I come bearing good news for our lovely Who What Wear readers. Spring is officially only a few days away I am so unbelievably ready for it. My arms are fully outstretched and running at speed towards longer days, warmer weather, al fresco lunches, midi dresses, floral prints, fresh white trainers, lightweight layering, bare legs…I could go on.
And around this time of year, it isn’t just my wardrobe that gets a little seasonal upgrade. I take the concept of a good spring clean to my skincare stash and swap out certain products for their more timely counterpart––as the days get longer and, it’s important to focus on a lighter yet more protective routine. “You may notice that your skin doesn’t feel as dry and brittle as the environment becomes less harsh on your skin barrier,” explains Ana Mansouri MD, aesthetic doctor & SkinCeuticals brand expert.
“As your skin barrier starts to improve you may not require as aggressive moisturising but instead more lightweight hydrating ingredients. The increase in humidity may present as increased oil production and congestion potentially leading to breakouts while the brighter weather calls for an optimisation in your antioxidant use. You may also notice that redness is starting to worsen by the increased sun exposure and change in environmental factors, therefore increasing your anti inflammatory agents is important during this time of year”, explains Mansouri.
The good news is that you can keep your skin looking tip top by making a few small and simple changes to your routine. Keep scrolling for 6 skincare switches to make this spring, recommended by myself and Mansouri.
The best piece of skincare advice I could give to you as a beauty editor? Wear SPF every single day of the year—even when the weather is overcast, up to 80% of the sun’s rays are still being absorbed by our skin. If you’re currently using an SPF 30, it’s worth noting that it allows about 50 percent more UV radiation onto your skin than an SPF 50.Mansouri suggests opting for a higher sun protection factor at this time of year.
Pairing an antioxidant-infused serum or cream with an SPF maximises your skin’s protection against sunlight, free radicals and other skin-damaging environmental factors––look for formulas containing vitamin A, C and E. Niacinamide is also great at supporting and strengthening your skin barrier as well as reducing inflammation, dark spots and oil production.
It’s time to say goodbye to dry winter skin. “Introduce or increase your chemical exfoliation gently to achieve glowing and radiant skin just in time for summer,” explains Mansouri. “Oily skin types will benefit from gently implementing a salicylic acid for chemical exfoliation 1-2 times per week. Normal and combination skin types will benefit from implementing an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) 1-2 times per week.”
“Another thing to consider is swapping your cream or balm cleanser to something lighter like a gel based formula,” says Mansouri. Winter skincare is all about locking in as much moisture as possible, but as it starts to warm up our skin produces more natural oils. For those with combination or oily skin, it will no longer need as much additional moisture making a water-based gel or foaming cleanser a great option to switch to.
Mirroring the sentiment above, a lighter cream or lotion will help to keep pores clear to avoid overloading spring skin with excess oil as the weather warms up. You may notice that your skin barrier starts to improve and therefore you may not require as rich creams but instead more lightweight hydrating ingredients.
My top tip would be to keep a lightweight essence or mist to hand––whether that be on your desk at work or in your handbag. You can spritz them on-the-go to immediately bless the skin with a hit of hydration (plus other benefits depending on the product) without clogging pores.
