Why should you change your beauty routine (now)?

SKIN CARE Do you use the same cosmetic products in summer as in winter? This is the definitive guide to adapt your beauty routine to cold days

By Carmen Lanchares

Just as with the change of season you change your wardrobe, you should also consider that your beauty routine cannot be the same in summer as in winter. If the external conditions vary, your skin (yes, that organ that acts as a barrier and connection between you and the outside world) also notices it. The same thing happens to your hair. If you haven't made changes to your bag yet and you're maintaining the same beauty routine as a couple of months ago, you should consider changing certain gestures and products. The time change shows, more than the calendar date, the arrival of the new season. And just as you have already replaced the linen quilt with the duvet cover on your bed, your skin now also needs other different textures that shelter it from external agents. Fewer hours of natural light, noticeably colder days, rain, more time in closed and heated environments or more environmental and digital pollution are some factors that affect it and make it necessary to change your beauty routine.

“There are many things about skin care that seem to me to be unserious marketing fads that trivialize the care of this important organ. But in this case, it is not a fashion but something logical. In winter is when more outbreaks of atopic dermatitis occur, for example. The cold produces greater capillary fragility, causes the loss of water in the cornea and delays the cell renewal cycle, in addition to increasing the sensitivity of the skin. Dryness, tightness, peeling and redness are the most common negative effects that cold causes on our face. And the beauty routine must adapt to the needs of the skin at all times”, assures Inmaculada Canterla, Director of the Cosmeceutical Center, a graduate in Pharmacy and a specialist in dermo-cosmetics, nutrition, dietetics and antiaging medicine. In addition, the tighter and less flexible the skin, the more pronounced the wrinkles and expression lines are, the more marked the wrinkles and expression lines are... Isn't that a good reason to adapt your beauty routine? The first step, without a doubt, is to know the state of the skin, "a fundamental requirement to achieve effective results," says the pharmacist. And this must always be the objective.

Sunscreen is also for winter

”The spots usually come out more in summer. In winter the skin lightens and it is the ideal time to carry out professional depigmentation treatments (laser, IPL, fractionated, chemical peels...) and use active ingredients to even out the skin tone (kojico, arbutin, retinoids, phytic...)” Cantera explains. But when it comes to changing the toiletry bag, the pharmacist advises including products that restore the function of our natural hydration factor (FNH), emollient and moisturizing substances that retain water in the epidermis and prevent its evaporation, butters and vegetable oils to reinforce the structure of the hydrolipidic mantle, multi-weight hyaluronic acid or ceramides. “We must not forget the use of sunscreen in winter. In any skin care routine, and whatever the season, it is essential that the last step is the application of sunscreen. Although there is an erroneous belief that the sun does not affect the skin in winter, the radiation from UVA rays (which affect DNA, cells, vessels and tissues) is about 17 times greater than the radiation from UVB rays ( immediate damage to the skin such as burns) and remains stable in any type of weather situation”, points out the director of the Cosmeceutical Center, who also proposes using formulas with active ingredients with repairing, protective and regenerating properties such as natural vegetable oils (such as sesame oil, macadamia oil, chia oil), Vitamins B3 and B5, Teprenone (which works very well to calm hypersensitive skin) and Vitamin K2 (to strengthen the walls of the capillaries).

Introduce nutricosmetics in your beauty routine

According to Inmmaculada Canterla, changes in the seasons often lead to changes in our state of mind. The arrival of autumn, with shorter days and lower temperatures, forces us to re-adapt the entire body and recovering a rhythm requires more energy. “At this time, multinutrients or multivitamins are typical, supplements for hair loss (telogen effluvium), use of adaptogens such as Rhodiola or ashawanda to better resist stress, supplementation to reinforce natural defenses based on active ingredients from extracts of Reishi, Shiitake and Maitake, as well as Vitamin C and Zinc, which help to strengthen the immune system, propolis (a great immunomodulator in respiratory infections, asthma, etc…), liquorice, garlic, echinacea or mistletoe).

