While San Francisco doesn’t get the coldest of cold winters, we definitely had a temperature drop around mid November that called for a beauty regime change. This year, one day it was 80 degrees, and the next it was 50. Brrr. The cooler, dryer temperatures call for a switch to thicker lotions and creams and a careful exfoliation of that dry, flakey skin. Here are a few of my favorite winter products to protect your nails, hair and skin:
1. Bliss 24-'Heaven' High Intensity Healing Balm
This powerful body butter is all you need to cure dry hands, feet, legs, elbows, knees, and everything in between. It is super thick and luxurious, sure to banish your winter blues. I slather it on my feet and hands before bed and wake to soft, subtle skin. The secret is that it not only has strong moisturizers like oatmeal, shea and cocoa butter, but it also has lactic acid, to help exfoliate and slough off those dead, dry skin cells. Bliss 24-'heaven' high intensity healing balm is available at Sephora, sephora.com, Bliss Spas and on blissworld.com for $35 for 8 oz.
2. Davines MOMO Shampoo and Conditioner
This pair of Davines’ MOMO shampoo and conditioner is sure to banish any dry, brittle locks you might experience during the winter months. I love this Italian line of hair products and dyes because they are not only natural but aimed at performance, not just being earth friendly. Davines’ moisture-rich MOMO shampoo and conditioner contain natural ingredients to restore the depleted elements dry hair needs. The shampoo contains vitamins C, B, and PP to protect hair, sweet almond proteins to hydrate and restore body, and olive ampho acetate to non-aggressively clean, leaving it soft and silky. The MOMO Conditioner contains milk thistle oil, panthenol and jojoba oil to moisturize, soften and add shine without weighing down your hair. MOMO is available at fine salons or on barneys.com for $24 for 250ml for the shampoo and $10 for 75ml for the conditioner.
3. l’Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream
One of the first signs of winter for me is using lots and lots of hand cream. I find come mid November, my consumption of the stuff goes up two or three fold. The hand cream I continue to buy over and over again is l’Occitane’s original Shea Butter Hand Cream. It is my standby, no matter how many new and fancy hand creams I try. I love the size of the tube, since it fits easily into a small or large purse. But just because it is small, doesn’t mean it doesn’t last, a little of this rick cream goes a long way to soften my hands and cuticles. I am always tempted by the variety of scents l’Occitane releases each year in their hand cream collection, but I always end of preferring the original shea butter formula. It smells hardly at all, so your cubicle mate won’t be offended, and it seems to be the thickest and longest lasting of the bunch. You can buy l’Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream at your local L’Occitane or Sephora store or online at loccitane.com or sephora.com. It is $10 for 1 oz.
4. Lumene Sensitive Touch Instant Relief Serum
If you are like me, colder weather brings irritated skin. No one looks good with a red blotchy face, often due to constant temperature changes (inside warm, outside brrrr) and dryness. Lumene’s Sensitive Touch Instant Relief Serum is my answer. I use this serum every morning, after I wash my face and before I put on a moisturizer (with sunscreen of course… even in the winter you can’t forget your SPF!). It calms any irritation my face might be experiencing and feels gentle and soothing in the process. No to mention this serum is free from alcohol, colourants, perfumes, parabens, paraffins and silicones. You can find Lumene Sensitive Touch Instant Relief Serum at your local drugstore or on dermstore.com for about $19.99 for 1 floz.
5. Algenist Triple-Action Micropolish & Peel
With all the dry skin you experience in the winter, moisturizing isn’t the only answer. You must exfoliate! This microdermabrasion peel by Algenist contains a 10 percent acid duo - patent-pending alguronic acid and glycolic acid. That, in combination with a 10 percent fruit enzyme complex and micro polishing crystals helps to transform your skin from dull winter to bright and clear. The formula exfoliates and resurfaces, improving texture and tone for smoother, brighter, more radiant skin. I think I’ve found my favorite exfoliator in this tube. It is so powerful, and yet doesn’t irritate my skin at all. I use it in the shower twice a week or so and am thrilled with the result. Algenist Triple-Action Micropolish & Peel is available at Sephora and on sephora.com for $75 for 2 oz.
Well, there you have it. A few products to keep your winter skin from drying and dulling-out. Stay vigilant and you’ll last through till spring, I promise you.
Winter Lovely!