I Test All the Skin Care and Hair Care — Here’s How I’m Stocking Up for Fall
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A bit about me: I have some of the palest skin around, and a ton of curly red hair that frizzes out with the slightest change in weather. So it may not come as a surprise that I'm a tad skincare and hair care-obsessed. It's not why I became a health and beauty editor who tests beauty products all day, but it's certainly a big perk of the job. I've tried it all: from fancy moisturizers to intense-smelling curl creams to serums that claim to make your skin 10 years younger. After subjecting my skin and hair to literally hundreds of products, I have a pretty good sense of what's legit and what isn't, and also what works best for each season.
Seasonal changes always tend to stress my skin. As we enter autumn, a.k.a. my flakey face season, I'm making some key product swaps. It's time to bring in the emollient moisturizers, the flyaway smoothing serums, and the auxiliary brightening products, as we're already losing sunlight. If you're anything like me, the products below should help keep your skin and hair looking like they never left vacation mode.
Skin Care Picks
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OneSkin OS-01 Face Moisturizer
If you want one heavy-hitting moisturizer to carry you through the cooler months, this is it. The formula doesn't feel heavy when you apply it, but I noticed a difference in my skin after just one use. The formula includes a proprietary Senescence-Blocking Peptide, which is supposed to ward off the signs of aging - and since peptides are amino acids that form the building blocks of collagen, that makes sense. After a few weeks, my skin was noticeably brighter, bouncier, and firmer. Few brands live up to their longevity claims, but this is one of them. Since fall and winter are quintessential months for skin rejuvenation, I can't think of a better time to start using it.
Kitsch Stainless Steel Gua Sha
Puffy undereyes don't magically disappear just because temperatures drop 10 degrees. Lymphatic drainage helps, especially in the fall when I tend to stress out more and eat saltier foods to cope. I've tried all sorts of remedies, but the one that never fails is a few minutes of facial massage with this stainless steel gua sha . There are plenty of other fancier gua shas made of rare stone and crystal, but I'm accident-prone, so I prefer this one that won't break if I drop it.
I love that it feels so cool on my skin (especially when I toss it in the freezer for a few minutes first), and my face looks noticeably more lifted and sculpted immediately after a quick session. This helpful tutorial recommends using your favorite oil with it, but I find a slippery moisturizer works just as well if you don't like that oily feeling.
Lumeo SkinLift 4D Current™ Red Light Therapy Kit
Notice some dark spots popping up after a summer of sunbathing? Me too. Red light therapy may be an effective way to reduce the look of those spots (as well as redness, acne, and wrinkles). I've been using it in the form of the Lumeo SkinLift, which offers a lot more than red light therapy. It also employs microcurrent stimulation to lift and sculpt the face, and electroporation, which helps open microchannels in the skin so your active serums actually penetrate and do their job.
As a 40-something, I'm always looking to give my face a little more glow and snatch; this device provides that in just three minutes a day. But you have to keep up with it to keep seeing results.
Innbeauty Elastic Skin
Everyone's talking about copper peptides in skincare these days, and it's not just hype. I've been using some form of them in my skin-care routine for a couple of years now, and I keep them around because they genuinely improve skin quality. Innbeauty's elastic skin was my gateway, and it remains the best serum I've tried. It has a snail mucin-like texture that absorbs almost immediately into the skin, leaving it plump and glowing. The formula also includes vegan encapsulated growth factors, which help boost your skin's elasticity over time. It's perfect for folks laying off retinol who still want similar benefits. Cost and sustainability bonus: The container is refillable.
Paula's Choice Pro Collagen Plumping Moisturizer
I've been using the moisturizer all summer, and it is a game changer. All I need is one pump for this delightfully lightweight gel-cream to cover my entire face and neck, with some to spare. Instantly, my face looks plump and glowy (thanks, peptides). The hydration also lasts a good long time. I put it on the night before seeing a friend, and she asked if I'd recently had a facial. I'm also noticing the lines around my eyes are lifting (peptides help encourage collagen production, which improves skin texture). While it is lightweight, it moisturizes so well that I plan to use it through the winter.
Ciele Tint & Protect SPF 50+
Yes, you still need to wear sun protection on exposed skin (your face) in the cooler months. I've developed a low-key obsession with tinted SPF - it's a moisturizer, complexion makeup, and sunscreen all in one - what's not to love? My current favorite is this serum from Ciele. It feels weightless on the skin and blends beautifully, even with fingers. I love the dropper applicator; I never get more product than I need, and I can drop it onto my fingers, a brush, or directly on my face. It provides light to medium coverage (like a tinted moisturizer ), plays well with other makeup, and leaves your skin looking glowy but not overly so. I wore it on a long outdoor hike and remained blissfully pale.
