Top 8 Natural Skin Care Routines For Autumn

By Theresa Harding (updated 11/22/20)

Of all the seasons, perhaps the most romanticized and hotly anticipated is Autumn. If you want to know some natural remedies for an Autumn skincare routine, keep reading, as I will share some tips that will help solve your skin issues.  The change in seasons, especially from summer to winter can bring us many skin challenges.    I discuss more about winter skin care in this blog post.  We expect orange-hued days spent snuggled under a blanket, and we look forward to wearing our favorite jumpers once again.

What may look pretty in a picture often doesn’t bode well for our skin. With a sharp drop in temperature making us switch on the heating, the autumn weather can wreak havoc on any skin type. Here are my top natural remedies for autumn skincare:

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Is Exfoliation Necessary?

I always knew when I needed to exfoliate my skin because I’d see what looked like dead skin that would appear on my skin immediately after I’d step out of the shower and dry off. Post-summer skin looks dehydrated and shallow, and exfoliation is extremely important as it gets rid of the dead damaged cells.

This step will prepare the skin to absorb more moisture and nutrition.  You could go for professional exfoliation methods such as peeling.  Sensitive acne-prone skin needs professional chemical peeling whereas normal to dry skin types do well with dermabrasion.

You can have home treatments with products that contain light peeling properties such as those which include Alpha Hydroxy Acids, Glucosamine, Retinol, or Retinoids. These products allow daily skin renewal, and fresh younger skin is seen.

Skin Care vs. Moisturizing

Hot summer causes dehydration, and thereby wrinkles and fine lines appear on the skin. So, it’s important to really take a look at your skincare products when choosing a skin care routine for autumn. The moisture lost needs to be properly replenished, before the onset of winter. Moisturize at least twice daily after cleansing.

Dry, normal, and combination skin types may use a light oil-free liquid or gel moisturizer. For drier skin types, choose a thicker cream-based moisturizer meant for dry skin.  You’ll also want to consider following a skincare treatment for dry skin to specifically address your dry skin issues.  If you have combination skin, you’ll want to follow a skincare routine for combination skin. 

Along with your facial skin, you need to take care of your body such as supporting your liver with bitter greens and clean foods without toxic ingredients, processed refined sugar, and processed foods.  Be sure to take short warm baths and apply moisturizer to your damp skin.

Skin Care Treatments

Skin Care Treatments

Intensive skin treatments come in the form of serums or concentrated emulsions and should be done on the damaged skin once or twice a year. Your skincare natural products that contain Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Flavonoids, and Retinoid (Synthetic Vitamin A) are good treatments to reverse sun damage and improve skin tone. Some moisturizers also come with Vitamins.

For a better effect use both – apply serum under the moisturizer either twice daily or as a night repair treatment. You can also go for at-home treatments using masks and packs. Skin lightening treatments are very popular during Fall. In using masks, you need to exfoliate your skin (Do not exfoliate more than twice a week) and prepare it for treatment.

Skin and Sun

There’s a lot of confusion about the skin and sun where protection is a concern.  The major difference is the duration of time it takes to be exposed to the sun so that your skin can produce vitamin D without the use of supplementing.  The safe times to take advantage of the sun time is between 10am and 3pm.

Outside those times are not the best time to sunbathe because the dangerous UVB rays are strongest and should be avoided to prevent sunburn.  UVA sunrays do not cause sunburn but may penetrate into the deeper layers of the skin and should be avoid for prolonged periods of time.  Although the autumn sun is not as strong as it was in summer, it is still necessary for you to use your sunscreen regularly. You can find some skincare products that contain sunscreen. A sunscreen with SPF of at least 15 is required in autumn.

Patch dryness, eczema and psoriasis, seborrhea, and pityriasis rosacea can start to flare. Even oily skin needs a moisturizer to keep oil production at bay, so use oil-free liquid moisturizers. If you have “sun spots” on your skin because of sun exposure from the previous summer, you can try exfoliation and whitening treatments. However, do consult your dermatologist before undergoing any treatment.

Seek out shaded areas and stay out of direct sunlight to prevent harmful UVA and UVB rays from damaging your skin. Shaded areas will also be cooler, reducing the need for your body to cool itself by sweating.

You can read more about the sun and skin care to protect your skin and safely get vitamin D without risking your skin health.

Skin Care and Diet

Summer means dehydration and therefore more water intake for replenishing the moisture lost, but that should not change once the temperatures drop. In fact, you should continue to drink at least eight glasses of water a day throughout the year, irrespective of seasonal changes.

