You already know you need to change your wardrobe to deal with a change in weather. When it’s hot, you shed the sweaters, jeans, and trousers for something lighter. When the cold hits, out come the fuzzy sweaters, jackets, and cute scarves, along with gloves and hats. The same goes for food choices. In the summertime, more big salads hit the table. In the winter, soothing soups are a more likely choice.

What you may not know is that your climate, as well as the season, can change what your skin needs, and how you care for it, too. That’s because changes in temperature, humidity, wind, and pollution can make some skin conditions worse (while improving others) and even cause unexpected changes.

Here’s how your climate is affecting your most visible organ (your skin) and how to give it the tender loving care it deserves.

Skin Care For Your Climate

If You Live in a Hot Climate

You know how butter melts on a hot summer day? Well, you can think of your skin’s natural oils like that butter. As it gets warmer, the oil becomes more liquid and can run, leaving behind a shiny trail. If you’re wearing makeup, that can also run. And of course, all that gooey oil can lead to more frequent breakouts.

Because of the increased appearance of oil, you may be tempted to use harsher cleansers to clear it away, but that can make the situation worse by drying out your skin, prompting it to produce more oil, which is more likely to run.

So, if it’s hot, continue using a gentle cleanser—preferably a gel or foam cleanser unless you naturally suffer from dry skin. Also, use a light-weight moisturizer or serum that helps your skin glow rather than something that’s heavy and makes you feel like you’re starting to droop.

You may also want to keep oil-blotting sheets handy to remove some of the excess oil throughout the day to look less shiny. While it should go without saying that if you’re going to be out soaking up that hot sun, make sure you avoid getting burned to protect against skin-aging and damage.

Finally, watch out for heat rash, which can occur if sweat ducts are blocked and moisture is trapped under the skin. This can lead to a rash made up of blisters or red bumps. It usually goes away within a few days, but it can be uncomfortable and even painful. (If it doesn’t go away, is very painful, leads to fever or chills, or looks like it’s filling with pus, please seek the help of your doctor.)

If You Live in a Dewy Climate

If you live in an area where the climate is damp but not sunny and hot (like San Francisco Bay, Washington state, and Northern Oregon), you probably naturally have beautiful skin. Why? Because the moisture in the air keeps your skin wonderfully hydrated, and the lack of sun intensity means you’ll likely experience less sun damage.

A daily cleanser for your skin type, a good sunscreen, and a quality age-defying serum will help your skin continue to look soft, smooth, and young for longer.

If You Live in a Hot and Humid Climate

If you live in this type of climate, you may wonder if you’re melting—especially if you’re just visiting. You hop out of the shower and dry off, only to feel like you need to dry off again. Is it the humidity, or did you already start sweating again?

Luckily, even if it does make you sweat more than usual, this type of climate is typically gentle on the skin. Steer clear of harsh chemicals and cleansers as they can make your skin produce more oil. And if you’re addicted to air conditioning (who could blame you?), you may need to increase the amount of moisturizer you use. While cooling the air, AC also reduces the humidity, which can dry out your skin.

If You Live in a Dry Climate

The lack of moisture in the air can cause some serious damage to your fragile skin. The skin can quickly become dry, flaky, and dull. The dryness makes it difficult for products to penetrate the skin, so makeup doesn’t behave as well.

What to do? First, make sure you have a regular (that is weekly, not daily) exfoliation routine to loosen dead skin and help fight dry patches. You can use an exfoliating cleanser or device, and afterward, make sure you moisturize—lots! It’s also a good idea to find a facial mist you love to provide regular spritzes to your face (which is also really refreshing on a hot, dry day) and use a deeply hydrating face mask.

You may want to add a humidifier to your house—or at least your bedroom, presumably where you spend the most time. (Just remember to keep up with the maintenance and cleaning of your humidifier, which can quickly become a hot bed for potentially dangerous microbes.)

And if your skin does become dry, try to wash it no more than twice a day, max. More than that can dry out the skin, which makes it produce more oil to compensate…and pop—here comes the acne.

If You Live in a Dry and Hot Climate

When it comes to keeping skin looking its best, one of the hardest climates is when it’s both dry and hot. (Think Phoenix, or Sedona, Arizona, for example). The hot, dry weather can lead to both more wrinkles and to lines being more apparent. Nice, right? And when the air conditioning is running, it can remove even more humidity.

Add an easy-to-clean humidifier to your home to help and then remember to exfoliate weekly, use a gentle, mild cleanser, and moisturize regularly with a lighter product that contains hyaluronic acid during the day. You may also want to use a heavier moisturizer at night while you’re sleeping if your skin is feeling dry. Misting sprays and masks that hydrate can also help keep the skin balanced.

If You Live in a Cold Climate

Cold temperatures are often combined with lower humidity, so your skin is quickly stripped of moisture, leaving you dry, rough, and itchy. How can you keep your skin soft, supple, and nourished? Try a creamy or milky cleanser instead of one that’s a gel or foam. The lighter cleanser will help remove the dirt and other impurities without removing the lipids the skin needs.

Follow that up with a moisturizer that provides hyaluronic acid and squalene like Ageless Glow® to lock in that moisture. You may even want to add an oil like argan to help protect against the harsh weather.

If You Live in a Cold and Windy Climate

If you live in a climate that gets cold and windy, you are likely familiar with the wind-chill factor. Wind-chill is based on how quickly heat is lost from exposed skin, so if it’s cold and windy, it feels colder than the temperature gauge suggests.

