Christmas is well and truly upon us and, though the streets may not be laden with crisp, white snow (we can still dream…) the weather still bears a bitter, frosty chill. If this has you yearning for a cosy night in, rather than yet another Christmas party – we don’t think we can face another drunken rendition of All I Want For Christmas – then read on for our top 5 winter warming products, all of which boast self-warming ingredients to actively encourage circulation whilst allowing other ingredients to work more efficiently.
We think they’re the perfect accompaniment to your night of pre-Christmas pampering.
1. The Post Party Saviour We love a Christmas party, but the after effect it has on our skin? Not so much. Biore’s Warming Blackhead Cleanser, (£4.99, boots.com), is a great antidote to partied out skin however. Formulated with Zeolite a mineral clay that, on contact with water, heats up to create a deeper, warming facial wash. The warming cleanser works specifically to open pores and eradicate black heads whilst restoring a party-ready visage so you’ll be perfectly ready for round two.
2. The Self-Activating Scrub
Winter is the time to slough away stubborn dead skin cells - the cause of dry, flaky skin - with a thick, exfoliating body scrub. This winter we have been loving Soap & Glory’s Some Like It Hot (£7.50, boots.com) a thermal scrub containing self-activating Therminerals which start heating on application to damp skin. The warming sensation, combined with a circular motion application, is a powerful, circulation enhancing combination.
3. The Spa Treatment
Don’t be fooled by the name, the Venus Freeze Facial (from £95, venusconceptuk.co.uk) is the ultimate warming spa treatment; acting like a warm, facial massage, the treatment uses Multi-Polar Radio Frequency and Magnetic Pulsed Fields to firm and tone the skin by causing a thermal response which activates the body’s natural healing response and encourages new collagen to form. Improving blood flow and micro-circulation in only 30-90 minutes, be sure book yourself in for a quick lunchtime treat.
4. The Intensive Hair Repairer
Winter weather wreaks havoc with our hair causing dry and damaged locks that regular hair treatments can’t seem to restore, but the double action of Dove’s Intensive Repair Self Warming Mask (£3.99, boots.com) has been a winter saviour, acting to deeply penetrate the hair’s shaft, leaving us with smooth and silky tresses. The two-step system consists of a nourishing hair mask and shot of clear solution which starts to heat up on application to damp hair encouraging a deeper treatment – add this to your Christmas list quick!
5. The At-Home Thermal Transformer
For skin in urgent need of some TLC try Sanctuary Spa Active Reverse 30 Day Thermal Transformation (£27.50, sanctuary.com), a two-step, at-home system containing a Serum and Warming Clay Mask which work simultaneously to brighten and plump lacklustre skin. ‘Start by applying a generous layer of Peptide Transformation Serum underneath the Thermal Rose Clay Mask and leave on for 15 minutes’, advises Sanctuary Spa’s Skincare Expert Nichola Joss. ‘Massaging both products deeply into your skin, combined with the intensely warming sensation of the mask optimises the action of the encapsulated enzyme to deeply cleanse and refine the skin’s surface.’ Claiming to reduce fine lines and wrinkles and restoring skin’s natural radiance in 30 days, we think we’re sold.
