Perfect winter skin - the guide for the cold season

What is the most beautiful season of the year? Summer? Spring? Or even winter? At least in our latitudes, hardly anyone would think of autumn. The other three seasons, however, are very debatable. And in fact everyone must be right with his individual arguments. Unless, of course, the question is asked in the context of a discussion about skincare issues. Then winter comes off worst. And with good reason. Because the time of snowflakes and mulled wine, of Christmas and tobogganing parties, is also the time that presents the greatest challenge to our facial skin. The fabric is tested for resistance throughout. Outside it has to withstand low temperatures and in the immediate change to indoors the dry heating air. This is already a test for healthy skin, making it dry, brittle, and ultimately triggering wrinkles or worse: psoriasis, eczema or neurodermatitis. But what if the skin is sensitive? Or already burdened by various diseases? Exactly! An aggravation of the problems is very likely. We from the 48grams blog now take all these reasons as an opportunity to inform about winter care. Because there are numerous helpers that ensure that our face also comes well through the cold season.

What cold does to our skin

But before we get to practical tips and applications, we should first clarify one question: Why, pray tell, does our skin suffer so much during the winter period? Experts have known the answer for a long time: When our derma is confronted with cold, the following process happens: In order to keep the heat in the body, the blood vessels in the skin contract. A kind of built-in coat function of Mother Nature. However, this comes at a price: we absorb less nutrients and oxygen. But that's not the only effect of the Arctic weather: the sebaceous glands react quite automatically to the temperatures and reduce their production. Normally, the glands produce one to two grams of fat per day - and thus provide a natural protection against evaporation. The less fat on the skin, the worse the protection. The consequence is dehydration - and thus cracks and wrinkles.

Dry air = dry skin

Let us now turn to the problem of heated interiors. The often far too dry heated air (below 30% humidity) is a kind of natural sucker: it also extracts moisture from the tissues. As a result, there are even more problems that can only be solved with proper care and optimal skincare.

Alliance of shea butter and hyaluronic acid

Here it is only necessary to follow a few daily rules - and the face is already far less attacked. This starts with the morning routine: Please shower only briefly and not too hot (...even if the temptation is great) - because the warm water washes the needed oil from the skin more easily. If shower oils are used, please make sure that they are pH-neutral. After gentle drying (never rub), we recommend the use of moisturizing lotions and creams. Now, if you do not suffer from oily skin, you should use products with a higher fat content (here we recommend shea butter; argan or linoleic acid is also helpful). Even if this is advertising on our own behalf - we can especially recommend the 48grams Day 'n Night cream to our readers. Here we have combined a high proportion of shea butter with rich aloe juice and the particularly effective oligo-hyaluronic acid to create a perfect winter protection. If you want to do everything right - and thus have rosy skin even in winter - you should also use moisturizing masks. Three times a week - ideally with plenty of aloe vera and hyaluronic acid. That's the full pampering package.

Allergies are part of winter

But winter holds other pitfalls. Scarves or rolled collars often cause skin irritations. And no, allergies are explicitly not meant here. The skin on the neck is mostly used to the open air. If it is covered - and has constant contact with a new material... yes, that likes to trigger red spots. We've learned to prevent that: Just moisturize a lot and the problems disappear in days.

"Skin Flooding" is all the rage

Because we at the 48grams blog are always up-to-date, here are also two tips from the social media world. Among the so-called SkInfluencers on TikTok, the following topic is all the rage right now: the "skin flooding" technique. This means that moisturizing products are applied in layers. This refers to various serums that have a strong active content. For example, an OCP serum (like the 48grams antioxidant booster serum) is layered on top of a niacinamide liquid. The big advantage compared to using creams is that sensitive skin pores in particular are not clogged, but remain receptive. What is important with this technique, however, is the time required. Each layer must be completely absorbed before the next one is applied. Then you achieve the best result.

"Skin cycling" is the order of the day

Another - very helpful - technique bears the beautiful name "skin cycling". It, too, is currently being celebrated in the social media world and has the absolution of dermatologists. "Cycling" here stands for circulation. And that's what it's all about. If you want to maintain beautiful skin, you use your skincare products in cycles. We tried this ourselves and are thrilled: one evening we applied an exfoliating acid, the next evening just a strong moisturizer. Then for the third round of the cycle, retinol was used. On the fourth evening, everything started all over again. It's a really nice technique.

Alcohol ban for the winter

Finally, a basic tip for healthy winter skin. Even if the Christmas market beckons with mulled wine - alcohol not only has a bad effect on the face when it is hidden in cleansing products. For the cold days applies even more than in principle already: The renouncement of Promille provides for a more beautiful skin. Alcohol triggers more moisture evaporation - and that makes everyone look old (in the truest sense of the word).