Even though winter has just barely come to an end here in Oregon, we know that not everybody is dealing with the cold right now. Whether you live in a warmer place like Florida or Arizona, or are planning a tropical vacation to escape the last remaining days of winter weather, we know your skincare needs are going to be different. They’re going to be different because heat and humidity place different demands on the skin than the cold and the dry. Thankfully, it’s easy to meet your skin’s needs in a climate that’s on the hotter side of things, even if it’s just for a vacation.
If your home or destination is a place like Arizona, where the heat is accompanied by dryness, then you will want to focus on skincare products that soothe, hydrate and moisturize. One of the first things that dry heat does is suck the water from the skin cells, so it’s imperative you use something that not only replenishes lost hydration, but also protects it from being lost in the first place. You also want to focus on cooling and soothing ingredients like Aloe and Cucumber, as well as balancing oils like Jojoba.
If you’re located somewhere like Florida or Hawai’i where it’s quite humid, you probably won’t need to worry about using a moisturizer. However, you can still use private label skincare products that help your cells to hold onto moisture. The reason for this is that even if your climate isn’t dry, we all lose cellular water as we age; it’s one of the things that leads to wrinkles and leathery looking skin. So, if you are in a climate that’s humid and hot, focus on using hydrating essential oils that keep your cells hydrated without bogging your skin down with more moisture.
No matter the water content of the air, make sure to gently exfoliate on a regular basis as well so that your skin doesn’t have to deal with an overload of dead skin on top of trying to regulate itself in the heat. A simple enzyme mask can do this for you, and if you keep it free of AHA’s, you won’t have to worry about sun sensitivity either. As long as you keep it simple, strategic and natural, you won’t go wrong.