SAVE FACE THIS FALL

While we hope summer vacation has left your mind refreshed and body revitalized, the dry skin that comes with fall is far less welcome—especially when it impacts your face. Laying down good facial care habits now can pay dividends when the real cold weather arrives.

Effective care is much more than simply washing your face with any soap and choosing whether or not you moisturize. Just like anything else, despite all the wishing, the only way to see results is with consistency and dedication—but once you get started you will soon see and enjoy the results.

Step 1: Facial Cleanser

It’s crucial to find the proper facial cleanser for your skin, which also means evaluating whether you typically have dry or oily skin. Many facial cleansers contain harsh alcohols and detergents that can strip the natural barriers of skin and cause irritation. In any case, if you have dry or oily skin it is important to find a cleanser that is moisturizing—which means avoiding synthetic compounds called parabens at all costs (methylparabens, propylparabens, butylparabens and ethylparabens). However, using a small amount of salicylic acid or witch hazel with your cleanser in the morning and night can aid in controlling oil.

Step 2: Eye Cream

Whether you are wired with energy or had a rough night, eye cream can be your saving grace. Applying eye cream twice a day is extremely important in the battle against dark circles and wrinkles because the skin under your eye is very fragile and thin—thus it is prone to lose moisture quickly. Since the skin around the eye is thinner, using a concentrated cream with antioxidants can make all the difference.

Step 3: Moisturizer

Finding the right moisturizer for your face is important to maintaining and locking in the skin’s moisture. Keeping your skin hydrated will fight wrinkles and can help reduce the chances of skin blemishes appearing. If you are feeling up to the test, having a separate day and night moisturizer can provide differing benefits. For the daytime, find a moisturizer with SPF to protect your skin from the harmful UV rays. Daily application of SPF can slow the aging process and help protect from sunspots. For the evening, many of the best night moisturizers contain retinol, which helps with wrinkles, hormonal changes and acne.