Fall is here and with it comes our favorite hot drinks, cozy sweaters, and falling leaves. But what you probably aren’t looking forward to… dry, flaky skin. We’ve got you covered this season with the perfect guide to getting your routine ready for Fall.

Our skin isn’t static either. Because it’s a protective barrier against our environment, it’s influenced by the environment too. As summer is replaced by the colder temperatures and windy weather of Fall, you’ll notice that your skin needs can be very different as well. Hydration status and barrier function in particular are impacted by colder seasons.

One of the most underrated skills in your skincare toolbox is knowing how to adjust your routine based on changing conditions and skin needs. Before we get into some of the specific changes to your routine that can help, you’ll want to first analyze your routine for some of these common problem areas.

Routine Gaps

It’s not uncommon to simplify your routine in summer. Whether it’s too hot outside to layer a lot of skincare products without getting tricky or you’re on vacation and can only pack so much, many of us take a more minimalistic approach. Now that we’ve left summer behind, it’s a good time to take a look at your routine and check for any product gaps. And if you were wary about starting a retinoid or chemical exfoliant in the middle of summer, now is the time to start.

Product Stability

It’s also the time to assess whether the products you were using in summer will work for Fall. Gel moisturizers and foaming cleansers are just some of the lighter skincare steps that can be attractive in the warmer months, especially if you get more oily. With the temperatures dropping soon and more time spent indoors with the heater on, you may need more moisturizing products.

Skin Concerns

Skin needs inevitably change with the seasons and in Fall, external stressors like wind and low humidity from indoor heating can influence skin barrier health and function. And even if you were diligent with sun protection, this is also a time where hyper-pigmentation and sun damage can pop up. This is a great opportunity to really hone in on skin goals with effective products and in-office treatments like chemical peels.

Transitioning Your Routine

The #1 rule with skincare is to start simple and prioritize what is most important. In adjusting your routine, you’ll want to first start with the basics as these products form the foundation of your routine. From there, you can build upon that base with more targeted steps. This isn’t an entire overhaul of your routine, you’re just making changes where needed to make your routine better work for your skin and the season.

First, Perfect the Basics

• Replace gel cleansers with milk and cream options to reduce stress on the skin barrier
• Bump up the humectants in your water based steps to make up for water loss 
• Swap out light lotion and gel moisturizers for creams that can help support the skin barrier and replaced depleted skin lipids

Then, Add the Rest

• Add in a retinoid for sun damage
• Use a pigment inhibitor for hyper-pigmentation 
• If you do in-office treatments, go ahead and schedule them

Remember: only make these changes if they’re needed. If your routine is working well and addresses your needs, leave it as is.\

It’s also important to keep in mind that skincare is more than just the products we put on our face. If the weather is already cold enough where you’re running a heater or using your fireplace, you may want to consider a humidifier to add moisture back to the air. And safe sun habits should continue year round: the UV index is lower but you’ll still want to wear sunscreen when outside.

While Stratia Skin products can be used year round, I have some favorites that can really help ease the transition from summer to fall.

Stratia Picks For Fall

Velvet Cleansing Milk. This is a luxurious, non-foaming cream cleanser that uses a really mild surfactant to reduce barrier disruption while the low pH preserves the acidity of the skin surface. While it’s got some lovely moisturizing ingredients to ensure your skin is left soft and supple after cleansing, it still delivers a nice user experience and rinses away nicely. The perfect cleanser for colder weather (if you aren’t already using it year round, like me).

Lipid Gold Eye Cream. The added petrolatum and stearic acid make this the more moisturizing big sister to the original Lipid Gold, with multi-taskers like peptides and algae extract for added hydration too. While formulated as an eye cream, this can act as a targeted treatment for any area that needs extra plumping and moisturizing. I apply under my eyes, the flaky areas around my nose, and on my neck.

Night Shift. This is the richest moisturizer in the Stratia lineup and also features ceramides, cholesterol, and fatty acids for barrier support. The encapsulated retinol makes this a perfect transition into Fall as you’ve got both a richer moisturizer for nighttime and a product that can help repair some of the damage accumulated during summer.

Bonus tip: use Stratia’s C+C in the morning before sunscreen and Night Shift in the morning to really hone in on sun damage.

If you’ve gotten to the end of this blog and still need more routine help, you can read the previous blogs on product order and layering and mixing ingredients for information on building your skincare routine. We also have a guide to hyper-pigmentation for anyone struggling with those post-summer dark spots. Don’t forget to tag us on Instagram with your Fall skincare routines featuring Stratia products!

Mira is a skincare educator, blogger, and the content creator behind Skin Science by Mira and The Skincare Forum on Facebook. While skincare keeps her busy, she’s also pursuing her degree in Nursing and loves to spend her free time hiking.  As a content writer for Stratia Skin, Mira shares her evidence-based approach to skincare topics and a passion for making science accessible.