If you’ve ever wondered why your skin seems to have a personality of its own—soft and supple one month, dull and dry the next—you’re not imagining it. Your skin’s barrier is like a living, breathing coat of armor, constantly adjusting to the world around it.

And like us, it doesn’t love change.

That thin layer of lipids, ceramides, and healthy bacteria that keeps moisture in and irritants out (your barrier) reacts to everything from humidity levels to UV exposure. When the weather swings, your skin has to recalibrate—and sometimes it struggles to keep up.

Let’s take a walk through the seasons and see what your skin’s telling you.

Winter: The Season of Tightness and Flakes

You know that feeling when you step out into cold air and your cheeks sting? That’s your barrier crying out for help. Winter’s dry, cold air—and all that indoor heating—pulls water right out of your skin. Dermatologists call it transepidermal water loss (TEWL), but you know it as that tight, itchy, “nothing feels moisturizing enough” kind of skin. During Winter months you turn on your furnace. If you used forced air–there’s nothing that will dry out the skin faster! That’s why you should add an extra layer of moisturizer at night. If you’re waking up and your skin is feeling dry and dehydrated, you’re not getting enough moisture on your skin before you head to bed!

In Colorado, we see it happen every year. Our customers flood the store asking what will help with their dry, irritated, red skin. The environment here is so harsh with the high altitude, sun and environmental elements especially during the winter months. I always recommend layering their moisturizers during this time. It’s important to get a combination of ingredients–both water based and oil based on your skin during this time. Water based ingredients will rehydrate the skin and oil based will soften the lipid barrier.

What helps:
Reach for richer formulas that mimic what your barrier’s missing: lipids and humectants. Think Barrier Defense Serum, coupled with Face Cream and even Beauty Balm. The combination of the three moisturizers will help draw moisture into the skin, hydrate and moisturize the lipid barrier (the outer layer of your skin) and prevent TEWL. ALSO!!!! It’s worth mentioning time and again, that it is SUPER IMPORTANT to use sunscreen in the winter time. The suns rays reflect off the snow and you can easily burn. So, please, don’t forget the sunscreen! We are loving the new Sunscreen Serum we got in from Think! It’s lightweight and works great! You don’t even feel like you’re wearing sunscreen–it feels more like skincare!

Spring: The Reawakening (and the Sneezing)

As the air softens and moisture returns, your skin can finally exhale—but all that pollen, wind, and fluctuating temps can stir up inflammation. Suddenly your barrier shifts from “help me hydrate” to “help me protect.” Dry climates like Colorado tend to have more dust in the air also. The dust, pollen and pollutants that are in the air want to settle in your pores, which is why you can see more breakouts, black heads, etc come spring. Think about creams as a protective layer on the skin that helps pollutants “bounce” off skin. Ingredients like butters, jojoba oil, pumpkin seed oil and candelilla wax can help offer that barrier for your skin.

My favorite combination when spring comes is our Barrier Defense Serum and Beauty Balm. These two products help strengthen my skin while reducing redness from allergens and irritants.

What helps:
Simplify your routine. Gentle foaming cleansers, emulsified creams, and barrier-supporting serums help your skin find its spring rhythm again.

Summer: Sweat, Sun, and (Sometimes) Breakouts

Ah, summer—the season your skin loves and hates at once. The warmth ramps up oil production, while sunscreen, salt, and chlorine can leave your barrier overwhelmed. Too much sun also breaks down the lipids that keep it strong, leading to dehydration under the surface even if you feel oily. I spend a lot of time in the great outdoors like many people and all the outdoor activity makes me sweat more. Sweat leaves bacteria on the skin and sometimes that can be the underlying cause for those occasional breakouts we see in the summer. Don’t worry, I have a secret weapon that I’ll share with you that helps mitigate breakouts and most of the time prevent them before they occur. It’s a combination of Clean Sweep Toner and Exfoliate + Glow Skin Tonic. I always make Clean Sweep pads to have in my car, my gym bag, my golf bag, etc… They are ALWAYS with me in the summer. I take a 4oz jar, some cotton pads and pour Clean Sweep Toner over the top and allow the pads to soak. Now, you have an awesome sweat-busting, cleansing pad on the go! It’s my secret weapon for summer! Exfoliate + Glow is an AHA Botanical Skin Tonic. You’re probably like “What the heck is that?” AHA is Alpha Hydroxy Acid, which is a secret ingredient that helps dissolve dead skin. Your body sheds roughly 30,000 skin cells a day. That’s a lot. Over time that build up can trap pockets of oil under it and cause breakouts. So, it’s important to exfoliate one or two times a week to help keep the skin functioning properly. This awesome tonic also helps absorb excess oil. So, if you feel a breakout coming on, mist a little on a cotton pad and hold it over the breakout area for five minutes or so. This can help curtail a breakout even before it occurs.

What helps:
Hydration over heaviness. Barrier Defense Serum (packed with hyaluronic acid) and Clean Sweep Toner can mitigate bacteria on the skin from sweat, but in a gentle way using witch hazel, not harsh ingredients. Always follow with a mineral SPF, because UV damage is the fastest way to weaken your barrier.

Pro tip: Keep a facial mist in the fridge like our Brighten + Boost Skin Tonic. A mid-day spritz can calm heat and curb that flushed, inflamed feeling.

Fall: The Quiet Transition

As the light changes and the air cools, your skin starts to feel drier—especially around your nose and mouth. This is your cue to rebuild before winter arrives. Think of it as barrier pre-season training. There is also more mold and dust in the air due to dry leaves on the ground. So, you should be more cognisant of cleansing. It’s that time of year when double cleansing is non-negotiable. I use our Cleansing Oil first, then follow with our Chamomile Foaming Face Wash. I promise you friends, if you do this routine, your skin will feel amazing!!! The Cleansing Oil is super gentle and has zero fragrance. So when you’re removing your eye makeup it comes off easily and doesn’t sting your eyes. I dare you to put a few drops on a cotton pad and swipe it over your face for a minute then look at the pad. YUK! You’ll be shocked at how much oil, dirt, pollen and pollutants it removes from your skin. Oil acts as a solvent so it grabs all that and it sticks to the pad. I always love watching customer reactions during our skincare consultations. People are always amazed by the Cleansing Oil.

What helps:
Double cleansing helps remove buildup from sunscreen, removes pollutants that are flying around during this time and helps keep your skin moisturized during the fall months. I HIGHLY recommend it!

Your Barrier, Like You, Is Always Adapting

Here’s the thing: your skin’s barrier isn’t static. It’s as alive and responsive as you are. Your skin regenerates every 30 days. Your skin shifts with your hormones, your stress, your climate, even your sleep. The key isn’t to “fix” it—it’s to listen.

Pay attention to what your skin is saying: dryness means it’s thirsty, shine means it’s protecting itself, redness means it’s asking for calm. Each season brings a new rhythm, and your skincare should flow right along with it.

xoxo
Jewels