If you’re feeling the January skin blues right now - you’re not alone! The new year falls right in the depths of winter, after the bright lights of the holiday season, and long before the spring sunshine gets a chance to shine.
Now might seem like the perfect time to take radical action to improve your health and wellbeing, but maybe New Year, New You! is not quite the solution it promises to be. Given how challenging this time of year is anyway, why not take a rain check on turning over a new leaf or making over-ambitious resolutions?
Instead, focus on simply being kind to yourself and to your skin.
If you’re living with eczema, psoriasis, or any other chronic skin condition, you’ll know all too well that flares come and go, and sometimes your skin is going to be itchier and scratchier than others. January can be a particularly tough month for skin prone to dryness or irritation, so it’s definitely worth having a few strategies up your sleeve to make this darkest time of the year a little more bearable.
Think of it as more of a gentle reset than a dramatic life makeover.
Holidays: The Perfect Storm For Flare-ups
Why is January so hard for skin? There are many reasons, some to do with the seasonal weather, and some to do with January’s position in the year's cycle right slap bang in the post-holiday slump.
Holidays bring all sorts of fun, but they can also, unfortunately, come with a host of stresses which can come to a head in January and leave people battling to calm flares.
The festive period can leave anyone feeling overwhelmed, but for someone with a skin condition, the pressure is magnified tenfold. It’s the constant focus on appearance, the pressure to have a good time, disrupted routines, the difficulty of avoiding the foods that can trigger irritated skin, bright lights, photos, not to mention party outfits which might mean bare arms or prickly synthetic materials…
There’s often the added stress of financial worries after festivities, the long wait until a January pay-check, and the endlessly gloomy weather. Sunshine can feel a long way away a week into January!
To add insult to injury, the air is colder and drier than any other time of the year, and the combination of low temperatures and humidity with the effects of central heating, hot baths, layers of itchy clothing means skin gets dehydrated, more reactive and fragile, itchier, more prone to irritation and environmental allergens.
The result? January is the perfect storm for flares.
Start The Year With Kindness — Your Skin Deserves It
So what can you do about the dreaded midwinter itches? At least forewarned is forearmed: knowing what’s going on at this time of year means you can take practical steps to reduce the length, severity, and frequency of the inevitable flare-ups.
Supporting your skin barrier to be as healthy and resilient as possible in the face of all those potential triggers is key to your skin-kind January reset. No pressure, just gentle care of skin that needs some extra help at this time of year, because getting through winter is enough of a win.
Choose Resilience - Nourish, Restore, Reset
Here are our four key strategies for beating your skin’s January blues:
1. Forget Resolutions - Choose Resilience!
Take it easy on yourself! January, ironically enough, is the worst month for huge life changes, drastic diets, extreme fitness plans, or resolutions that would be hard at the best of times. January is not the best of times! So go gently.
TRY THIS: Make a list of things you could do daily to support and restore your skin, by supporting and restoring your whole self, rather than setting resolutions. How about a revitalising sauna, a calming walk in the woods, or an early night with a good film?
2. Nourish Yourself, Nourish Your Skin
At this time of year, we all crave comfort! And your skin needs comfort food too; think of skincare enriched with nutrients as long term supplements for your skin, feeding them the essential fatty acids, antioxidants, and vitamins it needs to rebuild resilience.
TRY THIS: One of our most nourishing products, Balmonds Omega-Rich Facial Oil, is a hero for depleted winter skin; rich in regenerative rosehip and lavender essential oil, it is ideal to apply after cleansing last thing at night.
3. Restore Your Barrier
Barrier care is key to building resilience, and according to dermatologists that means choosing thicker emollients such as ointments and balms at this time of year, rather than thinner water-based creams. Not only are oil-based balms less likely to sting fragile or easily irritated skin, but they’re more effective at reducing the trans-epidermal water loss caused by winter's low temperatures and low humidity.
TRY THIS: We’d recommend generous applications of our hero Skin Salvation balm before venturing into the chill, or used to protect chapped lips, cheeks, rough or cracked hands and faces from the dehydrating effects of cold weather.
4. Reset Your Routine
An easy win to help your skin recover in the depths of winter is to simplify your routine - take it right back to basics for at least three weeks, and see how you get on. That means putting aside all those perfumed creams and washes, complicated routines, and TikTok trends for the moment, and sticking to a few very simple, fragrance-free essentials.
TRY THIS: Switch your lotions and potions for Balmonds Daily Moisturiser - an exceptionally gentle, unscented, all-purpose cream which you can use on your hands, face, and body. It’s made with shea butter, which is fantastic at supporting the skin’s natural oils and helping maintain a healthy skin barrier, and is free from fragrance and harsh ingredients.
Combine with our extra-gentle Body, Hand & Hair Wash, another brilliantly versatile natural product which works as a hand or face wash, as well as a shower gel or shampoo, and can be used by the whole family, from babies of 6 weeks up. It's soap- and sulphate-free, mildly foaming, and great for resetting after skincare overload.
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