I’m an esthetician – everyone thinks they need to moisturise more in winter, but that’s NOT the secret to great skin

IT’S inevitable: when the cold weather hits, our skin and lips get drier. 

Cold winter air holds less moisture than warm air, which causes lower humidity levels that can leave our skin dehydrated and flaking.

This lack of humidity also weakens the skin barrier, causing dryness and tightness - as well as increasing your risk of irritation and cracking.

You might think that to counteract this, you should lather on the moisturiser. 

But according to one licensed medical esthetician, that’s totally wrong. 

Savanna Boda, who owns a skincare clinic and range of products, shares her tips on her podcast, The Blondest.

Last winter, she revealed the main issue she sees with skincare during colder months is people not exfoliating enough - AND moisturising too much.

“They think that their skin is dry, and doesn’t need to be exfoliated,” Savanna explained.

“But I’m here to tell you that every single day, our skin sheds one layer of dead skin cells. 

“Exfoliation is going to help with that cellular turnover.

“If you have dry skin and you’re just putting on these thick, heavy moisturisers, and you’re asking, ‘why is my skin so dry?’

“It’s because it’s not able to penetrate effectively. 

“There’s so many layers of dead skin cells sitting on your face.”

Savanna urged people to “sand it down” to create a thinner canvas on your face for lotions and potions to penetrate. 

“A lot of people think they just need moisturisers and hydrating masks,” she continued. 

“But you’re not treating the problem, you’re just putting a band-aid over it and will never actually feel moisturised and hydrated. 

“There is a point to over exfoliating, and things like that. 

“But it doesn’t matter what your skin type is, you need to exfoliate.”

Savanna urged people to research what exfoliants work for their skin type.

For example, normal skin will benefit from chemical exfoliants like enzyme peels and glycolic acid. 

However, dry skin needs gentle exfoliation to avoid stripping away natural oils - which can be done with hydrating exfoliants like lactic acid or mandelic acid. 

Oily and acne-prone skin will benefit from salicylic acid to target excess sebum production, unclog pores and combat acne-causing bacteria.

Among her other advice was to use a hydrating mist every day and still wear SPF, even when the weather is bad.