Whilst the warmer months are largely blamed and associated with congested skin, especially when the air is thick with humidity and the higher temperatures leave you with layers upon layers of sweat. But what remains interesting is how acne knows no seasons. In some cases, winter breakouts are even trickier to clear up, as the colder weather irritates dry or flaky skin. Not only this but many chemicals and other harmful ingredients that supposedly treat acne, often dry the skin out further. When the skin barrier is continuously compromised as above, acne-causing bacteria becomes worse, which lands you right back into the vicious cycle.

Skincare shouldn’t be a chore. Yes, it is most certainly important, but your skincare products should be doing whatever it can to assist, not making the problem worse. It, therefore, raises the question of how to actually treat acne, without completely robbing your skin of moisture, which ultimately leads to further ageing.

Let’s take a look at the few things that will help your skin with winter breakouts:

Stick to a more gentle, less prying product

Natural is always best, which is why you should be switching your products with benzoyl peroxide (a chemical medication that is often used to treat mild to moderate acne) or witch hazel (a plant oil that is often applied directly to the skin for acne and other skin irritations) and the like, with a natural ingredient that heals and calms the skin simultaneously. Something like Tea Tree oil is a top choice if you’re looking to help clear the acne without stripping the skin of its natural oils. The benefits of Tea Tree oil come from the antifungal, antibacterial and antiviral properties making it one of the best aids for acne. It further has anti-inflammatory benefits and has the ability to soothe the skin.

Clay masks that are gentle too

Clay has the ability to effectively draw the impurities and oil from the skin. They are gentle, detoxifying and once you wash off the mask, all that gunk is washed from the pores, leaving your skin cleansed, detoxed and moisturised.

Also safe for sensitive skin, it’s no wonder it’s widely used on problematic acne-prone skin types. A clay mask, combined with potent jojoba oil, applied two to three times per week for a few weeks could reduce the number of acne lesions by an average of 54%.

Use ice

In winter? You must think we’re crazy for even suggesting this. We understand that the last thing you’d contemplate during colder weather is putting ice on your face. However, if you have especially inflamed acne, it’s a great idea to place a cube of ice to your face, post-cleansing, in order to help shrink the bump.

Ice is what they call, a vasoconstrictor in that it constricts the blood vessels in your skin which limits blood flow to the area, and retracts any inflammation present. It is, however, not a good idea to place the ice directly to your skin. Ensure that you place the ice in a towel before you place it on the skin. You could actually cause your skin even more inflammation should you shock it by exposing it to freezing temperatures by placing ice directly on the skin. You could even cause broken capillaries in the face should you not remember that towel!

Try this twice a day, and you should notice a difference in a short space of time.

Get yourself a humidifier

Some people think that you're causing further problems for the skin when you use a humidifier. This could not be further from the truth. A humidifier can actually offset the drying effects of the central heating you use in your rooms, preventing the skin from drying out. When exposed to indoor heating systems, your skin tends to overproduce sebum in order to hydrate itself, which ultimately leads to breakouts.

When your skin is exposed to climates or conditions that dehydrate the skin, a hormone in the body tells your sebaceous glands to produce more oil to compensate for the dry air. Humidifiers are designed to moisten up the air and prevent it from becoming dehydrated. Not only this, but by adding particular essential oils to the mix, you assist your body with their many health benefits too.