When the temperature starts to plummet in the UK and the dark nights make us feel down, lots of us turn to the bright slopes for some invigorating skiing and equally intoxicating apres-ski to make us feel alive and stimulated.
Lots of extra fresh air and exercise really gets the heart pumping and feeling great. What’s not so great is how our skin gets damaged and our muscles ache after long periods spent with knees bent and arms tensed.
Drying winds on your skin as you’re schussing down the slopes is all down to the lack of humidity in the air at the higher altitudes. Plus most of us don’t reach those speeds even when running for the train or tube on our daily commute and we’re not used to the wind against our skin! So our skin loses lots more moisture than normally. And while the wind is drying our skin, it’s also stealing elasticity as well, which is why skin feels tighter than it usually does. Adding to the outdoor inflicted damage is when we get in front of the fire in the chalet or bar and then expose our poor faces and hands to uber heat to help us thaw out quickly!
It’s so important to give skin much more care and attention in preparation for the slopes and for its recovery afterwards.
So it’s key to start your day with a good hydrating moisturiser on your face to lock in moisture. And don’t forget your lips at this stage too. Lips can easily be the most damaged part of the face if you’re prone to licking them if you’re concentrating on a tricky slope or section of the mountain.
For guys who are not thinking of growing a beard whilst out on the slopes, investing the time into post shave moisturising will really help reduce the redness from heightened sensitive skin to combat shaving rash or electric razor burns and keep cheeks soft and smooth.
As most of your body is wrapped up warmer than an eskimo, the only other area of your skin that gets exposure is your hands and these can easily become cracked and sore and make gripping poles more difficult – so extra care for the pinkies is essential!
When you’ve finished on the slopes and start thinking about the Apres Ski, then turn your attention first to your skin and only afterwards to your taste buds and the bar.
Post ski back at your hotel or chalet, is a great time to feel pampered and enjoy relaxing scents. Having a body moisturiser that smells and feels great to smother over your body will help you feel you again, but even better is to have a product that can actively soothe and revive those aching tired muscles too and Linoleic acid is a key ingredient in helping muscles to relax get you fit for evening fun.
Evening facial care to feed and nourish skin with products containing Sapogens to soften the skin after the harsh cold and winds of the day is the perfect way to end the day.
At the end of your fantastic skiing when you arrive home, your skin wants to look like a ripe peach and not a wizended up prune, so make sure you look after it well and have lots of fun.
