There are many articles out there about transitioning your skincare from summer to autumn, but autumn is all about transition. It’s a moving target and it’s prepping the world for winter, so what you need week-to-week and month-to-month throughout the season can and, if you live in a place with full-fledged seasons, will vary. Here are some quick routine swaps to try, some ingredients to look for as you do your shopping, and just some general routine tips to survive and thrive with what you currently have.

Quick Routine Swaps

A complete routine overhaul isn’t feasible for most budgets or most skin concerns, but there are some things you’ll want to be thinking about as the weather gets colder and drier and the wind gets harsher. Implement them as you see fit for wherever you live.

Add a sleeping balm or oil

Almost every article about transitional skincare will tell you to go for a thicker moisturizer, which is fair. But if you’ve got a moisturizer you’re really loving, are using the same one for AM and PM, or just can’t swing it financially, there are quicker, simpler ways to give your skin some extra protection at night. Adding an oil or sleeping balm — or both, if you’re me — lets you lean on the product you know and love while adding some extra protection between you and the dry night air. Sleeping masks are generally quite light, so this can be suitable for even more combination to oily skin, while drier skin types might want to add both or go for a more moisturizing sleeping balm. I recommend the Dear Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin E Mask for all skin types, or the IUNIK Propolis Sleeping Mask for drier skin types. As for oils, everyone has their own preference but I did really enjoy using the Chiasm Skin facial oils after my moisturizer last winter.

Switch up SPF routine

You need sunscreen all year around, but the performance characteristics you need from your sunscreen when it’s hot — aka some level of quality dry-down so it has a prayer of lasting through sweat — isn’t the same when it’s chillier. Consider adding a moisturizer in the AM if you currently don’t — it doesn’t have to be a heavy one. If you’re a SPF aficionado and don’t mind changing up what you use, try going for a more moisturizing SPF to give you some extra emollience in the morning. Personally, I’m pulling out the Hyggee Vegan Sun Cream.

Layer up the toners

I’m a firm believer in hydrating toners and “seven skins” all the time, but in colder and/or drier weather it can be a real game changer. I’ve written about my love of toners elsewhere, so here I just want to get into what to change up with your toner routine. The seven of seven skins is a pretty arbitrary number, but if you’re not yet doing seven, you might consider it. If you’re already doing seven and it’s not cutting it, you might consider adding more OR changing up what type of toner you’re using. I like layering a few different ones, and as the weather gets colder I prefer having at least one more moisturizing one. Your notion of what you consider moisturizing may vary, but I would recommend the I’m From Rice Toner of the Cosrx Propolis Synergy Toner or, if you’re feeling super dry, more of an emulsion like the Laneige Cream Skin Refiner.

Tweak your cleansing and exfoliating practice

Colder weather can be a mess for your skin barrier, and cleansing and exfoliating are the two things you do regularly that can disrupt it. I’m always a fan of a gentle cleanse and a gentle, daily exfoliant, but if you’re not doing it all the time you should definitely consider doing so as the weather shifts. A double cleanse is good year around, but start reaching for more creamy or gel cleansers rather than foaming ones for your second cleanse (I liked the Sweet Chef Oat Milk Cleanser last winter). Rather than opting for a strong exfoliant one or two times a week, try going for a gentler one you can use more regularly. PHAs and certain AHAs like lactic acid can actually be hydrating and can layer nicely under an existing skincare routine. I’ve been using the Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow PHA +BHA Pore-Tight Toner for a few months now but find that it’s still serving me well for this purpose, but you don’t need to spend a lot to find something lovely.

Ingredients Spot Check

If you’re into the “turning and learning” part of skincare internet, there are a few ingredients that you’ll want to keep your eye out for to really take your skin to the next level now.

Love ceramides

Skin barrier support is important all the time, but as mentioned above, it’s particularly important now. Ceramides are one of the best ingredients for supporting your skin barrier. You don’t need to add a ceramide-specific serum (though if you’re looking for one, my favorite is RNW Der Ceramide Concentrate Serum). CeraVe products always contain ceramides (it’s right there in the name) but many k-beauty products also tuck them in. If you’re also looking for a thicker moisturizer, I’m a particular fan of the Pyunkang Yul Ato Cream Blue Label.

Love honey and propolis

Propolis and honey and I have a long-running polyamorous love affair going on. I discovered propolis as an ingredient last autumn and never looked back, and have written about that obsession a few times. Propolis and honey are both moisturizing and wound-healing, which makes them great options to support your skin barrier. The Cosrx Propolis Synergy Toner mentioned above is a great option. This month I also busted out the I’m From Honey Mask and the Farmacy Honey Halo moisturizer to really tuck my skin into some comfort.

Avoid hyaluronic acid

Long-time readers will know that I avoid hyaluronic acid. This is because I live in a dry place (Colorado tends towards a humidity of around 30%). In colder weather, more geographies get to feel my pain. As such, you might want to avoid hyaluronic acid, too. Hyaluronic acid is a humectant that relies on ambient humidity to really provide its hydration retention benefits, and otherwise can seemingly dry you out even with an occlusive over top. Most products include it so avoiding entirely isn’t feasible, but it may be time to table the hyaluronic-acid-specific products, or shift to using them on your hair if they won’t still be good when you pull them out again in the spring.

General Skincare Tips

These are some tips that will cost you nothing and are good to do year around, but you might definitely want to consider as things get drier.

Do a damp routine

Chemistry is everywhere and we are all aqueous solutions, and doing a damp routine can help the penetration of your products. If you’re typically the sort of person who waits for each step of their skincare to dry before proceeding, you may want to think again: air can whisk away the hydration from your skin, leaving things tight and dry. Keeping your skin damp — but not wet — all the way up to your final, occlusive layer can help your skincare work harder for you.

Put on eye cream before lip balm

Chapped lips are the hallmark of cold, dry weather, and I suffered with them for years before I discovered this hack. Just like the rest of your skin loves some hydrating products before some occlusive ones, so do your lips. Putting a light, buttery eye cream on before a thicker lip balm can help that lip balm do more for your sad, chapped lips.

Rub extra product into your hands

Extra diligent hand-washing has done a number on everyone’s hands this past year and a half, and cold weather doesn’t do any favors. Rather wiping any excess product that doesn’t pat into your skin onto a towel, or rinsing it off, massage it into your hands to give them some extra love.