INTERVIEW WITH BRIDGET CARMADY

FOUNDER OF CLÉMENCE ORGANICS

Bridget Carmady, naturopath and founder of Clémence Organics, shares her top five tips for looking after your skin in the cold weather. The quality of your skin varies according to the season, what you’re eating, the climate you’re in, your current stress levels, and what you’re using on your skin. Your skin is never one skin type, but rather a living, breathing, changeable organ, and you should treat it as such. By adapting your diet and skincare, you can keep your skin happy, no matter what the season.

1 HYDRATE, HYDRATE, HYDRATE

I’m living in a dry, cold climate, so my skin needs extra hydration. In the morning I’ll apply serum and then my SPF, and then in the evening I’ll apply serum and then face crème. (This compares to summer, where I’ll only do serum or lotion/crème.)

2 DON’T OVER-CLEANSE

The more you cleanse, the more natural oils you strip from your skin. To keep skin happy, keep cleansing to a once-a-day affair only. Choose the time of day when your skin is at its dirtiest, most commonly the evening, to use your cleanser. When you’re not cleansing, you can simply splash your face with cool or warm water or use a moistened face cloth.

3 EXFOLIATE MORE FREQUENTLY

Because I’m generally moving less in colder weather, my skin-cell turnover is slowed, which means there is a greater build-up of dead skin cells, leading to more dry spots. To combat this, I’m using face exfoliant every second day to nourish my skin and increase the turnover of skin cells. This keeps my skin

smooth and glowing.

4 DON’T FORGET TO TONE

Using a toner after cleansing keeps your skin’s microbiome happy (which means less redness and breakouts), and adds extra moisture. Applying your serum and/or face crème directly after toning not only allows it to go on more smoothly (which also means you use less), but it seals this moisture into the skin.

5 CHANGE UP YOUR DIET

During winter, I feed my skin by adding extra fats to my diet including olive oil, avocado, nuts and oily fish (e.g. salmon). I don’t drink as much water due to the colder weather, but I sip on herbal teas during the day, and try not to have too much caffeine as it dehydrates skin.

My advice is to listen to what your skin needs according to where you’re at, what you’re eating and how you’re feeling. Choose skincare products that support your skin, rather than aggravate it. Remember, your skin has an inherent ability to heal itself and so the products you put on it should support this process, not make it harder. If you can adapt to give your skin what it needs right now, you’ll find yourself with happy, healthy skin all winter long.