The best winter skin treatments for party season

As the festive calendar fills with dinners, parties, and late-night celebrations, it’s easy to get tired out and dehydrated, and while we might be giving off cheery vibes our skin frequently gives away how we’re really feeling.

While winter weather strips moisture from the complexion, indoor heating dehydrates, and seasonal indulgences can leave skin looking lacklustre, the good news is that the right combination of wellbeing, professional spa treatments and home care can restore radiance and keep us glowing all season long.

Whether you’re prepping for a big night out or looking to revive tired skin, here are some of our top tips for winter skincare and spa treatments to help you feel your best.

Seasonal skin challenges: What winter does to your skin

Winter isn’t kind to the skin, and understanding the seasonal stressors helps you choose the right treatments. As Managing Director of spa product house, Tribe517, Claire Caddick said:

"I think it's always important to work on hydration, but especially going into the winter because dehydrated skin isn't a skin type, it's a skin condition. It doesn't matter if you have dry or oily skin, dehydrated skin is thirsty for water, not oil."

Dryness from cold weather and heating

It’s no secret that cold air leaves skin feeling parched and prone to flaking, and combined with the drying effects of the central heating you have a recipe for dehydration.

Dermalogica writes: "Depleted skin barriers lose critical lipids and ceramides which protect from dehydration (water loss) and prevent irritants and allergens entering the skin. Dehydrated skin becomes tight, uncomfortable and flaky, whilst skin vulnerable to irritants can become sensitised, flushed or itchy. Skin’s already prone to inflammatory skin conditions like rosacea, eczema and psoriasis can see their symptoms flare up. For others it can make skin feel unusually dry, scaly and possibly even cracked."

Dullness from the changing environment

Our skin often looks dull in winter for a number of reasons, from the minimal sunlight to the harsher weather, and even changes in humidity.

Elemis writes: "Our skin’s sebum does a wonderful job at providing a protective barrier for our skin; however, during the winter months, our bodies produce less sebum, leaving our skin more vulnerable to the elements."

Stress and late nights

The festive period brings joy, but also exhaustion, and stress hormones and disrupted sleep can trigger inflammation, breakouts, and uneven tone. Sleep really is the seventh wonder of the world, and the holiday season not only tends to disrupt our rest, but it's often compounded by higher consumption of sugar and alcohol, all of which add to dehydration, stress on the gut, and disrupting our rest. While there are a lot of things we can talk about in this category, the headline is that none of this does us any good.

The National Institutes of Health write (in sobering words): "Regular late bedtime not only damages the skin barrier and skin structure but also reduces the diversity and composition of facial bacterial microbiome."

Trending winter skin treatments for a radiant party-season glow

There’s a world of spa treatments to choose from, and all of them will work to help you feel like the best version of yourself. However, if you’re looking for a starter for 10 to get you glowing this winter, why not narrow it down to some of these trending beauties?

1. Deep hydration facials

There are lots of different types of facial out there, but at this time of year hydrating facials tick all those glowy boxes - designed to replenish the skin and strengthen its protective barrier to help it retain moisture. They plump the complexion, boost moisture retention, and give that dewy, ‘just slept 10 hours’ look.

2. LED Light therapy

LED therapies are trending for good reason. LED is a non-invasive form of skincare that not only triggers an increase in collagen but has a positive effect on the body and promotes a sense of calm and balance. At Whittlebury Park, they have a dedicated partnership between ESPA and The Light Salon where you can embrace this idea to your heart's content. Pioneers of the LED facial movement, The Light Salon offers three main treatments including Light Salon's advanced LED system, delivered in the facial bar and wearable Boost LED devices, delivered in spa treatment rooms. They're paired with both ESPA's Tri-Active™ and Active Nutrients facials, for lasting visible results to restore and boost vitality and glow, for skin that looks and feels renewed.

3. Gentle enzyme facials

Unlike aggressive peels, enzyme treatments exfoliate gently. They are used to rebalance the skin, and the ideal treatment to have 24 hours before a party. The ESPA Cellular Renewal Enzyme Facial is a tried and tested favourite, it's a powerful and highly effective facial to boost cell regeneration and give an instantly smooth, radiant complexion. The treatment is 90 minutes long and includes a deep brush cleanse followed by an intense enzyme peel containing botanical extracts and pumpkin enzymes to deeply exfoliate and remove dead skin cells.

4. Non-surgical facials

For a sculpted party-season look, microcurrent facials use low-level electrical currents to tone facial muscles. For a sculpted party-season look, non-surgical facials can be a bit of a superstar. Results can be particularly noticeable around the jawline and cheekbones. CACI are a leader in this space - their microcurrent delivers tiny electrical impulses that mirror the body’s own natural bioelectrical field. That microcurrent stimulation helps to re-educate the muscles and lift, firm and tone. It has a dramatic lifting effect on facial muscles and the contours of the face. Together with S.P.E.D microcurrent LED technology – developed for CACI’s Synergy system - it delivers dual action facial toning and skin rejuvenation using high brilliance pulsed LED light stimulation.

5. Nourishing treatments

Nourishing therapies are all about helping us feel cared for, which is something all of us need at this time of the year. Filling up that proverbial cup, think warm-oil massages, nurturing facials, and multi-step rituals that replenish mind, body, and soul. These treatments combine wellness with beauty for a holistic festive reset. A favourite at the moment is Laceby Manor's Black Soap Hammam Journey, which combines a full-body scrub, a light traditional foam massage, a rosemary and mint shampoo and scalp massage, with an olive-oil based black soap, which is super hydrating, nourishing, and healing. The treatment also contains eucalyptus and peppermint. As a whole it's amazing for helping you reset, and it's especially good for dry, flakey, dull skin.

At-home wellness to maintain your glow

Professional treatments are powerful, but you can start the feel-good-factor at home with little routines that optimise your sense of wellbeing. Here are a few top tips to help you glow.

Everyday aromatherapy

Bring aromatherapy into everyday skincare rituals to boost you emotionally as well as physically. For example, sweet orange essential oil is warming and positive, nurturing and mood boosting - you can incorporate it into your skincare or pop it on a tissue to carry it with you.

Gentle exfoliation

Exfoliating is something that can be part of our regular skincare routines, but it's important to keep it gentle. There's some debate as to how often we should exfoliate, but generally the advice seems to be no more than once a week - you may feel differently depending on your skin type. Just remember to nourish properly afterwards.

Support skin from the inside out

Of course, we all know that skin health isn't just about what we put on it, but how we nourish it from the inside. Eating plenty of seasonal foods that nourish the mind and body is a good way to keep us feeling generally good as well as giving our skin what it needs to feel its best throughout the winter. Drink plenty of water, and eat lots of delicious seasonal ingredients such as stews and soups with squashes, like butternut and pumpkin that are great for cell renewal and collagen production.

Supercharge your skincare

Winter doesn’t have to dull your sparkle. With targeted winter skincare, carefully chosen Christmas facial treatments, and supportive spa treatments, your complexion can stay bright, hydrated, and party-ready all season long.