Five Experts Share How to Support Skin, Hair and Body Health Through Winter

As colder weather moves in, darker evenings and lower temperatures can make self-care feel harder to keep up with. That is what makes a recent wave of new books from some of British Vogue’s favourite hair, beauty and wellbeing experts especially well timed.

In Flawless, dermatologist Dr Sam Bunting draws on 15 years of experience, including her Harley Street clinic and her own product line, to explain how to support skin that may be becoming dry and dehydrated. For a flaky scalp, trichologist Anabel Kingsley offers guidance in Haircare: The Ultimate Guide on how to reduce dandruff. And for readers looking for a seasonal fragrance, award-winning fragrance journalist Alice du Parcq’s Philosophy of Perfume provides plenty of inspiration.

Internal wellbeing matters just as much at this time of year. Nutritionist and British Vogue contributor Rose Ferguson’s The Reset sets out a four-week plan designed to help bodies affected by stress or poor nutrition.

Below are key ideas from the experts’ forthcoming books to help you look and feel your best through the colder months and beyond.

Finding your ideal skin feel

Skin is highly personal, and one person’s perfect winter moisturiser may not suit someone else at all. Bunting avoids naming specific products for that reason. Instead, she focuses on how to build a reliable skincare routine and explains what different ingredients actually do. Her most useful advice for this season is to choose products that help create the skin finish you want. If a silky feel is the goal, she recommends looking for moisturising squalane and smoothing dimethicone. She also praises emollients such as ceramides, which help support the skin barrier, and humectants like hyaluronic acid and glycerin, which draw water into the skin. Together, they help keep skin hydrated and comfortable as the weather changes.

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Flawless: Your Ultimate Guide to Bright, Clear Skin by Dr Sam Bunting

Warding off a snowy scalp

“Winter tends to be a bad time for dandruff sufferers,” Kingsley writes in her book. Cold weather often brings less frequent hair washing, more stress, increased hat wearing and a rise in sugary, processed foods, all of which can contribute to dandruff. A common misunderstanding is that dandruff comes from a dry scalp, so it is easy to assume that washing less in colder weather may help. In fact, Kingsley explains, dandruff is linked to an oily scalp, which is why she recommends anti-dandruff shampoo and washing as regularly as possible, even for coarse or coily hair.

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Haircare: The Ultimate Guide by Anabel Rose Kingsley

Switching up your scent for a new season

The Philosophy of Perfume ends with 13 tips for building a “scent wardrobe.” One of du Parcq’s main suggestions is to have a clear scent idea in mind when shopping, whether that means “an energising citrus” for the office or “a luscious solar floral” for a milestone holiday celebration. For autumn especially, warmer, cosier and smokier fragrance families come to the fore. Vanilla, clove and amber can give skin and clothing a rich, enveloping warmth. Du Parcq argues that no scent idea is too unusual, recalling a time she helped direct someone looking for a roast potato-scented spritz to perfumer Sarah McCartney.

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The Philosophy of Perfume by Alice du Parcq

Eating to boost energy

Rose Ferguson’s The Reset includes a range of nutritious recipes for anyone not ready to commit to the full four-week plan. With autumn and winter often bringing lower vitamin D and iron levels, her green frittata is especially suited to the colder months. It includes eggs, broccoli florets, asparagus, kale, peas and thyme, and it is also quick to make. Ferguson suggests whisking the eggs and vegetables together in a bowl, pouring the mixture into a frying pan over medium heat and cooking until nearly set. The pan then goes into an oven preheated to 180C for 8 to 12 minutes.

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The Reset: The 4 Week Plan to Feel Better Than Ever by Rose Ferguson

Keeping strong when it’s cold out

Few people feel like exercising after a long workday when it is dark outside, but Dr Federica Amati says mindful movement, enough protein and seven to nine hours of sleep are important ways to counter fatigue, weakness, poor recovery, aches, low mood and a slowing metabolism. She also recommends simple habits such as walking every day, easing stress by taking short breaks and checking in on strength, from grip to how easily you can rise from a chair.

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