Skin for all seasons

Sydney temperatures might remain chilly, but the days are getting longer and spring is only six weeks away.

As the warmer weather approaches, it’s time to start thinking about your spring and summer beauty regimen, local grooming experts say.

While winter is all about moisturising to stop skin drying out, the hotter months require a different approach, according to Narell McKenna-Neville, co-owner of Zen Day Spa in Darlinghurst.

People really notice a difference as they go into winter because all of a sudden their skin gets a lot drier, McKenna-Neville says.

Now that winter is about to finish, they start to shed a few clothes and their body needs the most attention.

Body exfoliations are great for that, to take off all the dead skin, and then some sort of wrap to nourish the skin as well.

Spray tans remain popular during the winter months, but as summer nears it’s wise to think about sun protection.

People should be wearing sunscreen even on cloudy days, because the sun is very ageing and you don’t notice it on cloudy days, but it’s quite strong, McKenna-Neville says.

Tiffany Ryan, a beauty therapist at Pure Botanicals healthcare centre in Newtown, agrees that taking precautions against the sun is paramount.

Ryan recommends natural sun creams and a hat.

Sun cream over the top of moisturiser is very important.

Wearing a hat is more important because you’re more exposed.

Not that warmer weather means abandoning the golden rules -“ some parts of your beauty regimen, such as regular moisturising, are crucial all year round.

You may notice that you use a slightly richer moisturiser in winter, and as the weather heats up, you may go back to a lighter one again, McKenna-Neville says.

And don’t forget that beauty products are only one element of good skincare.

McKenna-Neville says a visit to a naturopath, herbalist or massage therapist can get your body up and happening and alive again after winter.

Your skin does show signs of stress or ageing or the way that you live your life.

If you must live your life working 12 hours a day and partying the other five or six and sleeping for only a little bit, then there are things that you need to do, otherwise you will crash and burn.

Ryan says diet is equally important.

Something that might be nice for your skin coming out of winter and going into spring would be lots of green tea because of the anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatory.

A lot of people get a lot of redness in the wintertime.