The Secret to Flawless Skin Even in the Cold Wind! Winter Skincare Routine & Recommended Must-Have Items

Hello, everyone who dreams of radiant skin even in winter! Around this time every year, our skin often cries out under the triple threat of harsh cold, dry air, and indoor heating. Dullness, flakiness, and even itchiness or stinging sensations are not just my story, I'm sure. That feeling of your diligently cared-for summer skin collapsing in an instant? I completely empathize.

But don't worry! In today's post, I'm going to generously share winter skincare routines that can help you maintain strong, hydrated skin, even against biting winds, along with my personal 'holy grail' products that I've tried and seen real results with. Beyond simply applying moisturizer, if you understand the unique characteristics of winter skin and know the strategic care methods tailored to it, you too can confidently face this winter with healthy, radiant skin. Shall we dive into everything about winter skincare with me now?

Why Does Winter Skin Become More Sensitive?

Winter is a beautiful season, but for our skin, it can truly be described as a 'season of trials'. This is because the chilly winds, dry air, and drastic temperature changes between indoors and outdoors break down the skin barrier and strip away moisture. Let's explore in more detail why our skin becomes particularly sensitive and prone to issues in winter.

The Double Whammy of Dry Air and Indoor Heating

In winter, not only does outdoor humidity drop significantly, but indoor air also becomes even drier due to the use of heating systems. This dry environment evaporates moisture from the skin's surface, leaving it parched, which in turn leads to a weakened skin barrier function. When the skin barrier is weakened, its defense against external irritants decreases, making it prone to redness and stinging from even minor stimuli, and it can also be accompanied by itching due to dryness.

Tip: It's crucial to maintain indoor humidity at 50-60%. Using a humidifier is most effective, and if you don't have one, hanging wet towels or keeping plants can also help. Furthermore, showering or washing your face with water that's too hot can damage the skin's natural moisture barrier, so it's best to get into the habit of using lukewarm water. Don't forget the '3-minute moisturizing rule' – applying moisturizer within 3 minutes after showering!

Drastic Temperature Changes and Poor Blood Circulation

The drastic temperature changes from cold outdoor air to warm indoors put significant stress on the skin. In cold environments, skin blood vessels constrict, leading to poor circulation, and upon entering a warm place, these vessels expand, which can cause facial flushing. This repetitive constriction and expansion weakens the skin's capillaries, dulls skin tone, hinders nutrient supply, and reduces the skin's regenerative capacity.

Tip: It's important to regulate indoor and outdoor temperature differences to prevent them from becoming too extreme. When going out, minimize skin exposure with scarves and gloves, and indoors, it's best to avoid excessive heating. Additionally, drinking warm tea or doing light stretching to promote overall blood circulation can positively impact skin health. Soaking your feet in warm water before bed (foot bath) or gently massaging your face can also help improve blood circulation.

Winter Skincare: The Essentials! Core Routine

Winter skincare should focus on 'moisturizing' and 'strengthening the skin barrier'. It's crucial to nourish the skin with a different approach than in summer, providing what it truly needs. Now, let's explore the essential winter skincare routine step by step.

Moisturizing is Basic, Barrier Strengthening is Essential!

The skin barrier plays a crucial role in protecting the skin from external irritants and preventing moisture loss. In winter, this skin barrier is easily damaged, so it's essential to use products containing barrier-strengthening ingredients along with moisturizers.

Cleansing: Cleansing is the first and most crucial step in skincare. In winter, skin tends to be dry and sensitive, so it's best to avoid overly strong cleansers and opt for mild, low-pH, low-irritation cleansers. For double cleansing, gently remove makeup with an oil or balm cleanser, then finish with a low-pH gel or cream cleanser to maintain the skin's oil-water balance.
- Recommended Products: CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser (Moisturizing and gentle feel), La Roche-Posay Toleriane Purifying Foaming Cleanser (Suitable for sensitive skin)
Toner/Ampoule/Serum: After cleansing, it's important to quickly hydrate and soothe the skin. Use a highly moisturizing, viscous toner or an ampoule/serum rich in hydrating and barrier-strengthening ingredients like ceramides, hyaluronic acid, and panthenol to intensely replenish moisture. Layering multiple times or using the '7 Skin Method' is also a good approach.
- Recommended Products: Hada Labo Gokujyun Premium Lotion (Deep moisturizing feel), Torriden DIVE-IN Serum (Refreshing yet powerful hydration)
Cream: The star of winter skincare is undoubtedly a highly moisturizing cream. Generously apply a thick, rich cream containing ingredients similar to those found in the skin barrier, such as ceramides, shea butter, cholesterol, and fatty acids. It's best to apply enough in the morning to protect the skin, and in the evening with the thought of aiding skin regeneration overnight.
- Recommended Products: Illiyoon Ceramide Ato Concentrate Cream (Suitable for the whole family, best value for money), Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Cream (Highly concentrated ceramides, ultimate moisturizer)
Face Oil: If you feel that cream alone isn't enough, try adding a drop or two of face oil as the final step to form a moisturizing barrier. Oil forms a thin film on the skin's surface, preventing moisture evaporation and extending the moisturizing effects of your cream. You can mix it with your cream or use it alone.
- Recommended Products: NUXE Huile Prodigieuse Multi-Purpose Dry Oil (Fragrant scent and excellent moisturizing power), Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate (Helps skin recovery overnight)

