My French-Inspired Winter Body Skincare Routine Tips

I love winter for hot chocolates, baths, snuggling under cozy blankets, and wearing comfy clothes but not for chapped lips and dry skin. As the winter weather sets in; indoor heating, low humidity levels, and the drop in temperatures, all work together to dehydrate your skin. That is why I take as extra care of my skin during these cold winter days than in the summer. In this article, I share my French winter body skincare routine tips; my method à la française for maintaining healthy, luminous skin all winter long.

Here are my 8 French Body skincare routine tips for the cold winter months

• Hydrate from within
• Eat healthy diet
• Exercise regularly
• Sleep enough
• Delicate cleansing
• Gently exfoliate
• Moisturize and nourish
• Humidify your indoor

How to do a winter body skincare from the inside

Your skin is the body’s largest organ and we tend to forget that it requires extra attention during the winter months to battle the harsh, drying effects of the cold air. Surely, body oils, moisturizers, and hydrating masks are a helpful complement to protect your skin from winter dryness further, but I believe that having healthy skin starts from the inside and that what I put in my body is more important than what I apply to it.

• 1. Hydrate from the inside

First, I ensure I stay hydrated by regularly drinking water and fluids such as green tea, chicory coffee, and matcha tea, which are also rich in nutrients and antioxidants.

Read the related article “Chicory coffee health benefits: why the French love it?”

• 2. Adopt a healthy, balanced, and rich diet

Second, the skin needs to be nourished from within with various probiotic-rich and nutrient-rich foods like fruit, vegetables, nuts, lentils, chickpeas, chia seeds, spices (cinnamon, turmeric, ginger), yogurt, etc… I also consume a lot of seasonal juicy fruit rich in vitamin C, like clementines, kiwi, kimchi, and khakis.

• 3. Get enough sleep

Third, did you know that your skin repairs itself from the harm of the day while you sleep? Getting enough sleep is essential to give your skin enough time to renew. 7 to 8 hours of sleep is recommended but what is crucial is the quality of sleep, so if you sleep tight for 5-6 hours and it feels like you’ve had a good night’s sleep, then it is the sign you’ve rested enough. Also, lack of sleep can result in premature aging, breakouts, and skin dullness.

• 4. Get enough exercise

Last, yes, exercising helps keep your skin healthy! From increasing your blood flow that nourishes and detoxifies your skin to preventing the signs of aging, exercising improves your overall health by putting less stress on your skin. It doesn’t take much, even just 5 minutes a day of moderate exercise is great! Of course, the more the better.

Read the related article “10 French lifestyle tips”

How to do a winter body skincare from the outside

• 5. Delicate cleansing

I love baths but I make sure I use high hydrating cream or oil-based skincare bubble bath products for a gentle cleanse. Harsh soap cleansers strip your skin of its natural oils that naturally protect your epiderm. For instance, I love products made with donkey milk (very popular in France), almond, or oat milk that both cleanse and moisturize my body’s skin.

Sometimes, I soak in a homemade oatmeal bath. I use actual breakfast oats that I put in a washcloth that I tie to the faucet. The water flows through it and infuses my bath water with oat milk. While this milk cleanses your skin, it also forms a protective barrier that helps retain moisture and soothes irritated skin.

• 6. Gently exfoliate

I do a body scrub just once a week during winter to remove dead skin cells that clog pores. A good exfoliation allows your skin to soak better your moisturizer and glow.

• 7. Moisturize and nourish

After my pampering body wash, I apply a rich body oil or lotion on my damp skin to retain the water. I tend to use more oil-based products in the summer. For best results, I gently massage and layer enriched moisturizing solutions on my wet skin which absorbs humidity more easily.

• 8. Humidify your indoor

Keep your house’s air moist with an indoor humidifier or place a damp towel on your heater. This prevents the water from your skin to evaporate.

Read the related article “French women self-care ideas: 14 top tips!”

Wrap up on French winter body skincare routine tips

Your skin is affected by the changing seasons and though luxurious body oils and hydrating skin moisturizers help keep your skin glowing all winter long, my most important body skincare routine tip is to make sure to hydrate yourself from within by adopting a balanced diet, drinking lots of fluid, exercising and getting enough sleep! So grab a cup of hot matcha tea and sip the powerful antioxidants needed to effectively pamper your skin during these harsh winter months.

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What do you do to care for your skin health over the winter season? Please share your thoughts and experience below!