You’re probably thinking right now, “um why the heck would I change anything? I just found my perfect routine?!” Trust me, I know! But like the rest of the skin on our body, it has the opportunity to switch-up during seasons. Don’t worry though, it’s not all bad. Sometimes it’s as easy as adding a hydrating serum or switching to a lighter moisturizer. Either way, it’s important to understand how to transition your skin care regimen during seasonal changes, and why! Here’s a general guide to consider when approaching some minor changes in the season and the skin. Let’s go in order, shall we?

spring cleaning your skin

We’ll start with spring. The birds are chirping, the sun is out, it’s warm with a slight breeze, we’re going both indoors and outdoors endlessly, and there’s no need for any AC. Right now, our skin is pretty content with itself. There’s just one major thing a lot of us human beings have in common during this season…and that’s allergies. Allergies affect the skin in many ways, one of them being puffy and/or dry. Why is this? When we take medication for our allergies, it tends to dry our bodies out, both inside and out. Typically during allergy season, we are taking things like Benadryl to alleviate our flare-ups, but what’s also happening is we are drying out our skin. This can cause many reactions, such as dry flakey patches on the skin or even some fine dehydration lines around our eyes and mouth. These domino effects are easily handled with something as simple as a hydrating booster. Whether it be water-based hydration or oil-based hydration, there’s the right drink of water for your skin out there.

spring skincare transition tips

• Allergy medicine taken to calm springtime allergies can dry out your skin 
• Have no fear! A hydrating booster can help alleviate some of the dryness
• Potentially change out your moisturizers depending on any changing skin needs

dry summers? you need moisture

Next on our chronological journey is summer. Ah, summertime. It’s much hotter out than whimsical spring, and much more opportunity to become hot, clammy, and sweaty. Yay for swimming all day! But boo for uncomfortable over-chlorinated skin. Oftentimes summer is when our skin can handle some pretty harsh settings. Even though we may have found our perfect skin care regimen, summertime poses a pretty big need to lighten up your moisturizer. This is because when our faces sweat more, our moisturizer tends to feel too heavy and thick throughout the day, leaving us feeling dull or congested. Switching to a lighter moisturizer is a perfect way to alleviate the suffocating feeling your skin can feel during the hot summer months. Cleansing and exfoliating every day is a must to avoid breakouts and blackheads, but especially during this time. Pro Tip: finding a moisturizer with built-in sunscreen is an absolute MUST to avoid sun damage! I highly recommend it.

summer skincare transition tips

• A lighter moisturizer will help your skin feel less heavy and congested during summer
• Cleanse and exfoliate to avoid summertime breakouts 
• More time in the sun? SPF is a MUST 

don’t fall back on your skin care

Up next, we have our beloved autumn. When the weather starts to cool down, nature really puts on her show with the changing leaves and the daylight shifts. At this point, our skin may feel that level of contentment we felt during the springtime. Not too much may happen to our skin other than, yup, you guess it…allergies! Fall is another time of year where the vast majority of people experience allergies with the changing season. Transitioning advice for this season is pretty relevant to our springtime transition. However, if you are somewhere where your autumn is fa-reezing, then something to consider is adding in an element of calming and soothing ingredients to help alleviate the harshness that comes with cooler weather.

fall skincare transition tips

• Fall is another time your allergies can wreak havoc on your skin
• Try skincare that that will calm and soothe your skin if you are in freezing temperatures
• Generally, be sure to maintain moisture levels in your skin as your would in the springtime

winter layers… for your skin

Last, but certainly not least, we have magical wintertime. There's glistening snow, jingle bells, brisk winds, snowmen, and snowball fights. What could go wrong? Truth be told, a lot can go wrong in the winter months with our skin. The colder and drier the air is, the more our skin becomes inflamed, sensitive, and irritated. It's important to combat these symptoms with hydrating and calming products to both soothe on contact and defend and protect. Heavier moisturizers are used in the winter months due to their ability to defend the skin with a layer of hydration but to also aid in eliminating the ability for further assault and inflammation. Thicker heavier moisturizers lessen our skin's ability to lose its water content and ensure its correct moisture content.

winter skincare transition tips

• Sensitive, irritated, and inflamed skin can be side effects of cold, dry air 
• Hydrating and calming products will help soothe, defend and protect winter skin
• Opt for heavier moisturizers in the winter for an extra layer of protection against the winter conditions and preserve the skin's moisture content

a tip for all seasons

No matter what season you are transitioning into, it is always recommended to listen to your skin. Listen to how it is feeling, notice how it appears in the mirror; consider adjusting your skin care regimen to best work with your surrounding conditions. A commonly made mistake in the beauty world is once something starts to go wrong, we panic. We panic and feel the need to change more than what’s needed. And that’s okay! We are human, and we are allowed to make mistakes and have second thoughts. This is why we have professionals to lean on can help navigate the wild wonderland of skin care and the journey to healthy skin. Having a clear understanding of how to handle the switching of seasons and skin conditions is all the more power to live in our healthiest skin, so seek out the help of a professional skin therapist if you could use some guidance. And as always, if you are concerned that your skin problems are more serious, please visit a dermatologist and seek professional advice. Happy skin journey!