Caring for your Winter Skin

It’s taking forever for the weather to cool down in Texas, so I am just now noticing the difference in how my skin feels. Add in that I am 60, and dry skin ailments are inevitable. I’m sharing my favorite winter skin care products.

Washing and Moisturizing your Face:

When you have dry skin, there’s a delicate balance between cleansing and keeping it hydrated. In general, creamy emollient cleansers are best in the winter instead of gels and foaming soaps.

To remove my makeup, I love to use Farm House Fresh Make it Melt Cleansing Balm. It has a fresh orange and vanilla scent and magically changes from a balm to an oil to effortlessly remove makeup and mascara. Add water, and it suds up. I use these makeup washcloths because they are so gentle and soft, and I don’t have to worry about the makeup staining my white washcloths.

Serums and Moisturizer:

Serums act as a barrier for repair to your dry skin, sealing in the moisture. One product I have used now for several years is Bambu Earth Repairing Facial Serum.  A cold-pressed serum helps manage discoloration, hyperpigmentation, sun damage, and scarring to help even skin tone. It has pumpkin seed oil, rosehips, and meadowfoam oil.  Visit their site here for 20% off your entire purchase (the link contains my unique promo code). I use Bambu Earth Petitgrain Moisturizer and it feels like my face is drinking a huge glass of water.

Body Care:

As skin produces less oil and there’s a breakdown of elasticity and collagen fibers, moisturizers can help to fortify skin’s structure and also help with the overall look (hydrated skin looks more plump!).  As you age, the key to a good skincare routine is picking products that strengthen and thicken the dermis, provide moisture retention and barrier renewal, and are not too harsh or abrasive. As we age, our hyaluronic acid (HA) levels decrease, which can cause mature skin to become itchy or irritated. Cerave moisturizer notes HA as a hero ingredient, which is popular because it’s known to hold over 1,000 times its weight in water. This makes it an effective hydrator and plumper, making any fine lines or wrinkles more filled in and hydrated. It also doesn’t contain any actives and won’t conflict with any prescribed topicals or actives that might already be present in someone’s skincare routine.  I keep a tub of Cerave in the bathroom to apply after I shower and a separate tub on my bedside table to reapply before bed.  Check out this article here for more good information on dry skin.

For My Feet

Two products I like to use to keep my feet soft and moisturized come from Farm House Fresh – Citrus Grass Fine Sea Salt Body Scrub. I keep this in the shower and like to scrub my feet, especially the heels and the dry skin buildup between the toes. A luxurious scrub that gently polishes away dead skin cells, leaving your skin soft, smooth, and glowing. Made with a heavenly concoction of mineral-rich sea salt, nourishing oils, and a refreshingly light citrus cream scent. I like that it leaves my skin lightly covered in oil so it feels moisturized.

I cover my feet in their Honey Heel Glaze as my bedtime treat. Called an “Instant Pedicure”—loved by magazine editors and customers galore—this golden serum seals in moisture and brings rich color back to tired feet. Truly a guilty pleasure from the first moment you let it breathe, it is fragranced with velvety cinnamon notes, sweet cloves, and delightful organic date honey. It’s so yummy you almost want to eat it! I slip on a pair of moisturizer-infused socks like these.

If you aren’t familiar with Farm House Fresh, it’s a woman-owned business in Texas. Their skincare headquarters is also home to their registered 501(c)(3) non-profit farm animal sanctuary, featured in People Magazine for their unique Skincare that Saves mission. Located on 10 acres, with over 50 special needs animals, they provide specialized life care and support other non-profit organizations. Each product is stamped with a unique code, so you can go to their site here and track the animal you are helping to save!  Pretty cool!

All of these products make terrific holiday gifts. Put them in a basket, wrap them in cellophane, and tie them with a bow, and you’ve gifted them with the perfect spa treatment!