Special Care You Shouldn't Miss

Beyond your daily routine, winter calls for special care to boost skin condition and address specific concerns.

Exfoliation 1-2 times a week: In dry winter, dead skin cells accumulate more, making skin dull and hindering the absorption of active ingredients. However, physical scrubs can irritate the skin, so it's better to gently exfoliate using enzyme powder washes, low-concentration AHA/PHA wash-off peeling gels, or toners. To avoid irritating the skin, it's recommended to use them only once or twice a week.
- Recommended Products: Dr.G Brightening Peeling Gel (Gentle and mild exfoliation), COSRX Pure Fit Cica Powder Wash (Low-pH enzyme powder)
Sleeping Mask/Sheet Mask: To intensely nourish and hydrate dry, tired skin, try using a sleeping mask or sheet mask 2-3 times a week. Sleeping masks form a moisturizing barrier on the skin while you sleep, leaving it hydrated and vibrant the next morning, while sheet masks deliver highly concentrated active ingredients to the skin in a short time for immediate effects.
- Recommended Products: Laneige Water Sleeping Mask EX (National sleeping mask, refreshing hydration), Mediheal N.M.F Aquaring Ampoule Mask EX (Powerful hydration)
Sunscreen: UV rays are present even in winter, and UV reflected off snow can be even stronger than in summer. Even on cloudy days or indoors, UV rays promote skin aging, so it's important to make a habit of using sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher daily. For dry skin, we recommend choosing a moisturizing sunscreen with a hydrating texture that contains moisturizing ingredients.
- Recommended Products: Round Lab Birch Juice Moisturizing Sun Cream (Hydrating with no white cast), Isntree Hyaluronic Acid Watery Sun Gel (Hydrating gel type)

Custom Solutions & Recommended Products for Winter Skin Concerns

Winter skin concerns vary from person to person. Extremely dry skin suffers from dryness, while sensitive skin becomes even more vulnerable to irritation. We'll introduce customized solutions and recommended products to help you manage your skin more effectively according to your skin type and concerns.

Layered Moisturizing for Extremely Dry & Severely Dry Skin

If your skin is so dry that it feels tight and parched no matter what you apply, 'layered moisturizing' is the answer. One or two products simply aren't enough. It's crucial to layer moisture and oil, trapping them within the skin and protecting it from external factors.

Layering Hydrating Toner/Essence 2-3 times: After cleansing, before your skin dries, apply a highly moisturizing toner or a viscous essence multiple times to deeply replenish moisture within the skin. The key is to gently press it in with your hands for absorption!
Highly Concentrated Serum/Ampoule: Apply a generous amount of serum or ampoule containing powerful hydrating and barrier-strengthening ingredients like hyaluronic acid, ceramides, and panthenol.
Rich Moisturizing Cream: Apply a generous amount of a thick, rich cream with an oily feel all over your face. Especially on severely dry areas, apply an additional layer.
Finish with Face Oil: In the final step, dispense 2-3 drops of face oil into your palm and apply it by gently cupping your face. This forms a moisturizing barrier that locks in the moisture and nutrients from previous products, effectively preventing dryness.
- Recommended Products (Layered Moisturizing Routine):
  - Toner/Essence: Primera Miracle Seed Essence (Hydrating and nourishing texture), Donginbi 1899 Signature Oil (Use at essence stage, deep moisturizing feel)
  - Cream: Atopalm MLE Cream (Excellent for skin barrier strengthening), Physiogel DMT Facial Cream (Gentle and powerful hydration)
  - Oil: Bio-Oil Skincare Oil (Multi-purpose use, forms a moisturizing barrier)

Soothing & Protection for Sensitive Skin

In winter, sensitive skin is prone to redness and itchiness from even minor irritation. The focus should be on minimizing irritation and robustly restoring the skin barrier.

