Cold comfort (or, choosing the right soap for winter skincare)

That trusty little bar of soap you always use? It may just be making things worse for your skin in winter. It’s true. Like everything we put on our skin, even soap needs to be the right one for each season. 

Soap reacts with and affects skin differently in different seasons, and choosing the right soap for winter can make all the difference to how supple it stays through the season.

How to win at winter

Whether it gets cold where you live, or winter passes by with no more than a slight dip in temperatures, the fact is that the air becomes noticeably drier in this season, leaving skin feeling dry, taut and rough.

And if that isn’t enough, with the weather turning cooler, we end up drinking less water, depriving our skin of hydration even further.

Which is why the soap we use has its job cut out during these months. 

To choose a soap that’s up for the job, look out for these ingredients.

Rose: Rose essence and extracts are a winter must-have for a reason: they help restore skin’s pH balance while softening and hydrating it. Also, the fragrance - what’s not to love?

Glutathione - Gluta-who?? Yes, it’s mouthful, but it’s no slacker on the job. For softening the skin and restoring its natural glow, glutathione is perhaps the most widely used active ingredient today. Produced naturally by the body, it protects from oxidative damage and helps build and repair skin. Little wonder then, that a soap rich in glutathione can help maintain its optimal level in skin.

Orange Peel -  Did you know that orange peels have a higher concentration of Vitamin C than oranges themselves? Packed with skin-health-promoting nutrients, and extracts of orange peel in soap help lighten, brighten, and revitalize the skin.

Goat’s Milk - With a high concentration of natural fatty acids, pure goat’s milk in soap is a potent moisturiser that mends the skin barrier effectively. It also is rich in lactic acid which provides gentle cleansing and exfoliating action, while its probiotic and vitamin content makes it a miracle hydrator. It leaves skin fresh, smooth, healthy and supple. Undeniably, the G.O.A.T.

1. Glycerin - Apart from the fab four, there is also the old faithful - Glycerin. A humectant - meaning it has the ability to attract humidity to itself - glycerin in soap keeps skin plump and hydrated through the driest of seasons.

Get your hands on soaps loaded with these wonder ingredients, stay away from overly fragranced products, remember to stay hydrated, and your skin will be all set to tide through winter looking and feeling its best.