ALL WEATHER SKIN

Q: How do I protect my skin from extreme weather conditions?

Tammy Writes: With so many clients traveling this season, and many experiencing winter extremes at home, I’m so often asked about protecting skin from the extremes. Whether your days will be spent in the sunny Bahamas or the dry cold of Aspen, or New York City, whenever you can, it’s great to nurture wintertime skin by drinking more water and eating food that are deliciously high in essential fatty acids, like avocado.

But it’s also important to remember that if you are traveling—and even though passing through airports and all the byways that take us from one place to another can make you really want to get in there and wash it all away—we need to be sure that we aren’t over-stripping the skin, leaving it vulnerable to the elements. Go slow whenever you encounter extreme weather—use a light, creamy cleanser to wash the skin thoroughly, then use a toner blended without an alcohol base, which can weaken the skin’s natural protective barrier.

In fact, whenever I’m facing very cold, dry weather, I love to warm up my cleanser and my face crème between my fingers as I go through my routine, which brings a little subtle heat to the skin. At the same time, incorporating a gentle circular massage as I wash my face and apply my moisturizer stimulates circulation, reawakening the skin, and it’s also great for reducing stress.