This will help you to flush out the body toxins better thereby ensuring problem-free skin. Fall is a season when fresh fruit and vegetables abound, so you can include Pears, Leeks, Pumpkins, Sweetcorn, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrots, Blackberries, Grapes, Plums and Raspberries to provide Vitamins C, B, E and A, Iron, Zinc, Calcium, Potassium, Bioflavonoids, Omega-3 Fatty acids etc.

Wear Light, Loose and Breathable Clothing

Light, Loose Clothing

I’ve noticed that most blue and black colored pants cause dark spots to appear on my legs. So, I try to wear more light-colored pants to prevent dark spots from appearing. Wearing natural, tightly woven fabrics in light colors will keep you comfortable, protect your skin, and reflect the light.

Avoid synthetic, man-made fabrics like polyester and nylon as these materials don’t allow moisture to effectively evaporate, causing irritation and discomfort to your skin and allowing the bacteria that can lead to spots to breed freely.

Skin Care and Face Masks

If you must wear a face mask at any time, skincare and masks don’t go hand-in-hand, unfortunately.  The friction on your face may cause irritated and sensitive skin.  Everyone has different skincare needs so all face masks aren’t the same. 

Check the material of the mask you consider to wear and make sure that the material will not irritate your skin, causing breakouts or rashes and skin redness.   Also note that some mask materials with different colors and other added designs might not be healthy for your skin, especially if the mask has color dyes that can irritate your skin.

This is the time to really assess what materials you’re placing against your skin for long periods of time.

To prevent developing skin problems, be sure to add a Face Balm or serum prior to wearing the mask.  After removing the mask when you arrive home from work or shopping, wash your face with a gentle face cleanser of your choice.  Apply a clay face mask on your face for a skin detox to pamper yourself on your day off.  Remember that skincare is self-care and relaxation for a spa moment.

 If your ears get irritated from the straps of the mask, place tissue or cotton balls behind your ears where the band sits against your ears and that may help prevent irritation.  Many people are not in the habit of cleaning their masks often and that is key to helping prevent face irritations.

Clean your mask daily and change it often, even if it means taking 3 or 4 masks to work with you and changing them out throughout the day to keep down the skin irritation.  Moisturize your skin whenever it feels your mask might have absorbed the moisture from your face. 

The best color to choose is a white mask which will allow you to see the dirt on the surface.  The ability to see the dirt on the surface of the mask allows you to see that it’s time to replace the mask because of the dirt collected on it.  Sometimes we don’t realize the level of dirt and germs that can collect on the surface of our mask, as we unconsciously touch it to make adjustments to it repeatedly, so the white color will help you see it.

Pamper your skin as needed!  You may read this article for further reading about how to protect your skin from mask irritation.

Use a face cleanser that has natural and gentle ingredients for the face.  I love using food-based ingredients in my face wash.  Follow-up with a toner if you prefer and moisturizer.  During the Autumn season, a heavier moisturizer may be needed, so change face cleaners and moisturizers to accommodate the colder temperatures which can dry out your skin much faster.

My favorite face cleanser is the citrus face cleanser and cream moisturizer.  I enjoy using apple cider vinegar mixed with equal parts water as a toner, or I use witch hazel mixed with rose water hydrosol.  Then I follow-up my rosehip seed oil or pomegranate seed oil as a moisturizer, as it’s a great anti-inflammatory oil with vitamin A and C.

 How Sleep Can Affect Your Skin

Sleep is an essential component of natural skincare. A lack of sleep can have a significantly adverse effect on our general health increasing the risk of developing illnesses like diabetes or heart disease and also mental health problems such as depression and anxiety.

Sleep deprivation, even just for one night, can have a real impact on the skin too, causing you to be more prone to the premature signs of aging and increase the likelihood of breakouts. Sleep and skin aging can present themselves if there is a lack of sleep long-term. 

When we are sleeping, our skin cells have the opportunity to regenerate, restore, and renew, giving us a beautiful glow in the morning.  When there’s stress in the body, it can show in our skin.  If you feel you suffer from insomnia, find out why you can’t sleep at night.  Is it worry?  Anxiety?  A great amount of stress? 

Whatever skin care routine you choose, it’s best to address the issue and find ways to adapt a night-time ritual to help you get off to sleep for the night and wake feeling rested.  Try your best to remove any underlying issues that may be keeping you up at night so that you can get your body into that parasympathetic state of rest and digest, for the night.  No skincare products will give you the most benefits if you are sleep-deprived. So, sleep well!

What remedy works best for your skin during the Autumn season?

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References and Resources

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18348449/

https://draxe.com/nutrition/vitamin-dbenefits

https://www.self.com/story/mask-acne

https://twigandarrowsalon.com/5naturalskincaretreatments

https://www.sleep.org/how-sleep-improves-your-skin/