Is your skin ready for spring? It may seem a bit premature since it’s only February, but after what has seemed like an extraordinarily long winter, I am ready for spring and all its trappings: warmer weather, longer days and flowers in the garden.
As we trade our heavy clothes for light jackets and skirts (goodbye boots and puffy coat!), we expose a bit more of our skin. It’s been covered up under sweaters and leggings for months, but thankfully, the end of winter is just around the corner. Here are my top three tips that will have you showing off your skin this spring:
1. Exfoliate. Not surprisingly, some of us have taken a break from our regular skin care routine over the winter, choosing instead to curl up in front of the fire with a good novel. As the new season approaches, there’s no better way to get rid of dry winter skin than by exfoliating. If you like scrubs, choose an oil free formulation and use it twice a week. Or, opt for something like Neostrata’s Body Smoothing Lotion. The 10% glycolic acid exfoliates as the vitamin E moisturizes, getting rid of the dry, scaly winter skin and leaving smoother skin behind. Bonus: it helps minimize in-grown hairs from shaving our legs when we’re ready to put on those new spring skirts!
2. Hydrate. Show your hands, elbows and feet a little love by paying them a bit more attention. As the gloves come off and we pull our sandals out of the closet, get rid of the rough spots with Lipikar hand and foot creams. Now is also the perfect time to revisit our choice of moisturizers. The heavier, more emollient ones that we’ve been using over the cold winter months may be too heavy as the weather warms up. La Roche Posay’s Hydreane Light melts in quickly and provides moisture with no greasy finish. Another great choice is our top-selling La Roche Posay Hydraphase UV, combining intense hydration with high level daily UVA/UVB protection, which brings us to our last tip…
3. Protect. Along with short sleeves and skirts comes the need to protect our newly exposed skin from the sun’s warming but harmful rays. Our top choice? Anthelios XL SPF 60 Melt-in Cream with Mexoryl technology, providing excellent broad-spectrum protection with a soft, velvety finish. Now that the scarves are off, don’t forget under the chin and the neck. Sunlight reflects off concrete. How else to explain the tan line on my forehead while wearing a wide-brimmed hat?
Is your skin ready for spring? Almost. Just as soon as you book that well-deserved mani/pedi.
