While Fall is a beautiful season, what is not so beautiful is the possibility of dry, flaky skin. Not only can the cool autumn air be a cause, but other culprits are causing our skin to become scaly and dry as leaves, and who wants that? Not us!
If you want to understand some dry fall skin culprits and how to combat them continue reading our ultimate skincare guide for dry skin.
What Causes The Skin To Become Dry In The Fall Time
Dry Outdoor Weather
Well, let's start with the obvious the weather. In the earlier months of Fall, the weather is not so bad. But we are now in November! The humidity has dropped dramatically, leaving no moisture in the air, causing your skin to become dry and scaley. On top of that, the winds are starting to get brisk, stripping your skin of its natural protective barrier.
Dry Indoor Climate
Yes, the indoors can have a significant impact too! Just like in summer when you are going from cool to hot, in this case, the warm indoors to the chilly outside, it is dry everywhere you go. And while we may be leaving our homes less because of the pandemic, people are still going back and forth, causing your skin to become undernourished and dehydrated no matter where you go. So, what are you to do?
Solution: Use A Humidifier
A humidifier is your skin's best friend. It is a quick, easy way to add humidity back into the air.
Showering The Wrong Way
What?? You mean there is a right and wrong way to take a shower. Yes, there is. While a nice steamy hot shower can feel relaxing, it is actually zapping your skin of its natural oils that keep the skin healthy.
Solution: Change Your Shower Routine
Bathing is essential, but you do not need to take a 30-minute shower. Instead, cut it down to about ten minutes. You also want to make sure that you take a cool shower when possible, so you are not stripping the skin of its natural oils. Furthermore, cool water tightens and constricts the blood flow, which gives you healthy, glowing skin.
Hard Water Can Disrupt Your Skin Barrier
Yep, hard water can compromise the appearance and health of the skin. According to a U.S. Geological Survey, when your water contains a high concentration of minerals, it can leave a film on your skin that creates that barrier while also causing dryness and aggravating other skin issues.
Solution: Adding Skincare Products To Combat The Harsh Minerals
Because hard water disrupts your skin's natural pH balance (the minerals make the water more alkaline), it is essential to combat this; otherwise, the water's alkalinity, combined with soap residue, can cause your skin to become dry, itchy, and irritated.
Some additional ways to combat the side effects hard water has on the skin:
- Use a cleansing oil to remove the harsh minerals from your skin. It is also great for adding moisture back to the skin.
- Use a toner to balance the PH of your skin. The skin naturally is low in acidic PH. By adding an acidic toner, you will contract the alkalinity of hard water.
- Exfoliate the skin using retinol. A retinol is key to sloughing away dead, dry skin, allowing new, fresher skin to appear. It will also prep the skin for proper abortion of your other skincare products.
Harsh Body Washes
Another shower culprit is your body wash. Using soaps with synthetic ingredients and harsh fragrances can be damaging to the skin too.
Solution: Use Products That Contain Essential Oils
You want to use products that contain moisturizing ingredients, like shea butter, coconut oil, and even black seed oil. These nutrient-rich oils may also hydrate the hair, soften your skin, and act as a natural moisturizer!
Your Clothes Can Be Drying Out Your Skin
Yes, clothes are another culprit you were probably not aware of. Fall brings in the start of blazers, cardigans, and oversized cozy sweaters, but materials like wool can cause skin irritation. Hence, we suggest layering with a cotton shirt, as it can act as a barrier between the wool and your skin.
Eczema Fall Flare-Ups
Eczema tends to flare up in the Fall, and for a good reason, thermoregulation, meaning the body has been subjected to a sudden climate change. As we mentioned above, this change from indoor to outdoor, where the lack of humidity from the cold weather dries out the skin, causing eczema to flare. Indoor heat creates the perfect environment for eczema flare-ups too.
Solution: Black Seed Oil
Comparing the therapeutic benefits of Nigella Sativa with prescription medications, black seed oil can reduce eczema severity. In a study conducted by Iranian researchers, Nigella saliva was beneficial as the skin cream Betamethasone in decreasing the severity of hand eczema. Plus, black seed oil DOES NOT come with a laundry list of terrifying side effects like conventional or prescription creams.
How To Use Black Seed Oil?
Black seed oil can be applied topically to benefit the skin, but make sure that you dilute it with a few teaspoons of your favorite carrier oil. It is also possible to add the oil to a moisturizer, shampoos, even some DIY skincare products thanks to its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, to help with everyday dry autumn skin.
In addition to using black seed oil topically, you can also ingest black seed oil. As long as it is high-quality, 100 percent pure, therapeutic grade, and certified USDA organic that is also suitable for cooking, baking, and beverages.
With its spicy flavor, black seed oil can be used in all kinds of fall-inspired crockpot recipes, from soups and stews to chili, even adding it to a citrus vinaigrette creating a delicious Autumn Salad.
Fall Focus Is All About Hydration
Just like the change of seasons, you need to change your skincare routine.
First and foremost is changing out your moisturizer. In the summer heat, a light-weight moisturizer is what the skin needs. For your Autumn routine, you want something a bit thicker as emollient moisturizers are fantastic at helping to keep your skin well hydrated by locking in moisture.
Some Other Skincare Tips To Maximize Your Fall Hydration
It is essential to look at the ingredients in your skincare products too. First, you want to stay away from products with a lot of alcohol in them as they can be very drying. Secondly, you want to look for skincare containing high levels of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that help counteract dryness, leaving you with a hydrated, glowing complexion.
Now that you have your fall hydration in check, what about some of those other skincare changes you should make in the Fall?
Cleanse Your Skin
Most of us use a clarifying cleanser in the warmer seasons to help remove that mixture of sweat makeup, humidity, pollution, and oil from our pores. Switching from a gel-based cleanser to a foaming cleansing cream is essential to help your skin adjust to the sudden drop in humidity.
Cream-based formulas are typically thicker and intensely moisturizing.
Create A DIY Skincare Mask
It is no secret that DIY beauty can save you money, but it can also make a fun spa day at home. We mentioned above some of the benefits that black seed oil had when it came to Eczema. But it is also a great ingredient to create a fantastic skincare mask for an intense moisture surge. That is right; black seed oil has rich and powerful antioxidants that are amazing for adding hydration back to the skin and some anti-aging ingredients like…
- Omega-3 fatty acids to improve cellular turnover.
- Vital Amino acids to aid in the skin's hydration and brightening.
- Skin nourishing vitamins, like vitamins B, C. As well as Zinc, Calcium, and Potassium.
So, there you have it, our ultimate skincare guide for dry Fall skin!
Autumn is such a wonderful time of year, and by taking preventive measures to prevent and treat dry, flaky skin, you can help you keep it that way.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23198836/
https://draxe.com/health/eczema-symptoms/
https://www.healthline.com/search?q1=black%20seed%20oil
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322948
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5796020/
https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/science/hardness-water?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/can-best-combat-effects-dry-winter-air/
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/6173-contact-dermatitishttps://www.everydayhealth.com/drugs/vitamin-a