To protect your body from the Arctic chill, you stocked up on puffer coats, teddy jackets, overscale sweaters, pom-pom hats and parkas. To warm your insides, you now take all meals in steaming liquid form. But what do you do to comfort your face, hair, feet, etc.? What’s the beauty product equivalent of a pillow-piled couch, big blanket and mug of piping hot cocoa? Answer: self-heating beauty products.
Like big ol’ bear hugs for your face (hair, feet, etc.), self-heating beauty products soothe your cold-ravaged skin, help drive nutrient absorption and make exfoliation much easier (caution: don’t over-exfoliate — winter’s the time when you need your skin barrier most).
Treat yourself. From face masks to foot creams, click through the gallery above for 10 of the best self-heating beauty products to help warm your cold, skincare-loving soul this winter.
Best Self-Heating Beauty Products
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Vivo Per Lei
Retinol Wrinkle Solution Thermal Mask, $25.95 at Amazon
After slathering this Kaolin-clay-based mask over your face, you’ll immediately feel a tingle of heat, which will not only make you feel like you’re in a spa, but also help to dissolve makeup residue, dirt and impurities for a polished and smooth complexion.
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Skin Research Laboratories
NeuRADIANCE Instant Cell Exfoliator, $79 at Neiman Marcus
Scrape the dry, dead cells off your winter-ravaged dermis. Massage a generous dollop of this magnesium crystal, pearl powder, bromelain, meadowfoam seed oil, shea butter and vitamin A, C and E-infused exfoliator into your wet, post-cleanse face (and neck). Thanks to Skin Research Lab's innovative technology, you'll feel a pleasant warmth upon application and an invigorating cooling sensation after toweling off your newly squeaky-clean skin.
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Tony Moly
Egg Pore Blackhead Steam Balm, $14 at Tony Moly
This soothing, self-heating clear balm draws out impurities, eliminates blackheads and rubs away dead skin cells with the help of charcoal, sea salt and egg yolk. Per usual, Tony Moly gets bonus points for cute packaging.
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Wella Professionals
Enrich Self Warming Mask, $20.99 at Amazon
Quench and protect your wind-tortured strands with this quick and easy hair treatment by Wella. In just 30 seconds, the apricot-oil infused formula transforms dried-out, deep-fried hair (of all textures) into something soft and moisturized. You'll know your time's up when the warming effect wears off. (Note: for optimal results, apply to damp hair, with dry hands.)
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Dermalogica
Multivitamin Thermafoliant, $57 at Dermalogica
Gentle but powerful, this grainy gel contains a mixture of physical (magnesium oxide, silica, and sodium bicarbonate) and chemical exfoliants (lactic and salicylic acids). The latter are key when it comes to curing acne, textural issues and hyperpigmentation. You'll also enjoy the scrub's light citrus scent and comforting heat — especially during the cold, cruel winter months.
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Farmacy
Honey Potion Renewing Antioxidant Hydration Mask With Echinacea GreenEnvy, $56 at Sephora
When your face is feeling really dry and dehydrated (i.e. all winter), honey (a natural humectant used since ancient times) is in order. This mask is also packed with natural antioxidants and has glycerin, which, when massaged into the skin, transforms into a rich, warming and vaguely pearlescent (read: highly Instagrammable) cream.
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Bliss
Hot Salt Scrub, $38 at Bliss
Come wintertime, there's nothing like the joy of a piping hot shower. Imagine said shower with the added bonus of a fresh rosemary and eucalyptus-smelling scrub that leaves your skin super smooth. Bliss' self-heating formula helps those skin-buffing sea salts really dig in and slough away rough skin.
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Origins
Warm Down Warming Lava Scrub, $35 at Sephora
If you do summon the willpower to brave the cold and hit the gym, let this shower-activated exfoliator be your reward. It helps ease muscle soreness and purify skin with the help of volcanic ash (which warms on contact with water) and essential oils (including wild mint, orange and eucalyptus).
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Albertini International
Warm Love Pumpkin Exfoliating Mask, $23 at Albertini International
Pumpkin is not only delicious, it's extremely nourishing. (It's rich in enzymes, amino acids, antioxidants and vitamins A and E.) Rub a quarter-sized glob of this exfoliating mask over your dry, freshly-cleansed face, then dampen your hands and continue to work the self-heating mixture into your skin for another two to three minutes. Sure, you'll feel kind of like you've dipped your face in a PSL, but with much more desirable results.
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Susanne Kaufmann
Warming Foot Cream, $64 at Net-a-Porter
Those whose feet spent a little too much time in damp socks and poorly insulated boots will find relief in this warming foot cream, fortified with rosemary, thyme, sage and marigold extracts to revitalize rough skin and boost circulation. Unlikely as it may seem, sandal weather will come again, and this will have you ready when it does.
