September Skincare Reset: Adapting Your Routine for Cooler Days and Co

(not so) Hot Take: September feels more like a new year than January does. Maybe because I’m still a student and September marks the beginning of a new school year, but as we transition into the fall months, I feel the need to change my wardrobe aesthetic, skincare routine, hair… really all of the above. It’s a natural and logical inclination, given how much begins to change in September; the humidity begins to drop, along with our daily doses of Vitamin D, warm temperatures, and consequently, motivation. If you’re anything like me, caffeine starts to hit differently (and by differently, I mean in greater volumes, frequency, and intensity), and shorter days inversely effect the revenge sleep procrastination that will soon become the new normal. For those of us who return to school, our food choices will dwindle, our Apple Watches will beg us to stand up, if only for just a moment, and our daily movement will likely consist of walking from class to class and/or reaching under the table to plug in our laptop chargers.

September. It’s giving Gilmore Girls, cozy-cup-of-coffee mornings and cable-knit sweaters. As we enter the fluctuating season of adding, shedding, and re-adding layers, it’s absolutely necessary for our skincare routines to adapt too. This September, let’s commit to walking into the office/coffee shop/lecture hall with healthy, glowing skin. We’re refusing to let the fluorescent lights expose the dry, flaky patches on our cheeks and the streaky concealer we didn’t have time to fully blend on the way to work. We’re shifting our routines to keep our skin strong and protected from the get-go, so when the first snowfall hits (which, let’s be honest, will be in the next six weeks), our skin will be prepared.

Now that we’ve gotten through the setting-the-stage/picture-painting part of this article (which I hope you read and didn’t scroll through because I actually think I did a good job capturing the September vibe), here’s a simple guide for adjusting your skincare routine for fall:

Hydration, meet exfoliation

It’s no secret that Alberta is notorious for its dryness. As the weather gets colder, windier, and less humid, you may notice an increase in skin inflammation, dehydration, and dullness. This is due to the surface-level blood vessels of our skin constricting (less blood flow = less glow) and a decrease in cell turnover. Our skin needs a little support with adapting to the environmental changes, which is where fall skincare comes in.

Switch to a milk cleanser:

Milk cleansers are a fairly universal option for most skin types because they are both gentle and hydrating.

If you tend to have oily skin, a milk cleanser like Lait S.R. will keep your skin from feeling tight as you incorporate more sebum-regulating/acne treatment products.

Dry skin also benefits from the natural emulsion of oil/fats and water that milk
cleansers like Lait Dermo-S are made of, effectively cleansing of dirt, makeup, grime, etc. without further drying out the skin.

For extremely irritated, enflamed, and acne-prone skin,
Nuori Protect+ Cleansing Milk provides a more minimalist and fragrance-free option.

Incorporate regular exfoliation (within reason):

Mechanical and chemical exfoliants both aim to remove dead skin cells while promoting cell turnover. Ultimately, you know your skin best- and one exfoliant may be more effective in your routine over the other.

Mechanical exfoliants address oily and blemish-prone skin by gently buffing away dead skin cells, removing excess sebum, and promoting blood circulation (aka, glow). Using a product like Furtuna’s Triple Active Exfoliator can help regenerate, resurface and retexturize skin gently. This exfoliant uses olive oil to soothe, antioxidant-packed olive leaf water to purify and protect, and olive pit powder to buff away dead skin. Not a fan of olives? Try the Cleansing Complex Polish by iS Clinical, which uses microparticles of Cellulose and Jojoba combined with powerful botanical extracts and Salicylic Acid to provide both physical and biochemical exfoliation. What’s biochemical exfoliation you ask? Read on 👇🏾

Chemical exfoliants are your AHAs/BHAs/PHAs and other acids that eat away dead skin cells without having to excessively touch your skin. They work really well with the more sensitive and acne-prone skin because they can be anti-inflammatory and soothing while still addressing clogged pores. My personal favorite (especially when I’ve been on Accutane or more aggressive topicals) is the Aquafolia Enzymatic Step 1 and 2. The two-product system uses gentle enzymatic exfoliation to brighten the complexion, refine skin texture, and brighten complexion without stimulating secretions (read: breakouts) and micro-lesions.

awkwardly climbs onto my SPF high horse because

SUNSCREEN IS A MUST

Listen. I don’t care if you’ve never been sunburnt before, or that you want to keep your tan well into December. Melanoma is just not cool. UV exposure is cumulative, and whether or not you’ve spent the summer on a beach or not, continuing to wear SPF will protect you from the UV rays.

Tinted sunscreens are great for a sheer layer of coverage while also priming your face for makeup, TiZO3 Facial Primer Tinted Sunscreen SPF40 is a great option for oily skin because of the matte finish you get on application. Acne-prone skin can benefit from Elta MD UV Clear Tinted Broad-Spectrum SPF46 as it contains niacinamide (vitamin B3), hyaluronic acid and lactic acid; ingredients that promote the appearance of healthy-looking skin.

Serum Sunscreens provide a beautiful texture to the skin for that no-makeup-makeup finish while still giving SPF protection. The Coola Dew Good Illuminating Serum Sunscreen SPF30 uses probiotics to improve moisture retention while mitigating the effects of blue light, pollution, and other environmental stressors with BlueScreen™ Digital De-Stress™ technology. Similarly, the Ava Isa Sun-è-Drops SPF35 incorporate Micah to give a radiant glow without coming across as oily. Micah has been clinically proven to reduce the adverse effects of Blue Light and has been shown to prevent free radicals before they are created.

Armed with three reasonable, doable, and sustainable ways to keep your skin hydrated and protected, I can only hope that you click out of this tab with confidence that your skin will end 2024 looking and feeling positively radiant. If you’ve made it this far, I hope you’ve enjoyed reading, and want to sincerely thank you with a one-time promo code (THECOZYISSUE) for 10% off any of the products (excluding Biologique Recherche) mentioned in this article.

Your skin is gonna love me…

Xoxo, Maiyah