Finding out that you need to adjust your skincare routine each time the seasons change can feel like a blow, especially once you’ve finally put together the perfect regimen! Do you really need to overhaul this four times a year?
The good news is no, you don’t need to invest in a whole new set of products with each seasonal transition. Instead, all you need to do is make a few tweaks to your existing routine, adding or subtracting products based on what the seasons (and your skin) call for. Once you understand how your skin’s requirements change with the seasons, this becomes even easier.
Ready to master seasonal skincare? Read on as Introstem explains how to create the perfect skincare routine for every season.
Start With Your Cleanser
Let’s start by talking about the very first step in your skincare routine, no matter the time of year. Cleansing is a must, not only to remove dirt and pollutants from your skin but also to clear your skin’s surface of excess sebum. With that in mind, it’s important to remember that sebum production fluctuates depending on the season. In the summer, your skin produces a lot more sebum than it does in the winter. This means that it gets greasier faster, calling for a more powerful cleanser.
This is the main difference when it comes to matching your cleanser to the seasons. The warmer and more humid months require more cleansing action. Foaming cleansers, like the Introstem VitisCell Foaming Bliss Purifier, work well for this time of year.
On the other hand, the colder and drier months of the year require a gentler touch. Once sebum production slows down, you’ll need to work on preserving your skin’s sebum so that your skin has some natural protection from all of that harsh weather. A moisturizing cleanser, like the Introstem VitisCell Fresh Cleansing Mousse, would be a good choice. It contains a blend of plant oils that will keep your skin feeling fresh throughout these difficult, bitter months.
Assess Your Exfoliator
If it’s important to switch up your cleanser with the seasons, does this mean that you’ll need to do the same with your exfoliator too? Not necessarily…
While it’s true that you’ll need to ramp up your exfoliation efforts during the warmer months of the year, this can often be done by exfoliating more often, rather than switching to a stronger exfoliator. In fact, gentle exfoliators tend to be the way to go year-round. With exfoliators working on a deeper level than cleansers, it’s easier for them to cause damage to your skin cells. This is quite common when overly harsh exfoliators are used. Instead, stick with a gentler formula and simply adjust how often you exfoliate as the seasons change.
The Introstem VitisCell Fresh Revive Peeling is an exfoliator that lends itself well to year-round use. While most exfoliators rely solely on either chemical or physical exfoliants, this one makes use of both. It brings together mandelic acid, bamboo stem powder, and walnut shell powder to thoroughly exfoliate the skin, yet without causing the skin barrier any harm. Use it once or twice a week in the winter, and 2-3 times a week in the summer, and it’ll take care of all of your exfoliation needs.
Do You Need a Toner?
While cleansing and exfoliating are essential parts of any skincare routine, toners don’t fall under this category. Instead, these products are considered to be optional extras. The big question is: should you be using one?
This all depends on what your skin needs…and those needs will change along with the seasons. In the colder months, when your skin is crying out for extra moisture, a hydrating toner can be a great way to give your skin an extra layer of moisture. The fact that it’s applied immediately after cleansing, which is when natural moisture is removed, makes it even more useful.
A hydrating toner can be a good move in the warmer months too. At this time of year, when the sun is at its strongest, the skin can quickly end up dehydrated. This can exacerbate sebum production, making it important to keep your skin fully quenched at all times.
One toner that works well at all times of the year is the Introstem VitisCell Hydra Fresh Toner. In addition to providing moisture, it has a soothing effect on the complexion. The combination of aloe vera, cucumber, chamomile, hemp seed oil, and grape stem cells creates a blend that plumps, replenishes, and calms the complexion, while also leaving the skin feeling fully prepped for the rest of your skincare routine.
Seasonal Serums
Again, when it comes to serums, many can be used year-round. A vitamin C serum, for example, should be a staple in your skincare routine at all times. This powerful antioxidant will help to fight the appearance of sun damage, wrinkles, dark spots, and more, making it a useful tool during the warmer months. In the winter, it’s just as essential. It will leave your skin barrier feeling stronger while also helping to improve skin hydration levels. Look for a formula that contains a couple of different forms of vitamin C, like the Introstem VitisCell Brightening Vita-C Serum, and it will be a great permanent addition to your skincare routine.
