Jet set glow: Skincare essentials for winter travels

Planning to escape the tropical heat with a winter escapade?

As you prepare for the winter wonderlands, remember that your wardrobe is not the only thing that needs adjustments. Your skin deserves some love and attention too especially because the drop in humidity, cold winds, and dry air can strip your skin of moisture, leaving it feeling parched, flaky and prone to irritation.

Make these few effortless tweaks and additions to help your skin stay hydrated, glowy, and nourished with our skincare essentials for winter travel. 

Cleanse your skin

The first step of every skincare routine is cleansing. Instead of salicylic acid or alcohol-based cleansers, switch to gentle cleansers like micellar water, cleansing balms or oils. Not only will they remove makeup, dirt, and oil, they’ll do a better job of protecting your skin’s barrier.

Try something like the gentle and hypoallergenic BANILA CO Clean it Zero Cleansing Balm. The double-cleanser has a smooth sherbet-like texture that melts into an oil, which removes waterproof makeup and impurities in one step.

With key ingredients like Acerola, Rooibos, Bamboo, and Angelic, it doesn’t stop at cleansing; it also replenishes and purifies the skin. 

Shop BANILA CO Clean it Zero Cleansing Balm here.

Seal in the moisture

As you travel to colder regions, moisturisers alone may hydrate your skin; still, you’ll need a balm or oil that is more occlusive to seal in moisture. Look for heavier moisturisers with ingredients like ceramides, hyaluronic acids, or botanical oils.

Or, if you’d like an all-around balm that’ll take you beyond winter travels, consider the La Roche Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+ Balm Cream. This balm cream is enriched with Madecassoside (derived from Centella Asiatica) to fend off environmental aggressors and Tribioma to reduce inflammation. Vitamin B5 is added to fortify the skin’s moisture barrier.

It’s rich yet comfortable on the skin and can even be used on babies above three months. Use this after serum and your regular moisturiser to seal all that hydration.

Shop La Roche Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+ Balm Cream here.

Protect from the sun – again

Living in a tropical city like Singapore, we know the importance of sunscreen. The rule of thumb is to reapply sunscreen every two hours, more frequently if you are outdoors, swimming or exercising.

When it comes to winter, its also important to keep in mind that the white winter snow is highly reflective. That coupled with the sun’s UV rays, and it’ll give you all the reasons you need to reapply sunscreen as frequently as you can.

Skip the mess of liquid sunscreen with solid sunscreens like the Isntree Hyaluronic Acid Airy Sun Stick (SPF50+ PA++++). Its lightweight texture lets you apply over makeup without smudging, while its formulation with eight types of hyaluronic acids locks moisture in. 

Shop Isntree Hyaluronic Acid Airy Sun Stick here. 

Soothe chapped lips

Lips are part of our skin and are easily affected by environmental conditions. They can even crack in air-conditioned rooms, not to mention dry winter climates.

The skin on our lips lacks a protective layer and has fewer oil and sweat glands that contribute to moisture. So, our lips’ sole source of hydration is our saliva.

Show your lips some love with Blistex’s Five Star Lip Protection. More than rehydration, this lip balm comes with SPF 30 and is specially formulated with a wind-resistant moisture shield. It keeps moisture in, even in dry air and is water-resistant for up to 80 minutes. 

Shop Blistex’s Five Star Lip Protection here.

Keep your hands hydrated

With most of our body wrapped up in winter wear, our hands are the next in line, after our faces, to brave the bone-chilling weather.

With fewer oil glands, the skin on our hands loses moisture faster than other body parts, especially when exposed to environmental irritants and frequent hand-washing.

Keep your hands hydrated with rich hand creams or butter like the CeraVe Therapeutic Hand Cream to keep cracked skin and dry cuticles away. This non-greasy hand cream is packed with hyaluronic acids to replenish moisture. While ceramides and dimethicone is added to lock hydration in. 

Shop CeraVe Therapeutic hand cream here.

ALSO READ: The best sunscreens for all skin types: Shield your skin's complexion from Singapore's heat

This article was first published in City Nomads.