5 Steps For Prepping Your Skin This Fall

In autumn, the air begins to play havoc with our skin going from a colder outside to a much more warmer inside and humid everywhere else.  And let's not forget those really hot showers we take when it gets nippier outside.  It doesn't matter how beautifully maintained your skin is because it can dry out, just like your hair.  More than likely it's still suffering from the effects of summer ... UV rays, chlorine and salt water.

Getting that beautiful glow back doesn’t require a major overhaul, just a few tweaks to your current routine. Here are 5 tips for a healthy look all season.

1. Choose a heavyweight facial moisturizer. 

Thicker sweaters aren’t the only thing to pile on this fall. A heavier moisturizer will also shield skin from colder weather.   What should you look for?  Moisturizers in jars, rather than bottles. That’s where you’re likely to find creamier, more emollient products.  And just like with clothing, layering is important to protect skin.  Try applying a serum with hyaluronic acid, an element of your own natural hydrating system, before moisturizing skin.  It will amp it up a notch.  Make sure you exfoliate away the dead skin first before applying anything.

2. Don't tone down the sunscreen.
Just because you're not sunbathing any more, you still need to protect your skin if you're going to be outside for a few hours because you can still get burned in the dead of winter. 

3. Fade those spots.

We all get them despite how attentive we are with sunscreen.  Freckles, brown spots, patches of pigmentation (called melasma) and broken capillaries become more obvious after the tan fades away.  Freckles will disappear once you're out of the sun for a while, but brown spots and melasma won't disappear completely.  You can treat these with an over-the-counter product containing licorice, vitamin C, kojic acid, soy or retinol once a week and use a microdermabrasion kit or glycolic acid as they'll help discolor them by exfoliating away some pigmentation.

4. The magic of lotion.

 We all complain of dry, itchy skin.  Drinking plenty of water will naturally help hydrate the skin.  Try switching to a moisturizing body wash and slather on lotion right after a bath or shower while your skin is still damp as it will help seal in moisture.  And try ... really try to not take long, steaming showers.

If your skin is super dry, you may want to keep a humidifier in your room and give yourself a 20 minute oatmeal bath (oatmeal contains fats and proteins that help restore the skin's barrier that breaks down when the weather is extremely dry.  Just put 1 cup of oatmeal in a blender at the highest setting and blend until a fine powder and swish around warm bath water until it blends in.  Be careful though as it will make the tub slippery than usual. Your skin will feel wonderful.)

5. Get rid of the dead skin. 

Skin takes on a dull, drab appearance when not treated properly especially when it replaces itself.  It can't do that naturally when the old layer isn't removed.  Exfoliating is so easy and will address the dullness immediately and more important as you get older because the skin's ability to slough it off slows down as we age.  Here are 3 recipes for a natural facial scrub:

- Combine 1 tsp. sugar with 1 tsp. honey to gently scrub acne-prone skin. Honey contains potassium, which is a natural antibacterial agent.

- Combine 1 tsp. sugar with 1 tsp. milk as an anti-aging scrub. The lactic acid in milk is an alpha hydroxy acid, which will help prevent fine lines, wrinkles and age spots

- Combine 1 tsp. sugar with 1 tsp. olive oil as a scrub for dry,  flaky skin. Olive oil contains oleic acid, which helps make skin more permeable so it will hold necessary moisture, while the sugar removes excess dry skin that has accumulated on the face.

Apply any of the 3 scrubs to a clean face, using circular motions. These massaging motions will help stimulate skin cells and boost cell turnover. Rinse your face with lukewarm water, and pat it dry with a towel. Never use water that is too hot or too cold.