It also means your skin is exposed to a harsher environment. If you’re stepping outside, your skin can quickly start to feel tight, cracked, and dry, and it can look red and rough and start to peel. Start by covering your skin as much as possible. Wear your scarf, hat, and gloves whenever you go out.

This is also when your skin will likely benefit from a thicker, creamier moisturizer to help lock moisture into the skin and prevent it from drying out the minute you step out your door. If you live in a frigid, windy climate, look for a product that’s specifically designed to protect against the cold by supporting the natural oils in your skin.

Don’t just focus on your face—you’ll want to make sure the rest of your skin is well taken care of too. While it’s hard to resist, avoid a long, hot shower or bath, which can dry out the skin even more. Avoid showering more than once a day and keep your bath or shower to under 10 minutes. Again, use a gentle, hydrating cleanser instead of soap. After you bathe, grab your favorite body butter or lotion and slather away. Don’t forget to carry hand lotion with you to re-apply throughout the day after you wash your hands.

If You Live in a High Pollution Climate

While not exactly a climate condition, if you live in a big, happening city, you may also be experiencing more rapid skin aging due to increased free radical damage from harmful gases, dirt particles, and chemicals. Pollution can also degrade collagen and lipids within the skin, accumulate on the skin, and clog pores. All of this damage can lead to the faster development of wrinkles and brown spots. Lovely.

You could choose to move to Cheyenne, Wyoming, or Farmington, New Mexico, as these are two of the cleanest cities in the U.S., but if you love the big-city life or live in an area that has higher pollution from time to time, it’s probably easier and more economically feasible to give your skin some extra TLC where you are.

That starts with a good cleanser to remove the impurities followed by a broad-spectrum sunscreen and a good quality, nourishing anti-aging skin serum. One of our absolute favorites is Ageless Glow®. It’s light, so it’s perfect for daily use, and it’s formulated to combat all those visible signs of aging like wrinkles, age spots, and signs of photoaging. It also helps improve the appearance of the skin, so it looks firmer, tighter, brighter, and smoother.

If your skin is starting to look dull and unhealthy, Ageless Bright provides seven skin-nourishing ingredients to help reveal a brighter complexion, fade the appearance of dark spots, and help you look smoother, younger, and healthier.

There Are Big Changes in the Weather

Many folks live in areas where the weather is relatively consistent. There aren’t many changes from season to season. In other areas, there can be considerable shifts in the weather. In some areas, the weather can swing from 0 to 10°F in the winter and rise to the 80s and 90s (or more) in the summer. And with these shifts should come changes in your skincare routine.

Many skin-care experts recommend changing your skincare routines whenever you change your clocks for daylight savings time. That way, your skin can start adapting even before your clothing has to. So, for example, you would use heavier creams as you prepare for the colder fall and winter weather, and then switch to lighter serums or lotions as you spring into summer.

Skincare Regimen Tips for ALL Climates

If you want to look younger and healthier, it doesn’t matter where you live: taking care of your skin is a must. For healthier skin in any climate:

• Drink plenty of water to hydrate from the inside.
• Make sure you don’t wash your face with water that’s too hot (which can dry out your skin) or too cold (which prevents pores from opening). Lukewarm or tepid water is considered best for washing your face.
• Use a cleansing product that’s right for your skin. Avoid soap-based cleansers, which can remove natural oils and leave skin feeling dry and irritated. Foaming washes are good for oily skin, but dryer skin likely will respond better to a cream or milky cleanser.
• Use your skin routine to give your face and neck a mini-massage. By rubbing in using circular motions, you can help stimulate blood flow and encourage the removal of waste, helping the skin look plumped up and younger. (Plus, it just feels good.)
• Make sure you use a clean, soft washcloth or just your fingers. This will help you avoid moisture-loving bacteria or irritation from a cloth that could be cleaner or softer.
• Protect against free-radical damage with a healthy, natural sunscreen.
• Exercise regularly—even if you’re just starting out with a daily walk—as exercise improves blood and oxygen circulation and skin health and may even stop or reverse skin aging.
• Eat a healthy, nutrient-dense, primarily whole-food diet that provides plenty of omega-3 fatty acids, carotenoids, phytonutrients, and vitamins like C and E from a rainbow of vegetables and fruits.
• Use a quality bioavailable multivitamin to help make up for any nutritional gaps in your diet to support healthy skin, eyes, and brain function and support a healthy stress response.
• Add a collagen product to your daily routine: Ageless Multi-Collagen Protein Powder™ provides five essential types of collagen to powerfully support healthy skin, hair, and nails. Plus, it’s tasteless, odorless, and mixes easily in just about any liquid (hot or cold). Ageless Beauty Collagen™ provides five grams of hydrolyzed collagen peptides to support beauty from within for smooth, radiant skin, hair, and nails. The delicious fruit punch powder—with no sugar or artificial sweeteners, flavors, colors, or preservatives—is perfect on its own or mixed in with your favorite smoothie.
• Provide your body with plenty of anti-aging antioxidants, like turmeric extract, ashwagandha extract, glutathione, CoQ10, and vitamin C, as found in Ageless Body® to promote skin and joint health.
• Use a quality face and eye serum or cream like Ageless Glow®, which provides antioxidants and skin-rejuvenating botanicals to protect this most delicate skin, and apply it day and night, so it has plenty of time to soothe and nourish the skin.
• If you wear makeup, remove it before you go to bed every night.
• Sleep on a silk or satin pillowcase to help protect against wrinkles.
• If you’ll be traveling to another climate, switch up your skincare routine for that climate before you leave to help prepare your skin for the shock.