Nontoxic Fall & Winter Skin Care: How To Transition Your Routine

The change in weather has a much bigger effect on our skin than people give it credit for. It's also easy to assume that a fall skin care makeover is just marketing (and listen, there's some of that too). But we make changes in our behavior—from the meals we make to workouts we do—based on the weather all the time: Why would skin care be any different?

"Your environment affects all parts of your body, so of course it will affect your skin! For example, in the summer you tend to be outside more: So you tend to think about how heat and humidity affect or skin; as well as environmental aggressors, like pollution or sun exposure," says board-certified dermatologist Howard Murad, M.D., who also notes that sunscreen and pollution protection is an issue in the winter as well: This is not permission to skip SPF! In fact, Murad City Skin Age Defence Broad Spectrum SPF 50 is 100% mineral sunscreen and one of my all-time favorites.

In the summer, humidity, sweat, increased oil production, and extra activity often make us feel like we need a more thorough cleaning. You'll hear a lot of advice about switching to a purifying or treatment cleanser with oil-reducing actives like salicylic acid. But come fall and winter: You might need something that is more gentle to your skin barrier. "You don't want to use anything stripping; when you're drying it, you are damaging the barrier. And you need a cleanser that will, yes, clean your skin at the end of the day, but it shouldn't dehydrate the skin," says Murad.

One of the biggest hurdles to a seasonally revamped routine is straying too far from your go-to process. Once you have one in place, with products you stick with, there's little temptation to change. Here's some advice if you don't want to overthrow every product in your lineup: Add an essence. These are not to be confused with an astringent toner, which is about removing dirt or oil; essences are applied post-wash, pre-moisturizer, and simply add an easy, refreshing layer of hydration. Plus, when you top it off with a lotion or cream, you're trapping in all that water in the skin.

"A moisturizing essence can provide hydrating ingredients," says Murad. "Just pay attention to what you're using: The problem is if you have one that's basically just water, it's just going to dissipate, and you'll be drier."

Antioxidants are vital year-round, even if they tend to get more attention in the summer. Yes, they help protect you from environmental damage (as we've learned here, vitamin C can act as an extra layer of sun protection: As this research shows1, it can provide a decreased risk of sun-induced redness and UV cell damage). And antioxidants will also help your skin's repair function2. "Just as you should be using antioxidant skin care during the summer months to protect your skin from UV and environmental aggressors, during the fall, you need them to repair the skin from summer damage," says cosmetic chemist Ron Robinson.

Here's why nighttime skin care is so important: "At nighttime your skin is trying to repair all the damage that happened in the day," says Murad. "And during the skin's repair cycle is the most important time to hydrate. People don't use night cream because they are tired or whatever reason, but you need that moisture." Essentially if you're not hydrating adequately, you're not giving your skin the tools to do its night shift.

You should also consider the sleeping environment, too: "Depending on where you live, you might have the heat on when you go to sleep. This is very drying to the skin," says Murad.

Not only is it cooler out, but come fall and winter comes another issue: cold season. You might be tempted to stock up on hand sanitizer and wash your hands more frequently. "Alcohol, the active ingredient in most sanitizers, will dry out your hands and strip the skin of its natural barrier," says board-certified dermatologist Jeanine Downie, M.D. (Also: the same goes for harsh soaps.) And this not only causes premature aging, but it can also lead to serious issues, like cracks in the skin and damaged cuticles. "Many patients I have who use sanitizer regularly will also pick at the dry skin around the nail or joints, and that will lead to infection," she says.

"What you eat is going to have a huge impact, and we need to support the skin internally. We go from full hydration to less and less with age; ask anyone, Are you drier now than you were 10 years ago? The answer is yes," says Murad, noting that the drier climate can exacerbate this feeling. So if you want to eat for your skin come wintertime, it all goes back to skin barrier function (are you noticing a trend?).

"We have to ask ourselves what are our cell membranes made of? They're made out of fatty-acid-based lipids and proteins. Sure, you can put on creams that have those, but you also need to eat a diet that is full of them or take supplements," says Murad. His go-to bedtime snack? A few walnuts, which are rich in omega fatty acids, antioxidants, and amino acids (the building blocks of proteins). "They just help replenish your body internally before you go to sleep."