The change of season is often a good time to review your at home skincare routine, so here are some of my skincare tips and favourite products for autumn.

To be honest, I’m not sure I enjoy my summer skincare routine as much as I do the rest of the year, so bring on autumn! I feel you can focus more on skin treatments and peels in the cooler months without worrying about humidity and the effects of the sun. The changing temperature and lower UV levels are still an obvious concern, but with that there’s also a change in humidity and our lifestyle habits. 

My skincare tips for autumn

We spend more time indoors, meaning lower levels of Vitamin D exposure, warmer clothing and central heating being sneaked on. Even our diets become less focused on fresh salads and refreshing water-based drinks and we shift towards warmer, heartier foods and warming drinks, possibly milkier drinks and slightly more stodgy foods, all of which can have an impact on how your skin is looking and feeling. It good to be aware of this and try to balance this out, herbal teas and lots of fresh fruit and vegetables. 

 

Stick with SPF, even in October

You might assume that it’s okay to stop using SPF, which is a habit that I urge you to continue throughout the year. The sun might not be burning or turning your skin golden, however the damaging and premature ageing UVA rays are around all year, so keep up with the daily SPF.

Favourite hydrating sun protection 

ISClinical Exteme protect SPF 30

 

Dealing with hyperpigmentation

Now is a perfect time to focus on rebalancing some hyper pigmentation that might have become more visible over the summer months. That means adding in actives and serums that target brightening the skin and reducing the appearance of this. Look for ingredients such as kojic acid, liquorice root and vitamin C. Add these into your daily routine after cleansing and before moisturising. Peels are an amazing skin boost and treatment to add in during the cooler months. You can read all about the science of peels in this article and why I love them so much for skin transformation. 

At the moment, I know getting to a salon is a little uncertain because of  Covid, however IPL is the gold standard treatment to reduce the visible appearance of pigmentation, it really is skin transforming. 

If you want to know more about IPL and see some before and after images, have a read of this blog

 

Favourite pigment focused serums 

IS clinical White lightening serum 

Cosmedix Simply Brilliant 

 

October means dry air and dry skin

With the air becoming less humid, you might feel your skin become a little dryer. There are a few ways you can look at supporting this: add a hydrating tonic after cleansing, and or combine a hyaluronic acid serum, both of which focus on adding moisture to the skin. You can also look for moisturisers and creams with ceramides in the ingredients, as these help replace lost hydration between the skin cells, so these are great for supporting the skin’s barrier, an essential aspect for skin health. 

Some of my current favourite hydrators  

Codage – creme de jour day cream 

Cosmedix Rescue balm 

Cosmedix Surge, hyaluaronic, antioxidant & nyacinamide booster 

Codage Hydration intense serum 

 

Indulge in facial oils

Facial oils are a love of mine, to both massage with and also apply in the evening after an oil. During the summer, you might avoid face oils due to humidity, but now is the perfect time of year to sneak them back into your skincare routine, especially if you’re feeling a little dry. In the evening, try the following routine: cleanse, use an exfoliating tonic, lightweight serum then apply a small amount of your favourite hero oil. No need to over massage at this point in your routine, keep that for your dedicated facial massage and cleansing time.

 

Enjoy a weekly face mask

If your not already using face masks, a change in season is a great time to introduce new habits, lets start with a weekly mask. Autumn can lead to dull looking and drier skin so using something with enzymes and AHAs in the ingredients to exfoliate, brighten and nourish will help keep the skin cell turnover at its optimum, but not over-strip the skin. We want to avoid this while adding some hydration. (Aptly, pumpkins are actually packed with skin loving enzymes!)

Some of my favourite masks 

IS clinical hydra-intensive cooling mask The perfect boost of hydrating.

 

Cosmedix Pure enzymes, Brightening and exfoliating mask.

 

Face massage

If you haven’t found face massage yet, then now is the time! Face lifting massage is a key part to any at home skincare routine. Maybe now with the nights drawing in, you might find yourself with more time to take five minutes for yourself to treat your skin, rejuvenate your face and enjoy a moment of self care. I usually gently cleanse my face, pat it dry then use a favourite face oil, apply it to my face, neck and decollete and take 5 to 10 minutes to focus on self massage. If you feel you don’t have time, it’s great to do in the bath or shower while your hair conditioner is on! Or replace 5 minutes scrolling on social media for 5 minutes on your face. 

With autumn knocking on the door, hopefully these skincare tips and product recommendations for autumn will keep your skin happy through the changing season and cooler months ahead.

 

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