The Complete Guide to Fall Skincare Essentials
For many, fall is one of the most beloved and highly anticipated seasons. However, even in the South, the cooler weather and dry air can wreak havoc on your complexion. Just like how you switch up your wardrobe and coffee order for this time of year, it’s also important to update your skincare routine to protect your skin and proactively prepare for the winter season ahead.
Continue reading to learn about our top fall skincare essentials for healthy skin.
1. Opt for a Hydrating Cleanser
As the air gets drier, it can leave your skin feeling dehydrated and flaky, even leading to painful cracked skin. Therefore, it is important to use a gentle cleanser that won’t strip away your skin’s natural oils. Now is the time to switch out the purifying gel-based cleanser you’ve been using for the summer and replace it with a cream-based formula that won’t dry out your skin.
To cleanse away impurities and prevent irritation, we recommend the ZO Skin Health Hydrating Cleanser with its creamy, sulfate-free formula. The cleanser contains Allantoin, a moisturizing ingredient that is known to calm irritation and sensitivity which is especially helpful for this time of year.
2. Exfoliate to Remove Sunspots from Summer
Following the long summer months, you may notice sun spots and discoloration from all of the time spent outside in the sun. In order to even out your complexion, try adding an exfoliating product to your fall skincare essentials.
For smooth and bright skin, use a product that provides both physical and chemical exfoliating benefits. The Dual Action Scrub by ZO Skin Health contains both lactic acid and salicylic acid to chemically remove dead skin cells and decongest pores. Round wax beads provide gentle, eco-friendly physical exfoliation which is beneficial for removing rough patches that result from dry skin.
3. Incorporate a Vitamin C Serum
To further brighten the skin as well as minimize the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, incorporate a Vitamin C serum into your daily fall skincare routine. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant scientifically proven to be an effective treatment for blotchy skin, reducing hyperpigmentation and inflammation.
The ZO Skin Health 10% Vitamin C Self-Activating treatment removes surface pigmentation, such as sun spots, for a more even skin tone. The formula also contains squalane, a natural antioxidant that is similar to our skin’s natural oils for providing additional hydration.
4. Switch to a Heavier Moisturizer
As the air gets colder, it’s time to swap your lightweight summer moisturizer for a heavier cream to provide your skin with extra nourishment.
We recommend the ZO Skin Health Hydrating Creme to soothe irritation and replenish the moisture lost to the dry autumn air. With soothing colloidal oatmeal and hydrating ophiopogon japonicus root extract, the moisturizer was formulated to restore your skin’s barrier function and hydration. In fact, the moisturizing cream was awarded a Seal of Acceptance by the National Eczema Association for its ability to reduce itching, calm redness, and reduce the severity of eczema flare-ups. Use this fall-time must-have morning and night to protect your skin from the dry, crisp air.
5. Continue Using SPF
During the summer months, we hope you have been applying a high-quality SPF every single day. Contrary to popular belief, it is important to continue this important step of your skincare routine into fall and winter. Some people falsely believe that once the temperatures decrease, so can their SPF usage. However, the sun’s UV rays can be just as damaging in the fall and winter months as they are in the summer.
To protect your skin from premature aging, continue incorporating the ZO Skin Health Broad-Spectrum Sunscreen SPF 50 into your daily routine throughout the fall and winter seasons. This soothing formula contains titanium dioxide and zinc oxide to ensure protection against UVA and UVB rays. Plus, fractionated melanin protects against high-energy visible (HEV) light that emits from our phones, computers, televisions, and so on.
6. Apply Retinol
Dull skin caused by dry air can benefit from a retinol treatment during this time of year especially. Retinol is a Vitamin A derivative that has been scientifically proven to increase collagen production and reduce wrinkles with regular use.
For the autumn season, we recommend the Radical Night Repair by ZO Skin Health formulated with 1% retinol and powerful antioxidant ingredients such as Vitamin C, Vitamin E, edelweiss, and marrubium vulgare plant stem cells. Benefits of this product include a reduced appearance of brown spots as well as maximum anti-aging benefits. If you’re new to retinol, we recommend you begin using it two nights per week and work your way up to every night for best results.
7. Use an Exfoliating Peel Once a Week
As summer comes to an end, you may feel like your pores are clogged due to the higher temperatures that sometimes linger before fall. If you’re looking to further exfoliate and rejuvenate your skin, we recommend applying an at-home peel one to two times a week to cleanse your pores and prep them for the heavier products you should be using later on.
The ZO Skin Health Enzymatic Peel revives dull skin and improves visible signs of sun damage utilizing enzymatic and chemical exfoliation. Key ingredients include diglycerin, kukui seed oil, and safflower seed oil to replenish hydration and restore skin barrier function.
Fall Skincare Essentials Available at Aqua Vitality
Here at Aqua Vitality, we carry a variety of fall skincare essentials for a gorgeous complexion year-round. If you are looking to learn more about maintaining healthy, beautiful skin, don’t hesitate to schedule a consultation with one of our skincare experts for even more fall skincare essentials and treatment recommendations for your specific skin type. Click below to schedule an appointment with us.
