacenk.com
- ESPA Skin Stimulating Body Brush (£21) – lookfantastic.com
- Cicaplast Baume B5+ Repairing Balm (£11) – laroche-posay.co.uk
- Naturium The Booster Hyaluronic Acid Body Wash (£19) – spacenk.com
- Joonbyrd Kaleidoscope Smoothing Body Serum (£78) – cultbeauty.co.uk
- CeraVe Moisturiser with Ceramides for Dry to Very Dry Skin (£17.50) – cultbeauty.co.uk
- Sol de Janeiro Bum Bum Body Scrub (£39) – cultbeauty.co.uk
- Eucerin Urea Repair Plus 10% Urea Foot Cream (£12) – sephora.co.uk
Winter skin — certainly my winter skin — is very rarely the best version of itself. As the air temperature begins to dip and we can no longer stave off our central heating, I start to hurl myself into steaming hot baths and showers in a bid to stay warm and snug.
It’s never long after these seasonal changes commence that my skin begins to twinge and twang. Before I know it gone are the glossy(ish) limbs that belonged to the summer months, and in their place a pallid, pasty and papery iteration that must be hidden away at all costs. On go the tights and trousers. Up I tug the socks. But this is a dissatisfactory approach. Especially for a beauty editor. So here’s what to do…
The secret to skipping (or resolving) winter skin woes comes down to treating your bodycare routine a bit more like a skincare one. Exfoliate — gently — twice weekly to shift surface dryness and to help everything that you apply afterwards do its job in the best way it can. Experts advise steering clear of anything too harsh or grainy that might further irritate a compromised skin barrier. Look instead for body washes that contain gentle acids, or finely milled scrubs that will smooth and refine without irritation.
When it comes to moisturising, trade in your summer-suitable lotions for creams and oils that replenish the skin barrier - the richer the better. Seek out ceramides, lipids that supplement the natural ceramides in our skin and are essential for healthy barrier function. Niacinamide is also particularly useful for calming red, irritated skin and supporting barrier function, while humectants like hyaluronic acid, ectoin and glycerin are great for tending to weathered skin.
In terms of what not to do, remember that long, scalding showers and baths can instantly dehydrate skin. Aim instead for a temperature that is warm not hot, and limit your soak to 15 minutes or so if you can bear to tear yourself away. Avoid over-exfoliating, and speedy, irregular slathering on of product too. A consistent, steady, measured approach is the only way to keep skin soft, resilient and supple until spring.
Try these for size...
Tatcha The Kissu Lip Mask A leave-on lip mask enriched with soothing orange peel extract, squalane and camellia oil to soothe and treat sore wintery mouths. (£27, spacenk.com)
ESPA Skin Stimulating Body Brush I know it sounds like an extra step that you can ill-afford, but body brushing works. Those in the know sing its praises for not just buffing the skin’s surface, but also boosting circulation and improving lymphatic drainage to help skin look naturally smoother, brighter and more toned. (£21, lookfantastic.com)
Cicaplast Baume B5+ Repairing Balm You’ll find this rich, unctuous balm in every beauty editor's bathroom cabinet. Almost miraculously soothing and repairing, it tends to everything from rashes and sensitivity, to sore bits, dry spots and bites. (£11, laroche-posay.co.uk)
Naturium The Booster Hyaluronic Acid Body Wash This hardworking body wash is a fairly new addition to my shower. With hyaluronic acid, multi-molecular sodium hyaluronate, glycerin and more, it delivers deep moisture while working to support, soothe and condition for a happy, healthy skin barrier. (£19, spacenk.com)
Joonbyrd Kaleidoscope Smoothing Body Serum A lightweight and silky-soft serum with charged with anti antioxidants plus shikimic and azelaic acids which work to gently but efficiently buff away dead skin cells, leaving skin bright, supple and smooth. (£78, cultbeauty.co.uk)
CeraVe Moisturiser with Ceramides for Dry to Very Dry Skin We race through tubes of this brilliant and reasonably priced cream in our house. Unscented — so suitable for even sensitive skin — it sinks in like a dream and transforms skin quality fast. (£17.50 cultbeauty.co.uk)
Sol de Janeiro Bum Bum Body Scrub With its — now famous — vanilla-caramel scent, this super-fine scrub made of crushed cupuaçu seeds and sugar crystals gently slays away dead skin cells, while Amazonian guarana (which has five times more caffeine than coffee) stimulates circulation, and pure-pressed coconut oil leaves skin silky soft. (£39, cultbeauty.co.uk)
Eucerin Urea Repair Plus 10% Urea Foot Cream An affordable and highly effective solution for feet that are severely dry and cracked, with urea, glycerin and lactic acid. (£12, sephora.co.uk)
