During winter we dress to keep ourselves warmer and our skin shielded from the colder weather. We do this thing called “layering”, where we put on layers and layers of clothing. Long sleeve tops, followed by cozy sweaters, and an outerwear jacket topped off by a beanie or a scarf. I like to extend this layering method to my nighttime body skin care routine. At night your skin goes through a process called “cellular turnover” – the biological production of new skin cells to replace existing cells that help ensure your skin feels smooth and healthy-looking. Your body works overtime while you sleep to give you fresh radiant looking skin the next day – this is a pivotal time in your skin cycle and there’s a couple things you can do to help the process, especially during colder weather months. Here’s where the “layering” reference comes into play.

Layering Body Skin Care for Winter

Just as I layer my clothing to shield and protect, I like to layer my body skin care routine as well. I start off by dry brushing (twice a week without fail) to help detoxify my skin before a warm steamy shower. On days when I don’t dry brush, I like to use Saltair’s KP Body Scrub every other day. I have KP above my elbows and this has helped me tremendously. I’m a big fan of body scrubs but I’ve noticed that many dissolve quickly after incorporating water. Not this one. This scrub doesn’t dry my skin out and the physical exfoliants gently work to deliver velvety smooth skin. Exfoliating helps speed up cell turnover and I’m all about that baby soft skin the next day. If you read about my morning skin routine you know I love Saltair’s Exotic Pulp Body Wash. For winter I like to switch it up and use the Black Tide Body Wash. The hyaluronic acid and squalane in this body wash are the key ingredients I look for during winter to keep my skin nourished and hydrated. I love that Saltair has matching body washes and body lotions. I use the matching Black Tide lotion which has the same hyaluronic acid and squalane ingredients and of course, the same scent. Using your body wash’s matching lotion reinforces the scent to last longer on your skin and who doesn’t want to smell fresh and clean all night long? I layer that on right after my shower. The rule of thumb for your face routine is to “apply from thinnest to thickest” which means essence and serums first and moisturizers and oils last. The same goes for your body routine. I exfoliate to remove dead skin cells, replenish my body with a nourishing body wash, and moisturize with a hydrating lotion to restore. The last step in my layering process is Saltair’s Beach Body Oil. Don’t let the name of this oil fool you, the scent is beachy with notes of coconut and vanilla, but the oil is the perfect consistency to use all year round. I like to add this layer of hydration to my skin as the last step in my nighttime body skin routine.

Layering is key in any nighttime skin routine and so is exfoliation, they’re like two peas in a pod and both can help tremendously in speeding up your cell turnover and help achieve the best sleep of your life. Okay, maybe not the best sleep of your life…but close enough knowing you’re one step ahead of keeping your skin feeling and looking its best.