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I’m done with winter. Next season please.
“Cold air and dry indoor heat will pull the moisture out of your skin and compromise your skin barrier, which makes your skin even more dried out and inflamed,” says board-certified dermatologist Dr. Jessie Cheung of Cheung Aesthetics and Wellness in Chicago.
Winter’s home stretch is a great time to consider how you’re going to reactivate and revitalize your skin as spring approaches. Warmer temperatures and more sunshine mean you’re going to need a different approach beyond swapping out your down jacket for thinner sweaters.
We spoke with a few experts and covered the basics of how to get your skin and body in check as we transition into springtime.
Spring Skincare Tips
When we think of spring, sunshine is one of the first things that comes to mind.
“Sunscreen that doubles as a moisturizer is a must,” says Stacey Grondahl, the self-described “Boss Lady” at We Do Men in Scottsdale, AZ. “Make sure to spread it across your entire face, including underneath your eyes, but not in your eyes, obviously.”
She notes that it’s important to protect your skin from sun, pollution and other environmental elements and heal and strengthen your skin’s immune system. Grondahl adds that it’s also important to do your main face washing at night to “wash the day away” so you “don’t take your whole day to bed with you”. This combined process can even help slow aging as a version of regular skin maintenance.
Cheung says that to add moisture back into your skin, use a combination of humectants (glycerin, hyaluronic acid), which pull water into the skin, and occlusives (shea butter, dimethicone), to seal that moisture in. She also recommends using a cool mist humidifier close to your bed to help repair skin overnight.
Products We Recommend:
Cardon Daily Face Moisturizer and SPF 30 Sunscreen
Maybe one of our favorite chemical-based sunscreens for men (and certainly our award-winning favorite in 2019), this lightweight moisturizer has a unique ingredient: Cactus. Like to aloe vera, cactus thrives in dry climates and has water-binding properties that work to help your skin retain moisture, soothe irritation and calm redness. Plus, it works well, smells good and feels great.
CeraVe Ultra Light Lotion Moisturizer Sunscreen
The skin’s barrier is incredibly important for overall skin health. Ceramides are lipids that help form the skin’s barrier and help it retain moisture. All of CeraVe’s products use top performing ceramides to help protect your skin. Use this lightweight, oil-free CeraVe chemical-based SPF moisturizer daily.
EltaMD Clear Facial Sunscreen Broad Spectrum
A favorite among editors and Amazon shoppers alike, this sunscreen packs the power of mineral sunscreen zinc oxide without oil, fragrances or parabens. Add to that antioxidants, hyaluronic acid and niacinamide, you have a sunscreen that provide broad spectrum protection while helping prevent acne and aging.
Don’t Forget About Your Scalp
Dry hair happens when your scalp doesn’t make enough oil to coat hair strands or when the oil on your hair escapes.
“Healthy hair has a protective layer, the cuticle, that lies together like shingles to lock moisture in,”Cheung says.
When the cuticle gets damaged (by heat, cold or otherwise), your hair dries out. Cheung recommends a gentle, hydrating shampoo and potentially a leave-on hair mask to help re-moisturize hair.
Dandruff, another common winter hair issue, happens as dry scalp sheds onto your shoulders (and likely your favorite dark shirt, too). She recommends a shampoo with ingredients that combats the yeast that can trigger overproduction of skin cells, such as zinc pyrithione, ketoconazole, tea tree oil or selenium sulfide, or with salicylic acid, which helps break down clumps of dead cells.
In terms of styling, take it from those who work in the most extreme conditions. Something like Bravo Sierra’s military-tested, SLS/SLES-free Hair/Body Wash avoids stripping hair of those crucial natural oils, plus, it’s silicone-free so it can be left in for a natural, healthy look. Coupled with its Hair Grooming Paste, you can have some texture and hold without feeling sticky.
Products We Recommend:
Bravo Sierra Body Wash and Shave
Vegan, cruelty-free and it benefits our veterans? Oh yeah, and these products work really well and smell great too. With five percent of Bravo Sierras sales going to Morale, Welfare and Recreation (M.W.R.) programs that offer quality of life programs to U.S. service members, veterans and their families, these products are a no brainer anytime of year.
Keeps Ketoconazole Prescription Shampoo
It’s easier than ever to help get rid of dry, patchy, flake scalp issues thanks to Keeps. Along with minoxidil and finasteride, both to target hair loss, now you can order ketoconazole shampoo with a doctor’s approval, without ever actually going to the doctor.
Tea Tree Scalp Anti-Thinning Shampoo
If ketoconazole shampoo isn’t what you’re after, but you still crave a scalp tingling, flake-fighting, vegan, cruelty-free experience, the tea tree collection from Paul Mitchell is going to be your best bet. Using, you guessed it, tea tree oil to help kill bacteria and stimulate hair follicles, this shampoo packs a powerful punch for a great price.
Spring Workout Recovery Tips
Perhaps most obviously, a good exercise regimen is crucial to your overall well being. There are numerous studies that link skin health and successful grooming with good movement during the week, but recovery after those workouts can be just as important. Percussive massage is one of the latest trends in recovery and is one way to help muscles heal in-between those spring sit-ups.
“I’m not the expert on skin appearance, but there is some preliminary evidence that the subdermal (beneath the skin) layer of tissue contains filled chambers that acts as a channeling (pre-lymph) system throughout the body, called the interstitium,” says Steven Capobianco DC, DACRB, PES. “By manipulating the skin and fascia with a mechanical stimulus (such as percussive massage) one could influence those fluid-filled chambers and potentially affect the contouring appearance of the skin as a whole. Again, conjecture at this time, but science is catching up with the anecdotal evidence as we speak.”
It’s often one of the most overlooked parts of the workout cycle, but Capobianco says it’s easy to make a habit out of it.
“I suggest to my patients and athletes to find a time when they know they can apply the mobility work. I generally ask them to identify a task they perform every day and ‘piggy back’ mobility work alongside it to ensure consistency on a daily basis,” he says.
Products We Recommend:
Alder New York Black Obsidian Gua Sha Tool
What the hell is a rock going to do for your face? Well, nothing it you come at it like that. Gua sha is a traditional Chinese medicine practice designed to help improve overall health using tools such as this, made from a natural crystal formed from rapidly cooling lava. Use this to relieve tension, reduce puffiness and promote circulation.
Foreo Luna 2
Powered by transdermal sonic pulsations per minute, this small but mighty ultra-hygienic silicone tool delivers the deepest cleansing possible without scrubbing skin raw (or at all). This translates to 97 percent of mean having smoother more comfortable shaves after using it.
TriggerPoint Impact Handheld Massage Gun
You think that your face is this thing that’s not connect to your body or its systems? Think again. Keeping your mind and body in top shape helps keep that fine face of your looking good too.
That’s true across all of our spring skincare tips: consistency. Find a process that works for you and one that you can stick to. You’ll be shining just as brightly as the spring sun in no time.
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