If you've ever noticed a sudden change in your skin—sensitivities, breakouts, and uneven tone—it could be the seasonal change. It's that period when the weather changes from hot to cold, or cold to hot and often leaves skin in a state of flux, reeling to catch up. As we enter warmer weather, help your skin out by making a few adjustments to your skincare routine early on to counteract these changes. Here are some tips on how to transition your skincare routine from winter to warmer.

Tip #1: Exfoliate Regularly

Over the winter months skin loses moisture and becomes dry and rough. If the skin is dehydrated, which often happens during winter, dead skin cells can become trapped in tight pores.

These 'plugs' of debris can eventually lead to breakouts, especially as temperatures rise and the skin produces more sweat and oil. To combat clogged pores, exfoliate routinely to slough off dead skin cells and help keep your skin clear. It's also a great way to stimulate cellular regeneration and get your skin glowing for spring!

Our Bamboo Charcoal Sponge can be used as a gentle daily exfoliator as it is made out of konjac root to help gently exfoliate the skin and charcoal to remove any build up of dead skin cells. Our Face Foam cleanser contains azelaic acid and natural BHA, two ingredients that also exfoliate without drying out your skin.

Sloughing off dead skin cells also allows your skincare products like your moisturizer or serum to penetrate more deeply afterwards, delivering hydration to your skin more effectively.

Tip #2: Layer Your Products

Much like clothing, layering your products gives you flexibility to ‘lighten up’ or ‘load up’ on what your skin needs during periods of fluctuating weather. In the dead of winter, dry skin needs all the bells and whistles: a hydrating toner, water-soluble serum, moisturizer, oil or face balm. In the spring when there’s more warm moisture in the air, you can pick and choose the combination of products to suit your needs.

Try pairing a hydrating toner like our Face Food Mineral Mist with an oil serum like Jade Moon (the mist "lightens up" the oil serum) or a light moisturizer—Skin Stuff is one of my favourites.

You can also lighten up heavier moisturizers like the Berry Rich Cream with a few sprays of Face Food or a lightweight serum like Supermoon Serum and blend that into the skin.

Tip #3: Make Sunscreen Part of Your Daily Routine

Much of ultraviolet radiation occurs incidentally, such as when you’re in your car, walking to work, or sitting by a window. UVA rays (aka ‘Ultraviolet Aging Rays’) can still penetrate windows and shade. For this reason, sunscreen should be worn year-round.

Since the warmer weather draws us out to enjoy the sunshine, we should be especially diligent and wear an SPF every day during the spring and summer. Once you find the perfect sunscreen that sits well with your makeup and feels great on your skin, you'll be sure to wear it every day!

Tip #4: Add Antioxidants to Your Skincare

Before you go patio hopping and sun bathing, add an extra line of defense against the sun using antioxidants.

This is a term that gets thrown around, but antioxidants are actually one of the best ways to arm your skin against ultraviolet damage. One of the most common antioxidants to use is vitamin C and can be applied topically via a concentrated serum. 

Some plant and fruit oils are also rich in antioxidants and work to counteract damage causing wrinkles and hyper-pigmentation. Slather on Jade Moon, made with antioxidant-rich blueberry, raspberry, and cranberry seed oils before heading out into the sun, or afterwards, to help heal inflammation and counteract sun damage.

You can also use Moon Boost, a gel-like oil serum, which contains vitamins A, C, D, E, and K from a variety of sensitive-skin friendly, antioxidant-rich ingredients, including carrot, raspberry, and bio-designed torula oil. 

Tip #5: Keep Products on Deck that Soothe Inflammation

Like I mentioned above, some skincare products can be used to heal inflammation, especially after sun damage.

In general, a major factor in skin longevity—providing your skin with long-term, healthy support so you can age better—is reducing inflammation in your skin. 

This is important because inflammation causes the collagen and elastin in your skin to break down faster. Collagen and elastin help skin appear full, firm, and healthy, and their production already naturally slows down as we age. Skin inflammation can speed up the slow down, so it's good to avoid it if possible and soothe it when it happens, especially after sun damage.

How? With products that have soothing, anti-inflammatory properties like Putty. Colloidal oatmeal soothes while zinc and cocoa butter shield your skin from further damage. Plus, turmeric and carrot firm and brighten skin. Put a thick layer on sunburns and inflammation, or sheer it out with a few drops of Supermoon or spritzes of Face Food.

Tip #6: Swap Your Heavier Makeup for Lightweight Products

Makeup lovers know that getting products to stay on through the sweat and heat of sunny days is a challenge. That's why makeup-infused skincare and skincare-infused makeup is particularly popular in the warmer months.

If you still want great looking skin without having to wear foundation, try something like Face Glow, a tinted illuminating moisturizer. It fills in pores and lines, offering a temporary blurring effect. It also has a subtle rosy tint and a hint of glow from the mica, making your skin look healthy and radiant.

Plus, it doesn't just offer temporary makeup-like benefits. Raspberry and spirulina brighten, pumpkin seed soothes, and non-nano zinc offers a mineral shield from the elements.

There you have it. Keep these transitional skincare tips in mind as the weather warms up. Make a few changes to your skincare routine and you'll be sure to help your skin adjust to any changes the warmer seasons throw at it.

Radiant Summer Skin: Bundle and Save on Warm Weather Favourites

We put our warm weather must-haves together in the radiant summer skin bundle so you can enjoy radiant, protected skin all spring and summer long.

Face Food is there to exfoliate away the excess sweat and oil that comes along in the warmer months, ensuring your skin is bright, smooth, and bouncy.

Moon Boost packs a powerful blend of vitamins to protect your skin from the elements and deliver firmer, plumper, brighter skin.

Face Glow blurs and illuminates like makeup, but still delivers skincare benefits like firming, brightening, soothing, and protecting your skin from the elements.

Shop the radiant summer skin bundle here.

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Seanna Cohen is a certified skin care therapist and and educator with Graydon Skincare.