Objective: to give light to the skin

“All the substances that participate in the inhibition of melanin synthesis automatically give off light as an indirect effect”, advances Inmaculada Canterla. There are many active ingredients that can play a relevant role in skin luminosity, we just have to integrate those that best adapt to the state of each skin into our beauty routine. In this sense, the specialist says that vitamin C should not be missing in any daily treatment because it reduces pigmentation. Likewise, azelaic acid and niacinamide (vit. B3), which in addition to restoring the balance of the epidermis, help reduce dark spots and inflammation, improving the overall appearance of the skin, are two good allies when it comes to combat the dull appearance of the skin.

and the hair too

In the hair beauty routine, the change of season also requires changing some products and adapting them to the state of the hair. This is confirmed by Sonia Atanes, director of the SAHB taninoplasty salon: "The right thing to do is observe what our hair needs at all times. In autumn, I recommend post-summer hair nutrition and anti-loss to prepare the hair for winter. In winter, antistatic treatments and thermal protectors, since they not only protect us from thermal tools but also from temperature changes. And in spring, stem cell treatments or fortifiers to revive them. In summer, nourishing treatments and sunscreens to prevent the ravages of the sun " .

read the labels

“It is much more important than it seems to know how to interpret product labels, such as the durability of an opened container or paying attention to the order in which the ingredients appear. The more at the beginning it is, the greater amount in its composition. In this way, we can assess its quality. We must search according to the needs of our hair and hence the importance of being advised. To avoid, yes or yes, sodium hydroxide, which is a very aggressive agent”, advises Atanes. According to Victor López, head of the North American firm California Mango in Spain, hair needs nutrition and regeneration at this time; and for this he recommends the firm's shampoo with açaí and goji berries, papaya and pomegranate. "These last two fruits are important because they revitalize the hair from the inside out, helping the hair structure." Two ingredients also to consider in conditioning formulas.

no need to cut

There are those who with the change of season also change their hair style. Nothing against it, but it is not something that contributes especially to hair health. For Sonia Atanes, both the cut and the color have to do with the vital moment of each person. “Something that all professionals are clear about is that behind a change of image there is a conscious or unconscious personal change”. What is important, according to this expert, is to assume the care and maintenance of color as a beauty routine and regularly clean the ends, regardless of the time of year, to prevent deterioration.

Change (also) of makeup base

The reason is obvious. “The vast majority of skins change their tone in the hot seasons and in the cold seasons,” explains Paula Marcos, Estée Lauder official make-up artist, but, in addition, we usually change the way we put on make-up in summer and winter, so our makeup base should change with us. “To achieve a real skin effect, the foundation should be adapted to our exact shade. If in winter we have a lighter skin tone, the makeup should also be lighter and if we tan in summer we will have to increase the intensity of the tone.

You need two bases

One lighter and one darker. In this way, says Paula Marcos, while the skin goes up or lightens the tone, depending on the time, you will be able to mix them and modulate the nuances to achieve a perfect finish for any occasion. The ideal is to find a makeup with a texture that suits your skin in any situation. “The Double Wear formula, for example, adjusts well to the different seasons. Its texture is ideal for summer, because it resists sweat and even water. And their medium to full coverage works well in the colder months.”

How to choose the right shade

You have to try the makeup base on the face, which is where it will be applied, and never on the hand because the tone of this is usually not the same as that of the face. "Apply a little makeup to the jaw area and central area of ​​the face and blend with your finger, if it disappears, it's your makeup tone!", says Paula Marcos. When buying, we must bear in mind that the intensity of our skin tone can vary between winter and summer; but also its undertone that can be pink, gold or neutral. According to the make-up artist, the pink or cold undertone usually occurs in skin that takes longer to tan and tends to burn easily, while the gold is typical of skin that tans easily. Depending on the undertone of your skin, you should choose the one of the makeup base. However, when in doubt, you can always apply a background with a neutral undertone, to offset its tendency. “The neutral undertone is a mix of both undertones, and it tends to work well with all skin tones.” But if you don't want to change your base, the expert advises applying bronzing powder in summer or when you want to slightly raise the color of your base makeup. And for a more natural and juicy effect, mix your makeup with your serum or even your moisturizer.”

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