With that said, you don’t need to restrict yourself to just one serum. While your vitamin C serum can be used year-round, you may want to complement this with a more seasonal serum. In the winter months, when your skin would benefit from an extra layer of moisture, a rich serum, like the Introstem Flawless Finish Silk Capsules, would work well. Meanwhile, the warmer months call for lighter products. Rather than layering on two serums, you may want to start with a refreshing, nutrient-rich face mist, like the Collagen Plumping Mist, before following up with your vitamin C serum.
What About Eye Care?
Just like when it comes to some of the other aspects of your skincare routine, eye care needs to be a year-round effort. The thin and delicate skin around the eyes can struggle in both the summer and the winter. If you want to keep this area looking bright, smooth, and youthful, find an eye care product that you can rely on throughout the year.
The Introstem VitisCell Luminous Firming Eye Serum would be a great option. This silky blend sinks into the skin quickly, taking with it an array of superstar ingredients. From grape stem cells and vitamin C to peptides, green tea extract, and licorice root extract, this serum will tackle the appearance of crow’s feet, dark circles, puffiness, and more.
Of course, the dryness and freezing temperatures of the winter season can make the eye area feel extra sensitive. If this is the case, consider pairing your eye serum with an eye cream during the colder months. The VitisCell Radiance Dark Circle Eye Cream is packed with antioxidants and moisturizing ingredients to leave the skin around your eyes feeling stronger and healthier.
Picking the Perfect Seasonal Moisturizer
One part of your skincare routine that will definitely need to change with the season is your moisturizer. A moisturizer is designed to hydrate and condition the skin, but the extent to which your skin will require this will heavily depend on the current season. The sebum produced by your skin acts as a natural moisturizer, so you’ll need to switch up to a richer moisturizer when sebum production is lacking.
The Introstem Aqua Face and Neck Cream is one that lends itself perfectly to fall/winter use. It contains humectants, like sodium hyaluronate, which draw moisture to the skin, along with occlusives, which are heavier ingredients, like shea butter, to lock that moisture in. It will leave your skin feeling unbelievably soft and supple.
However, in the summer months, when your skin naturally produces more sebum, an occlusive-rich moisturizer may feel too heavy on your skin. The warmer seasons call for lighter skincare products, like the EmberCell Hydrating Cream from the Introstem EmberCell Collection. With an infusion of humectants, it quickly hydrates the skin. Meanwhile, the addition of salicylic acid will prevent this cream from clogging your pores and weighing your skin down. It’s perfect for those hot and sweaty summer months!
Sun Protection Should Be a Year-Round Effort
Last but not least, let’s talk about sun protection. While many assume that this only needs to be a part of their skincare routine in the spring and summer, those UV rays are present and capable of causing damage throughout the year. Yes, the risk of sun damage increases in the summer, but research shows that UV rays can be dangerously high at other times of the year too.
If sun protection is something that you often struggle to remember, the Introstem PrismaStem Face Shield Cream SPF 30 would be a worthy addition to your skincare routine. It’s an SPF moisturizer, meaning that if you use it in the morning instead of your regular day cream, you’ll be giving your skin a layer of sun protection too. With that said, like all sunscreens, you’ll still need to reapply this one every two to three hours.
If your skin is particularly sensitive to the sun, you may want to switch to a higher SPF once the summer months roll around. Either invest in a high-SPF product or go with a lower-level formula that you can combine with an SPF moisturizer to enhance its protecting effects.
Create the Perfect Seasonal Skincare Routine With Introstem
It can be difficult to get your head around the various changes that you need to make to your skincare routine with each seasonal transition. However, if you follow the guidelines that we’ve shared above, this becomes much easier. Simply making a few tweaks to your existing routine and the products that you use should be enough to ensure that your skin is receiving everything that it needs to thrive at all times of the year.
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