Stay Hydrated: Harmattan and Winter Skincare Essentials
Did you know the weather can rob your skin of up to 25% of its moisture daily?
Welp!
The season’s low humidity and dry winds strip moisture from your skin. This dryness is particularly noticeable around your hands and lips. This is because your hands and lips have fewer sebaceous glands.
Meanwhile, across the globe in London, icy winds and chilly temperatures mark the onset of winter. Despite their differences, these seasons uniquely affect the skin. From dry, flaky skin to unexpected breakouts, these climate extremes challenge even the most effective skincare routines.
Understanding how climate changes like harmattan in Nigeria or winter in the UK affect different skin types is essential to sustaining your skin's health. Whether you have oily, dry, combination, or normal skin, adapting your skincare routine to suit the season is non-negotiable. But how do these conditions affect your skin, and how do you keep your skin hydrated, healthy, and radiant?
Let’s discuss how harmattan and winter impact the skin and explore practical tips to keep it thriving.
Harmattan and Winter: How the Seasons Impact Skin
The Effects of Harmattan on Skin (Nigeria)
Harmattan, the dry and dusty season in Nigeria, is characterized by low humidity, cold winds, and airborne dust particles that contribute to skin dehydration and irritation. This combination can cause significant changes to the skin's texture and appearance.
Impact on Skin Type
During the harmattan season, the absence of moisture in the air aggravates dry skin conditions, which leaves your skin feeling tight, rough, and cracked. Your skin loses its natural oils, which can result in visible flakiness, redness, and irritation.
If not properly hydrated, dry skin becomes vulnerable to inflammation, which can lead to conditions like eczema or dermatitis.
Combination skin can be tricky during harmattan. Your skin’s T-zone (forehead, nose, chin) often remains oily, while the cheeks and other dry areas experience dehydration. Your uneven skin tone can make your skin look dull, patchy, and uneven.
Your skin requires an effective skincare routine to manage the dryness and excess oil in different zones.
During harmattan, normal skin can become dry and slightly tight due to the dry, dusty air and low humidity levels. Your skin’s natural moisture may be stripped away and might feel rough or flaky.
While normal skin is generally more resilient, it requires proper hydration and care to avoid dryness or dullness.
Harmattan's dry winds and dusty air present a unique challenge for those with oily skin. It is easy to believe oily skin might not be affected by dryness, the opposite is often true. The season’s low humidity causes your skin to lose moisture, prompting an overproduction of oil to compensate for dehydration.
This overcompensation leads to clogged pores, breakouts, and a greasy appearance, making it difficult to maintain a balanced complexion
The Effects of Winter on Skin (UK and Other Cold Regions)
Winter isn’t always dry. It combines cold weather and low relative humidity which often reduces the moisture in the air. This can strip your skin of its natural oils and more prone to irritation.
Impact on Skin Types
During winter, your skin becomes extremely dry. As the cold air outside, along with the dry heat indoors, both remove moisture from your skin.
This can lead to intense dryness, tightness, flakiness, and even cracking. Dry patches may develop, and eczema-like flare-ups can become common.
During winter, oily skin can feel dry and dehydrated, even though it still produces natural oils. Your skin produces excess oil to combat the climate conditions, leading to clogged pores, dullness, and acne breakouts.
Balancing hydration and oil control is best for maintaining healthy oily skin during the colder months.
Like harmattan, winter can create an imbalance in combination skin. Your T-zone may feel oily, while the cheeks and other dry areas may experience extreme dryness.
This makes managing combination skin difficult because it involves different skincare products for different areas, demanding continuous hydration and oil control.
Winter may be gentler on normal skin than other skin types but has its challenges.
The cold, dry air, combined with indoor heat can strip your skin of moisture, and leave it slightly dry.
You may notice occasional dullness or uneven texture during winter. This isn’t because the air is always dry, but because cold temperatures and indoor heat often disrupt the skin’s natural balance.
4 Common Skin Conditions Triggered by Climate Changes
Both harmattan and winter come with drastic climate changes that can impact your skin, triggering common skin conditions.
Whether it's the dry, dusty winds of harmattan in Nigeria or the cold, dry air of winter in cold regions like the UK, your skin is at risk of dehydration, irritation, and flare-ups.
Let’s discuss the skin conditions most commonly triggered by these climate extremes.
