Keeping Your Skin Fresh Through Seasons and Transitions

The women behind Three Ships Beauty know skincare. More than just founding a successful, natural ingredient brand that works for all kinds of skin and tackles all kinds of concerns, Connie Lo and Laura Burget Thompson truly define what it means to live in your own skin, taking each new launch into their own hands–and onto their own faces.

We asked Lo and Thompson for their expert tips on how to make sure your skin stays its best during transitional periods.

What is the first step to keeping skin fresh?

“Skin barrier protection is like the number one thing that comes to mind. [If] it’s really dry, [or] it’s cold,” Lo and Thompson say. “Think about people turning up their heat in their houses, and that really dries out people’s skin. So, skin barrier protection is the number one thing that we at Three Ships really recommend.”

What is an ingredient we should be keeping an eye on?

“Ceramides have been really trending ingredient for the last couple of years–in the last 18 months especially–and it’s an amazing ingredient. I’m so glad that’s getting the attention that deserves,” Thompson says. “Our Restore Barrier Repair Cream is probably our number one recommended product when it comes to winter skin transitions, just because it agrees with all skin types, even extremely dry skin. The analogy that we like to use is that your skin is like a brick wall, where your skin cells are the bricks and the ceramides are the mortar that go between the bricks that holds everything in place. When your skin is really dry or inflamed and your skin barrier is damaged, that will start to erode or chip away at that mortar or those ceramides. And the only way we can really replenish it is by adding it back in through skincare products.” For a bonus tip, instead of using Vaseline when your nose gets dry post-cold, Thompson and Lo suggest using a ceramides-based moisturizer specifically in that area. Instead of prevent further damage, it actually replenishes the nutrients missing from your skin as a result of rubbing your nose.

How should you handle the change when coming home from a vacation?

“If you flew home, your skin can get pretty congested, especially on the plane, so using something like an AHA chemical exfoliating face mask, like our Superfruit AHA Exfoliating Mask, really helps to get rid of whatever might be clogging your pores,” Lo says. “That can help to prevent breakouts and also just leaves your skin feeling so soft and bright. It’s like a five minute facial in a jar, that’s what we call it. So I really like that after I come back from travels. And then the other thing I would just say is just hydration is super important, just because if your skin’s been going through the plane dryness, changing temperatures and climates, I think the best thing you can do is just have a really simple hydration routine: a really nice, gentle cleanser, followed by a really good serum and good moisturizer.

“A hack we recommend is, if you have a more lightweight moisturizer that you really love, and it’s fall and it’s starting to transition to winter, instead of swapping immediately to something that’s heavier or richer, what you can do is you can mix in an oil, or use an oil after or before the cream,” Thompson says. “It kind of enhances the cream. I personally like to actually just mix the oil directly with the cream.”

What should be done post-workout?

I always try to wash my face as fast as I can when I get home after a workout,” Thompson says. “And sometimes it’s an hour, but as long as you wash it as soon as you’re back with something that’s not overly stripping if it’s really dry or cold out, and then follow with your hydrating products, I truly think that’s the best way to go.”

Who should avoid active ingredients?

“Somebody that has eczema prone skin is probably somebody that should not really use actives as substantially within their routine,” Lo says. “Or if you do find that your barrier is disrupted, if you’ve had a reaction recently to a product, or you’ve gotten a recent laser facial or a chemical strip, you don’t want to be further irritating the skin. So avoid any of your actives, which would be things like retinols or retinoids or even bioretinal alternatives, or any of your different acids.”

How should we think about a skincare routine?

“I think people have gotten away from skincare being intuitive, and they’ve turned it into more of this thing that’s a rigorous ‘Okay, I have to do this because this influencer or this Instagram account or Tiktok creator tells me that this is the best thing for my skin,’ instead of really feeling it out, like, ‘Okay, my skin feels dry today, I’m going to use more ceramide or more hydrating ingredients, or my skin feels oily today, maybe I’m going to cleanse twice and then not really apply on as many other ingredients as I would normally,’” Lo says. “So I think it’s more about intuition and changing your routine as your skin changes and as the season changes as well.”

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