How to Take Care of Your Skin (and You!) This Holiday Season

’Tis the season...to check off all the items on your crazy long to-do list! There's a lot to be thankful for this time of year, but almost just as much to stress about. That’s why we’re here to remind you to take care of yourself this holiday season. One of the easiest ways to get some much needed TLC? Start with your skin.

It’s easy to let your skincare routine fall through the cracks, especially during this marathon of gift giving, carb loading, and festivity planning. But just a few extra minutes of self-care is all you need. Keep scrolling for our favorite holiday skincare treats and tips (straight from dermatologists and skincare experts) to show yourself some love and gratitude.

The key to getting healthy, glowing skin this season and beyond is consistency. That means sticking with your regular skincare routine as much as you can. But let’s be honest, after a late night of food prepping followed by a day of holiday decorating, you might not want to tackle a 10-step routine (we’re talking cleanser, toner, serum, moisturizer, eye cream, and more). The good news is, you don’t have to.

When it comes to skincare consistency, Shanthi Colaco, MD, dermatologist at Skinstyle Dermatology Inc. in Los Angeles, recommends streamlining your stash down to the basics: “If you’re traveling or stressed during the holidays, I like keeping it super simple.”

According to Dr. Colaco, this three-step routine should cover it. In the morning, cleanse with an exfoliating glycolic cleanser, treat using a vitamin C serum, and hydrate with a moisturizing sunscreen. In the evening, cleanse the day away with a gentle cleanser, correct using a retinol cream, and hydrate with a good moisturizer (no need for SPF in the p.m.). If you can remember those three steps (plus your shopping list), it’ll be smooth sailing for you and your skin during the holidays. 

While your oven preheats, you could sit at your kitchen table scrolling through Instagram, or you use that precious free time to pop on a face mask (and then scroll through the gram, too). Face masks deliver potent doses of hard-hitting ingredients directly into your skin, so they’re an ideal quick fix or boost when you’ve got a million other things to do.

Whether it’s a hydrating hyaluronic sheet mask or a deep cleansing peel-off mask with glycolic acid, all you have to do is sit back, relax, and let it work its magic for five to ten minutes. Plus, they stash easily in your purse and work as a convenient skin refresher whenever your skin needs a boost.

If you remember anything at all from this list, it should be this tip: hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. The holidays often call for dehydrating cocktails and drying cold temps—aka two total skin-ruiners. “I can’t preach enough how much water benefits your skin,” says Ildi Pekar, a New York City-based esthetician and founder of the Ildi Pekar Wellness Studio. “We need water to help expel toxins from our bodies, keep us hydrated, and improve our circulation.” And these healthy benefits carry over to our skin, promoting a radiant, clear complexion, Pekar explained.

So pour yourself a glass at every meal, and make sure to fill up your water bottle before you head out to the door. For extra thirst-quenching action, try swapping out your morning coffee for some warm water with lemon or a steaming cup of green tea. Coffee is a natural diuretic, meaning it dehydrates your body by forcing out water, so opting for a hydrating cup of water or tea will help you lock in moisture. 

Drinking water works from the inside out, but you still need to hydrate your skin with a moisturizer from the outside (yes, even if you have oily skin). But how do you know which moisturizer to use? The easiest way is to start with your skin type. 

Those of us with dry skin should look for intensely hydrating ingredients, like vitamin E and shea butter. Looking to reap anti-aging benefits? Keep an eye out for fine line-reducing ingredients, like retinol, a vitamin-A based treatment that smoothes out wrinkles by promoting collagen production. Oil-free moisturizers that use lightweight hydrators (such as aloe and green tea) combined with some shine-controlling ingredients (like zinc CPA and lecithin) are ideal for oily skin types and people prone to breakouts. More normal or combination? “Look for a high-quality moisturizer with ceramides, which help repair the skin’s barrier, or hyaluronic acid, a naturally occurring molecule in the skin that helps lock in moisture,” advises Dr. Colaco. 

“The most effective time to apply moisturizer is just after showering or cleansing,” says Dr. Colaco. “Applying a layer of moisturizer head to toe while your pores are still open will ensure the moisturizer is fully absorbed.”

One of the best ways to relieve stress during the holidays and is to get outside, walk around, and breathe in the fresh air. That brings us to our fifth skincare tip for the holidays: Apply a broad spectrum sunscreen, even if the sun’s not out! You might not think you need to wear sunscreen because it's winter, and you haven’t seen the sun in weeks, but “clouds do not filter out harmful UV rays that cause skin cancer and premature aging,” says Dr. Colaco.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed in the sunscreen aisle, look for bottles that are labeled broad spectrum (meaning they’ll protect your skin from both UVA and UVB rays) and have an SPF of at least 30. You could also opt for a daily moisturizer with SPF, as it’s a great way to get your sun protection without the extra step.

Another way to brighten your skin during gray winter days is exfoliating. During the holiday season, when you’re applying and removing more makeup than usual, the right exfoliator can help rid your pores of product build-up, dead skin cells, and excess oil to reveal clean, bright, and baby-soft skin. 

“Exfoliating on a daily basis with a glycolic (AHA) or salicylic (BHA) cleanser—two forms of chemical exfoliation—or on a weekly basis using an exfoliating brush or scrub—physical exfoliation—can leave skin feeling smoother, softer, and give you a healthy, youthful glow,” says Dr. Colaco.

For an extra indulgent escape from holiday stress, take a hot bath with an exfoliating body scrub. The combo will feel almost like being at a luxury spa—and who wouldn’t want that?

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At the end of the day, the best gift for your skin (and your sanity) is a full night’s sleep. You might pull an all-nighter on New Year’s Eve, but aim for a solid eight hours the other 364 days. After all, it’s called beauty sleep for a reason: Sleeping is the crucial period for your skin to repair and renew itself after a long day.

“During sleep, your skin’s blood flow increases, rebuilding its collagen and repairing damage from UV exposure,” explains Pekar. “Skin renewal rate almost doubles and cell damage reverses. If you don’t get enough sleep, you may wake up with puffy, dry, skin and dark circles under the eyes.”  

Once you’ve gone through your regular nighttime skincare routine, tuck yourself in early (throw on a complexion-boosting sleep mask, while you’re at it), then wake up and marvel at how good your skin looks and feels. You deserve it.