Winter Face & Body Skincare Checklist: From Lips to Hairline

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The winter weather doesn’t go easy on your skin. Whether it's your face, lips, or body skin, they all require extra love and care as the temperatures drop and the air becomes dry. Thus, enter an effective winter body skin care routine. 


Cold weather combined with harsh indoor heating can leave your skin dry, flaky, and irritated overall. You can often feel the urge to itch, and if you do, you are left with marks on your body. When it comes to facing the dry air and indoor heating, it causes dehydration and weakens your skin’s barrier. Even chapped lips are your early sign to adopt a full-body winter skincare routine. 


Deconstruct presents you with a winter skincare checklist to keep your skin nourished and healthy this cold season. From the right ingredients to layering tips and product recommendations, this guide answers all your queries and more.

Why Winter Skincare Needs a Full-Body Approach

Before getting started on your winter skincare routine, you need to know what exactly the cold weather does to your skin.

Cold weather and low humidity, combined with indoor heating, have the following effects on skin. 

  • Reduced Oil Production: As the temperatures drop, your sebaceous glands begin producing less oil. They slow down activity, and as a result, your skin is left feeling dry.

  • Dryness and tightness: The cold air and lack of humidity further strip your skin of moisture, leaving it drier and feeling tight.

  • Chapping and Cracking: The harsh climate breaks down your skin’s natural moisture barrier, causing the more sensitive skin around the cheeks and lips to get chapped and develop cracks.

  • Heightened Sensitivity: Due to the weakened moisture barrier, your skin becomes highly sensitive. In some people, the cold air stimulates flare-ups in conditions like eczema or rosacea. 

  • Dullness: Your skin loses its natural glow due to reduced and slower blood circulation in cold weather.

Focusing only on face skincare in winter leaves your body's skin prone to damage. Hence, adopting a full-body winter skincare routine is a necessity.

Your Quick “Winter Essentials Pack” 

Choosing the skincare for cold weather can be tricky. So we’ve prepared an easy-to-follow winter skincare checklist for you.

Face: Build a Hydrating & Barrier-Friendly Routine

Getting the right products is one thing, but building a consistent winter skincare routine for the face is what will get results. You need a hydrating and barrier-restoring routine for the face.

AM Routine

PM Routine

  • Use a gentle cleanser and double cleanse only if you want to remove makeup or excess sunscreen. You can use the Vitamin C Brightening Face Wash for dark spot reduction.

  • Use a soothing Niacinamide or Peptide serum instead of exfoliants like Salicyclic Acid. A Clearing Niacinamide Face Serum can be highly effective.

  • Seal the moisture with a rich cream or sleeping mask. You can also go for a Retinol night cream

Pro Tip #1: Look for actives like Hyaluronic Acid, Glycerin, Ceramides, Squalane, Panthenol, Shea Butter.


Pro Tip #2: Avoid alcohol based products or heavy toners. Also, avoid foaming cleansers, over-exfoliation, as it can dehydrate your skin further.

Body: Prevent Dryness & Flakiness 

An effective winter body skincare routine includes both cleansing and moisturizing with the right products.

Body Cleansing:

  • Use a creamy body wash with mild surfactants rather than harsher chemicals.

  • Avoid hot showers as they strip your skin of natural hydration. Instead, opt for lukewarm water.

Body Moisturization:

  • Apply your body lotion or cream on damp skin, 2–3 minutes after coming out of the shower. Your skin easily absorbs actives while it's still damp.

  • Layer your skin with body serum, lotion and oil for very dry skin.

  • Look for Actives like Urea, Lactic Acid, Glycerin for rough surfaces like heels/elbows. Massage them post-shower consistently for weeks to see results.

Night Tip:

  • Apply a thick cream and wear socks overnight to heal cracked heels

Lips: Rescue Dry, Chapped Lips

Your lips, too, need extra care when in cold weather. Our winter lip care tips below are a handy guide to heal chapped lips and rescue dry ones from worsening.

Day Lip Care Routine:

  • Reapply nourishing balm every 3–4 hours to avoid lips from drying.

  • Look for SPF-based balms for day use for sun protection and depigmentation benefits.

  • Look for ones with Hyaluronic Acid, Resorcinol and Vitamin C.

Night:

  • Reddit’s popular layering method is great to implement at night. It involves adding a hydrating layer of toner, essence, hyaluronic acid, or glycerin serum as the first layer. Then put a balm, preferably an occlusive like petrolatum or lanolin as second later.

  • It's best to avoid menthol or flavored balms that can irritate your lips.

Scalp & Hairline: Beat Winter Dryness

It's common for your scalp to feel extra dry during winter. This can often cause itching, dandruff, and irritation. This is where a winter scalp dryness haircare routine can help. 

But first, it's important to understand why this happens. 

Why it happens:

Indoor heating combined with low humidity in the air dehydrates your scalp barrier just like it does to your skin. However, it's easy to confuse itching occurring due to dry scalp with dandruff.

Dry scalp is caused due to environmental factors like low humidity or harsh hair products. Dandruff, on the other hand, is a result of increased growth of the yeast-like fungus Malassezia. 

Scalp Routine:

Scalp dryness in winter can easily be resolved with the below simple routine.

  • Use gentle sulfate-free shampoo like the Nourishing Shampoo

  • Give your scalp a weekly warm oil massage with coconut or argan, depending on hair porosity.

  • Apply a strengthening yet lightweight scalp serum with Keratin Complex, Hyaluronic Acid, and more.

  • Avoid daily hair washes with hot water as it’ll dry both your scalp and hair length.

Build Your Winter Essentials Kit 

When it comes to building an effective winter skincare routine for face, body, lips, or scalp, choosing the right ingredients in precise formulations is the key. You also need to remain consistent with this self-care practice to see visible results.

Adapting to this every winter ensures your skin doesn’t get dry. It also gets rid of skin tightness and flaking, and other issues.

This winter, protect your skin, body, and hair from dry air and indoor heating. Shop Deconstruct’s Winter Hydration Kit, Barrier Repair Duo and Lip & Scalp Rescue Combo.


FAQS

How do I stop my lips from cracking in winter?

Apply a hydrating lip balm containing Hyaluronic acid and Cupuacu butter etc every 2-3 hours. Try the hydrating layers method with hydrating essence and petrolatum in the night. 


Can I keep using retinol in winter?

You can absolutely use retinol in winter by adjusting its frequency to help your skin adjust to the weather. Try reducing the frequency of use to ensure your skin doesn’t dry out.


How do I treat flaky scalp in winter?

Washing your hair with a gentle sulphate-free shampoo. Do a weekly oil massage with coconut or argan oil. Also, opt for gentle scalp serums.


What’s the best body moisturizer for cold weather?

Body moisturizers with actives like Niacinamide, Hyaluronic acid, etc, are the best for cold weather. You can also layer the Sunscreen Body Lotion with body serums and oil for added hydration.


Do I still need sunscreen in winter?

Yes, sunscreen is a non-negotiable in winter. Sun’s UVA rays are strong year-round and can also damage your skin during winter.

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