Fall Beauty Swaps To Start Now

If you haven’t fully made the fall beauty swaps over from summer, the good news is that it is never too late. Swapping your beauty products through each season isn’t just for vibes and trends.

There are actual benefits that can impact how you feel during this time. No one likes dry, cracked skin and dull hair. These are just some things that can happen during the transition from summer to fall. Keep reading to find out what swaps to make.

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Beauty Products Defined

The beauty industry is vast and ever-changing. At its core there are seven categories that generally can be defined as beauty.

Those categories are skincare, haircare, makeup, fragrance, nail care, personal care, and beauty wellness. In this post I’ll be going through some of these categories and giving you insight into what swaps you can make to your beauty routine.

Fall Beauty Swaps To Start Now

The fall season is all about increasing hydration as the air starts to get drier, warm tones, and being intentional about your beauty routine. These swaps will help you do just that.

1) Skincare

In my opinion, skincare is one of the major categories that you need to make swaps with as we head into the cooler months. The difference in these two seasons is more than we usually give them credit for.

In the summer you want lightweight products, but in the fall/winter you need deep hydration. Think thicker moisturizers, milky toners, barrier-loving products, and yes you’ll still need to wear your SPF.

Since the dry heat takes the place of humidity during the cooler months, your skin can get dry and dull. The good news is that you can prevent this with a good skincare routine. Below I’m sharing some of my favorite products, along with some others I want to try, for each step in your skincare routine.

Cleanser: day and night

In the fall you want to grab a hydrating cleanser. Look for skin-loving ingredients like ceramides and hyaluronic acid. If your skin is especially sensitive during this time, cleansers with barrier repair will be what you want to look for.

Toner: day and night

Toner is one of my favorite skincare steps, but it can sometimes be the one that people skip over the most. Toners are great for replenishing what cleansers strip the skin of, and it ensures even absorption for the rest of your skincare routine.

Like cleansers, in the summer we opted for the lightweight toners, but in the fall we need to transition to the milky toners for ultimate hydration.

Serums: day and night

Serums are where you can really customize your routine to what your skin needs. There are Vitamin C serums for brightness, Retinol for anti-aging, or Hyaluronic acid for hydration, and many more.

You can use a combo of them or do one in the morning and a different one at night. I would skip the serums on the night you exfoliate though.

Exfoliate: one to two times a week

Think of exfoliation as your weekly skin revamp. It gets rid of any dead skin cells and leaves your skin feeling smoother and looking brighter. It is a very strong step in a skincare routine and should be started slowly and with care.

If you’ve never used an exfoliant I would start once a week and pick a gentle one. For this fall beauty swap, see how that works for you before jumping into something that could be too rough.

Moisturizer: day and night

I consider moisturizer the star of the show in a fall skincare routine. What we look for in moisturizers is again different during the summer and fall.

When it’s hot I want my moisturizer to feel as thin as water, refreshing and lightweight. In the cooler months I love a thicker formula full of ceramides and other skin loving ingredients, especially for my nighttime moisturizer.

SPF: daytime

SPF is a product that you don’t really have to worry about swapping. However, I wanted to include it in here as a reminder to not skip out on this step. Just because the sun doesn’t shine as long in the fall, doesn’t mean it’s immune from damaging your skin. Keep using your SPF year-round.

2) Haircare Fall Beauty Swaps

Just like the skin, our hair can get dry in the cooler months due to less humidity in the air. To combat this you may need to change up your haircare routine by adding products or swapping some for more moisturizing ones.

Yes even if you have oily hair you still need moisture. If you put your hair through the ringer this summer with bleaching or excessive chlorine exposure it’s a great time to work on repairing your hair as well.

You’ll also want to skip the heated styles and try these heatless options instead. If you don’t use a leave-in conditioner regularly I would start there to prevent excessive dryness. Using sulfate-free shampoos and conditioners will also help your hair because it is more gentle.

Lastly, if you don’t already do a hair mask at least once a week, it’s time to start. You can have it take the place of your conditioner, or add it after if your hair needs a little extra love. Here are some of the products that I have been loving:

3) Makeup

As the months go on towards the end of the year you may notice your makeup preferences changing. This may be in part to your summer tan fading or your complexion shifting due to the cold. Either way, you might be trying some unusual touches during your fall beauty swap.

Maybe it will start with a darker shade of red lipstick or a smokey eyeshadow with deep earthy tones? You also might grab the tinted moisturizer more often to extend the sunkissed look a little longer.

Or maybe you are ready to embrace the “no makeup” makeup look this season? The change of the seasons is the perfect time to try new looks and see what feels/looks good for you.

4) Fragrance

One thing I have been consistent with since my teen years has been my love for floral and fruity fragrances. This year as the days get shorter and the temperature goes down I’ve actually been gravitating to the warmer, sweet scents.

I have to say, I feel like this one simple beauty swap has helped me romanticize the fall season even more. My current favorite is Sabrina Carpenter’s Sweet Tooth perfume. With notes of chocolate marshmallow, vanilla madagascar, and cashmere wood, what’s not to love about it? I also love her Caramel Dream perfume as well.

5) Beauty Wellness

Beauty Wellness is one of my favorite categories because it proves that beauty products aren’t just skin deep. There is more to beauty than swiping on some lipstick and cleaning your face.

We don’t just want to look good, we want to feel good too, and that is where this category comes in. Taking vitamins/supplements, drinking water, using essential oils, and getting enough sleep are some examples of this category. To maximize your beauty wellness this fall, here are some things that you can do/swap out.

young woman drinks water during an autumn run to keep her skin hydrated

Start taking a Vitamin D supplement: Since there are fewer hours of sunshine in the fall/winter we aren’t getting all the Vitamin D that we need. It’s a popular time for Vitamin D deficiencies to pop up. At your next check-up see if your doctor can test your vitamin levels to see if a supplement needs to be incorporated into your routine.
Use Body Butters: Instead of lightweight lotions, body butters are more nourishing to your skin in the cooler months.
Keep Drinking Your Water: I know it’s easy to increase your water intake in the summer because of the heat. You still need to carry that through the fall, even if you don’t feel like drinking water. Staying hydrated is great for your beauty routine because it helps you from the inside out. There are a plethora of benefits to hitting your water goals each day.

Final Thoughts on Your Beauty Swaps this Fall

What swaps will you be making in your beauty routine this fall? I hope this article gave you some inspiration on new products to try. I’d love to know if you have any tried and true products that you love during the fall. Let me know in the comments.

About the Author

Kelly graduated from Liberty University with a degree in Advertising and Public Relations and a minor in Journalism. Even though it took her a little while to find her career path, she was always meant to be in Communications. She remembers writing poems and songs when she was a little girl and pitching to my parents the reasons why I should have a cell phone when I was a teenager. She currently has a blog (budding-joy.com) where she talks about her weight-loss journey, mental health and personal development. Her hope is to encourage and inspire readers and let them know they are not alone. Reading blog posts like that are what helped her in tough times and she wants to pay it forward. She loves dance fitness, listening to music, and creating layouts in her bullet journal. She's a big fan of planning, especially when cute notebooks and pens are involved. Her dream job has changed so much over the years; right now she'd love to co-own a dance studio.

Website: budding-joy.com