Low-irritation, Low-pH Cleansing: Avoid strong cleansers and gently cleanse with a low-pH cleanser. Use lukewarm water and keep cleansing time short.
Use Products Focused on Soothing Ingredients: Choose products containing ingredients that help soothe and regenerate skin, such as Centella Asiatica extract (Cica), Madecassoside, Panthenol, and Allantoin.
Minimal Skincare Steps: Instead of applying many products, reduce the burden on your skin by sticking to essential steps like toner, serum, and cream.
Choose Fragrance-Free, Dye-Free, Alcohol-Free Products: It's best to use products that exclude ingredients that can cause skin irritation as much as possible.
- Recommended Products:
  - Soothing Toner: Dr.G Red Blemish Clear Soothing Toner (Soothes sensitive skin), Abib Heartleaf Skin Booster Toner (Refreshing soothing)
  - Soothing Serum/Ampoule: Isntree Heartleaf 80 Calming Ampoule (Highly concentrated Heartleaf ingredient), Cell Fusion C Laser Rejuvenation Cream (Skin recovery with Cica ingredient)
  - Soothing Cream: Avène Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream (Restores damaged skin barrier), Dr. Jart+ Cicapair Cream (Redness relief and soothing)

Care for Redness & Flushing Relief

If your face easily reddens and experiences severe flushing due to cold winds and indoor heating, care focused on skin soothing and blood vessel strengthening is needed.

Avoid Drastic Temperature Changes: Reduce indoor-outdoor temperature differences, and it's best to avoid hot water cleansing or saunas.
Products Containing Blood Vessel Strengthening Ingredients: Use products containing ingredients that strengthen blood vessels and alleviate redness, such as Vitamin K, Centella Asiatica extract (Cica), Green Tea extract, and Azulene.
Utilize Soothing Masks: Once or twice a week, use a highly soothing sheet mask or a cooling gel-type mask to lower skin temperature and calm redness.
Sun Protection is Essential: UV rays can worsen flushing, so it's important to diligently apply a moisturizing sunscreen every day.
- Recommended Products:
  - Soothing Ampoule/Serum: Medicube Zero Pore Pad 2.0 (Soothing and pore care, helps alleviate redness), Dr.Belmeur Cica Recovery Serum (Redness soothing with Cica ingredient)
  - Redness Cream: La Roche-Posay Rosaliac UV Rich Cream (Redness relief and UV protection), A-Derma Exomega Control Cream (Soothes extremely dry and sensitive skin)

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Easy-to-Miss Winter Hacks: Inner Beauty & Lifestyle Habits

No matter how good your cosmetics are, their effectiveness can be halved if not supported by good lifestyle habits. Please also remember these inner beauty and lifestyle tips for winter skin health!

Adequate Water Intake: It's important to hydrate from within by drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day. Warm herbal tea or ginger tea are also good options.
Nutrient-Rich Diet: Consume vegetables, fruits, nuts, and fish rich in vitamins, minerals, and omega-3 fatty acids to aid skin regeneration and antioxidant protection.
Adequate Sleep: Skin regeneration primarily occurs at night, so ensuring sufficient sleep is essential for skin health.
Stress Management: Stress is a major culprit for skin problems! Relieve stress through meditation, yoga, or light exercise.
Lip & Hand Care: Don't forget to care for your lips and hands, which are just as prone to dryness as your face. It's good to get into the habit of frequently applying a highly moisturizing lip balm and hand cream.
- Recommended Products (Lips & Hands):
  - Lip Balm: Uriage Stick Lèvres Original (Powerful hydration), Bioderma Atoderm Lip Stick (Suitable for sensitive lips)
  - Hand Cream: Kamill Hand & Nail Cream Classic (National hand cream), L'Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream (Deep hydration and fragrance)

Conclusion

Well, today I've generously shared winter skincare routines for resilient, glowing skin that stands strong against biting winds, along with my personal 'holy grail' products that I've tried and seen real results with. I want to emphasize once again that because winter skin is vulnerable to dryness and external irritation, focusing on 'moisturizing' and 'strengthening the skin barrier' is key.

Please refer to the tips and products shared today to find the optimal routine that suits your skin type and concerns. With consistent care and good lifestyle habits, your skin will be healthier and more radiant than ever this winter. Stop stressing over winter skin concerns, and confidently enjoy the season with hydrated, vibrant skin!

If you have any questions or your own winter skincare hacks, feel free to share them in the comments. I wish you a radiant winter!

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