I moved to a really cold and dry climate which has made my cheeks light up like a christmas tree. I’ve always lived in humid cities so this isn’t something I’ve had to think about.
Anyone have suggestions on reasonably priced moisturizers that could help out? I checked out Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream, but at $60+, I’d like to check if any comparable alternatives exist at a lower cost.
Bigger picture, what’s your current facial skin care routine? If it includes a lot of cleansing, exfoliating, hot water, strong soap, multiple daily washings, et cetera, dial that all wa-a-a-ay back. All of those things strip away the natural oils quite effectively, which leads to that red, inflamed look in the cold. The best way to keep your skin moisturized is to keep the moisture it naturally has from escaping, and that’s 10 times more important in cold, dry climates.
Be sure to drink enough water, too. It’s deceptive, you lose a lot of water through breath in cold, dry air, so you can be dehydrated even without sweating.
Honestly, I don’t have much of a routine. I wash my face with a loofa ball though, but that’s like every other day. Maybe the loofa is too harsh, but I don’t really scrub. It’s more like a light-to-medium pressure I apply.
I checked out the suggestions, and I got one that has hyaluronic acid, which I read is supposed to retain and attract moisture. But with a dry climate, idk how much moisture it’ll attract hah. I’ll be adding more water intake though. Thank you!
Some thoughts: In a dry place, humectants can work the opposite way, pulling moisture from your skin or hair out into the air, or from deeper layers of your skin out to the surface so you may need something more occlusive; and when my skin is feeling sensitive, mechanical exfoliating (,like your loofa) always makes it worse, but chemical exfoliation (like a toner with glycolic acid) usually no problem.
That doesn’t sound like anything like a problem. We had a similar discussion on a local winter biking group, and there were some people who had issues from washing their face three or more times a day, exfoliating regularly, and such. Yikes!
Hope the hyaluronic acid helps!