3 Cold Weather Skincare Favourites

I don’t know about you, but it’s been pretty cold in my neck of the woods recently! We’ve been reaching minus temperatures the last few days, and we’ve even had snow days! I’ve loved waking up to a winter wonderland but unfortunately, my skin has definitely suffered from this icy weather. It’s been dry, irritated, and my naturally rosy cheeks have been even redder than usual!

I thought I would share three of my cold weather skincare favourites today. My skin is in dire need of a pampering in this cold, cold weather, and these three products have been god-sends to me.

All of the products are cruelty free and vegan.

Moon night treatment lip balm – Hurraw

I only picked up the Hurraw Moon night treatment lip balm a couple of weeks ago, but it has already become one of my favourite lip balms! I wear lip balm every night all year round, I can’t stand how dry my lips get overnight when I don’t, and I don’t tend to switch them around too much – once I’ve found one I like, I don’t go looking for another one for a while. The one I was using before the Hurraw tended to actually dry my lips out instead of moisturising them – I tried to power through, but I didn’t like it at all – and so I started looking for a new one. I came across this brand which I’d never heard of before and I thought I would give it a go.

First of all, I absolutely love the smell of this lip balm. Blue chamomile vanilla is absolutely divine, I look forward to applying it every night just for this reason! I was surprised by the shape of the product, I’m used to using round lip balms and this oval shape was unknown to me, but it didn’t make applying the lip balm any harder and I actually quite liked discovering something new.

The product in itself is amazing! The texture is very thick but creamy, although a little oily – due to the main ingredients being avocado and almond oil – but that’s really not a problem for me at all, and it melts on the lips when you put it on. I apply it before going to bed, until my lips are fully coated, and it really stays on all night long, I find it’s still on my lips in the morning, so they feel really moisturised and soft. I will definitely repurchase it once I’ve run out!

Hemp hand cream for ultra dry hands – The Body Shop

Due to the nature of my job, I couldn’t work from home during the late autumn lockdown. Between the cold weather, washing and hand sanitising my hands all the time because of the big bad virus, they really suffered and became really dry, with red patches all over them – not aesthetically pleasing, and very painful! I first started using The Body Shop Hemp hand cream a few years ago and it has never disappointed, so as soon as I saw that my hands were becoming chapped and cracked, I got it out of its drawer again, and it’s been an absolute life saver. The smell is surprising at first, but I’ve grown to love it! I usually use about a walnut-sized amount, sometimes a bit more, that I put on the back of my hand right before going to bed, and I spend a little while massaging it into the skin. It’s a fairly thick and rich cream, but it absorbs really quickly and doesn’t leave a greasy layer at all. The following day, my hands feel very hydrated, and I noticed after a couple a weeks of daily use, my red patches had gone and my hands felt soft and super moisturised. I couldn’t recommend it enough!

I haven’t tried any other products from the Hemp range (and they have quite a few!) but since I love this cream so much, I’m very much willing to try out some of their other Hemp skincare. I’ve definitely got my eyes on the face mask!

Zinc and Calendula cream – Lyonsleaf

Every winter without fail, my skin (especially on my chin and cheeks) becomes super dry, irritated and flaky. I think this is mostly due to the fact that I live in a windy part of the UK which gets worse in the winter, and the sudden change in temperatures come December probably doesn’t help either! I picked this zinc and calendula balm a few winters ago, at a time where even the richest of creams had stopped working for my skin. I’ve never gone back since!

It’s a pretty thick, sticky balm, and a little goes a long way. Since it comes in a pot, I always, always wash my hands before coating my finger in it and applying the product to my skin. I use it three or four times a week, depending on how irritated and dry my skins feels. It’s a pale yellow colour, but once you start rubbing it in, it turns into a pretty noticeable shade of white (a bit like sunscreen) so I always apply it before bed, over my normal moisturiser, as a night treatment and never in the morning – unless I know I’m not going anywhere that day! Zinc and calendula is a combination of natural ingredients that my skin seems to love, as it hasn’t made me break out, which I thought was going to happen when I saw how thick the product was. It soothes my skin instantly after I’ve applied it and it only takes me a few days to notice the improvement in my redness!

What I love about this balm is the multiple uses it has. Zinc and calendula both have soothing, moisturising and anti-inflammatory properties, which makes it an ideal treatment for people with eczema, psoriasis, rosacea and other skin problems. I have also used it as a healing balm on sore spots, on some scars I have on my body to make them shrink, and sometimes on the red patches of my hands when I thought my hand cream wasn’t providing enough hydration. And it’s suitable for the sensitive skin of little ones, too!

Lyonsleaf is a small UK company that makes all of its products in Somerset, using all natural ingredients from the owners’ farm – one more reason why I love this brand so much!

What are your own cold weather essentials?

Em ♥