Dehydration happens when the skin loses moisture and isn’t replenished, leading to a dull, tight, and irritated skin tone.
Both harmattan and winter cause your skin’s moisture content to drop significantly, resulting in dehydration.
Cold climates with low humidity can make your lips and hands vulnerable to cracking and chapping. These areas lack the oil glands needed to lock in moisture, making them prone to irritation and painful cracks.
The dry winds during harmattan dehydrate your skin, but the sun’s UV rays still stimulate melanin production. Hyperpigmentation leads to dark spots or patches, particularly on the face.
Proper sun protection is essential year-round to prevent this condition.
Oily and combination skin types combat a unique challenge during the harmattan and winter seasons. Your skin produces excess oil in response to the dry air, leading to clogged pores and breakouts.
Also, dehydration in winter causes the skin to produce excessive oil to compensate for dehydration which triggers acne flare-ups.
How to Build an Effective Skincare Routine for Harmattan and Winter
As the season changes, your skincare routine isn’t left out. This helps maintain healthy, hydrated skin in harsh climates like harmattan or winter. These seasons strip moisture from your skin, but with the right skincare products and routine, you can protect and nourish your skin effectively.
Here’s how to align your skincare routine to protect and nourish your skin:
1. Your Skin Desires Hydration
Moisturizers are essential for your skincare routine, especially in dry climates. Choosing the right one for your skin type can make a great difference.
Finish your routine with a pea-sized amount of Nourishing Crème lightweight moisturizer to keep your skin hydrated and plump all day.
Apply our cream moisturizer formulated with Vitamin B3, hydrolyzed collagen peptides, and panthenol to brighten, strengthen, and keep your skin plump all day.
Apply gel-based moisturizers to the oily T-zone for a lightweight, non-comedogenic solution.
For dry areas like the cheeks, use cream-based moisturizers with hydrating ingredients like ceramides and hyaluronic acid to restore moisture and strengthen the skin barrier.
For long-lasting hydration, use a lightweight moisturizer that contains ingredients like hyaluronic acid or glycerin.
2. Apply Products to Damp Skin–Works Magic
Applying skincare products to damp skin after cleansing helps maximize hydration. When your skin is slightly moist, ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerin draw moisture into your skin more effectively, preventing dehydration.
Steps:
3. Protect and Strengthen Your Skin Barrier Girl
The skin barrier plays a critical role in protecting against environmental damage and moisture loss. Cold air, dry winds, and dust during harmattan or winter can weaken this barrier, leading to irritation and dehydration. Strengthening your skin barrier ensures it stays healthy and hydrated.
How to Strengthen Your Skin Barrier:
4. Sunscreen is Important
UV rays are still harmful during harmattan and winter. Choose a broad-spectrum sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher to protect your skin.
5 Skincare Tips for Hydration in Dry Climates
Dry climates, like harmattan in Nigeria or winter in regions like the UK, can leave your skin dry and uncomfortable. If you’ve ever asked, “How can I hydrate my skin in a dry climate?”, here’s a guide to keeping your skin healthy, plump, and radiant.
I might sound cliché but hydration starts from within. In dry seasons, your body loses moisture quickly, so drinking enough water is crucial for keeping your skin hydrated. Aim for at least 8 glasses of water a day to support your skin’s natural moisture levels.
Your diet plays a big role in skin hydration. Incorporate water-rich foods like cucumbers, watermelon, oranges, and leafy greens into your meals. These foods provide extra hydration and essential nutrients that support healthy skin.
Boost your skin’s hydration with weekly treatments like hydrating face masks. Look for masks containing glycerin, aloe vera, or hyaluronic acid—ingredients that draw moisture into the skin and help retain it.
Central heating depletes indoor air of moisture. A humidifier can help maintain optimal skin hydration levels.
Hot water strips your skin of essential oils. Instead, use lukewarm water and moisturize immediately after showering.
Love Your Skin Through Every Season
Remember, your skincare routine is not just about products—it’s about protecting and nourishing your skin to thrive through different seasons, all year long even as you get older.
Enjoy the changing seasons but do not neglect your skin nor underestimate how easily your skin barrier can be affected by climate changes.
Protect, hydrate, and restore balance with House of Coco Skincare’s curated products tailored for every skin type. Whether you're combating dryness, breakouts, or uneven texture, our science-backed solutions are here to keep your skin radiant.
Shop now and glow through every season.
