Here's why you still absolutely need SPF in winter

WORDS Mia Steiber PHOTOGRAPHY Gabriela Hidalgo PUBLISHED Fri, 7 May 2021 - 1:19 pm

Do you still need to wear an SPF in winter? I think if you're even asking the question, you already know the answer. It's a flat yes - yes, you do.

The idea that you don't need an SPF in winter, honestly, I'm still clueless as to how this myth started. Sure the temperature changes in winter, but the Sun doesn't. It's still there, bright as ever. And yet, people routinely leave SPF out of their routines when it's cold or cloudy.

I once went to the beach on a cloudy day with my partner and a group of friends. Despite me being the darkest person there by a long way (and therefore the least likely to burn), I still lathered up in my SPF. You can see where this story is going. Two of my party, including my poor partner Luke, still bare the marks of the near second-degree burns they received that day.

Even on the cloudiest of days, 80 percent of the Sun's UV filters through the cloud cover. It doesn't need to be hot for you to burn. You don't need to be at the beach to burn. You can burn and damage your skin on a walk around the block. You can burn during a lunch out with friends. You can burn just by sitting near the window in your office. Yes, you need SPF when you're inside too.

Think about your indoor plants. If you have a devil's ivy or a fiddle leaf thriving the corner of your home somewhere, that means the Sun and the UV is reaching its leaves. Anywhere or anytime a plant can grow is a place and time you should be using SPF.

It's the most effective (and often cheapest) anti-ageing product you can buy. All your serums, lotions and potions mean nothing if you're allowing your skin to be hit withe daily environmental damage from the Sun. The Sun undoes all the positive work from your other skincare.

But of course, I know SPF can be a pain. Some of them are stick, greasy and don't work particular well with makeup. So to keep you inspired, below some of my favourite SPF products. The ones that are easy to use, don't cause congestion or greasiness.