Prequel Face and Body Gleanser
You know when you're in the shower, and you want to wash your face, but your body wash isn't going to do the skin on your face any favors? Prequel answered that problem with this face and body "gleanser". It's called a "gleanser" because it includes glycerin for added moisture (something a lot of other cleansers can strip away). I love the consistency - it's like a creamy-ish gel that lathers up and washes away easily. It removes stubborn mascara, but never leaves my face feeling tight. It's also accepted by the National Eczema Association and the National Rosacea Society , so it's very safe for sensitive skin. Best part: You get a whopping 13.5 fluid ounces for under $20.
Hair Care Products
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Necessaire Hair Moisture Duo
When the air gets cold and dry, my hair automatically gets stringier and frizzier, unless I have a good moisturizing shampoo and conditioner like this duo from Necessaire. The shampoo lathers well, but doesn't strip my hair of natural oils (thank you, argan oil), and the conditioner is thick enough to really lock in that hydration. My hair always feels so soft after I style it, and I notice fewer flyaways from breakage.
If you've got sun- or color-damaged hair, I highly recommend leaving the conditioner on for a few minutes (like a mask) before washing it off. Both products have a delicate fragrance that's a mix of musk, oak, and vanilla, but don't fear, my sensitive-skin friends: It's still hypoallergenic, vegan, and noncomedogenic.
Bounce Curl Define EdgeLift Brush
I'm ready to let you in on my secret to perfect ringlet curls: this Bounce Curl brush. It took me almost my entire life to figure out my curly hair, but when I stumbled upon this brush a couple of years back, everything changed. Yes, bottled products make a difference, but nothing compares to the wavy edges of this magic brush. It's got just enough bristles to provide a little tug (which helps the curls spring back), but the teeth do the bulk of the work, separating your hair into defined curl clumps.
First, I make sure my hair is really wet; otherwise, the curls won't hold. After applying a mousse and leave-in, I brush my hair out in sections with this brush, and scrunch a couple of times with my hands until I see the curls form. Then I apply a little flexible gel all over and scrunch everything once more. Finally, I let my hair air dry about 80 percent of the way before diffusing for volume. Works every time.
So Cozy Leave-In Conditioner Spray
I never style my hair without first applying this leave-in conditioner. I've tested many that are much pricier, but so far none have bested it. I've tested many that are much pricier, but none have bested this one so far. I know the bottle says it's for kids, but trust me: it works just as well on adult hair. I spray it liberally onto my soaking-wet hair, then add the rest of my curl product and style as normal. The delightful-smelling formula feels like nothing on my hair, but manages to smooth, detangle, and help define my curls so they last until my next wash day.
Crown Affair Texturizing Air Mousse
Anyone with hair will tell you it takes time to find the products that work for your hair type. As a curly-haired person, I only landed on the right combo about two years ago: a leave-in conditioner, a lightweight mousse, and a flexible hold gel. The lightweight mousse does the bulk of the work. I love this stuff so much, I'd still buy it if it were twice the price. I've also recommended it to friends with straight hair, and they love it too. It's super versatile: it'll give your hair amazing structure whether you air-dry or diffuse it.
I've never had a product define my curls so well without making them crunchy. Last but not least, the scent is incredible. It's like an elevated, but not obnoxious or overpowering perfume. I get compliments on it every time I go out after I've styled my hair.
Olaplex No. 7 Bonding Frizz Reduction & Heat Protectant Hair Oil
When fall and winter's dry air causes static and flyaways galore, this smoothing oil is my secret weapon. It's been around for a minute, but I've yet to find anything comparable. All my hair needs is a few drops, and it stays frizz-free for at least two days. It also helps protect my hair from damage when I style it with hot tools. It's incredibly lightweight, even on fine hair (my best friend can attest), and makes hair color look more vibrant. I never travel without it, especially because it comes in a cute little bottle that somehow lasts me an entire year.
Color Wow Xtra Large Bombshell Volumizer
Though I have a lot of hair, it sometimes falls flat at the roots. I've used root-lifting sprays and texturizers in a pinch, but they always leave my hair feeling stiff and dirty. Then I found this product from Color Wow. I was nervous to try anything called a volumizer since my hair is already pretty thick, but this stuff hits different. It looks like a lightweight mousse out of the bottle, but it lifts better than most mousses I've tried. I run about four to five pumps of it through my hair, brush it out, then diffuse after it's mostly air dried. My hair gains significant height that doesn't fall throughout the day. If it needs a boost the next morning, running a little water through the hair and scrunching it activates the product again.
Summer's end has us buying other products that boost our moods and keep us healthy.
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Ally Hirschlag
Author
Ally Hirschlag is an award-winning journalist with over 10 years of experience editing and writing health, fitness, beauty, lifestyle, and science content. Her work has appeared in...
Sabrina Rojas Weiss
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Sabrina Rojas Weiss has been a writer and editor for more than 25 years, 12 of which she's spent in the health and parenting space. Her work has appeared in Parents , Verywell, Yaho...
Ashley Ziegler
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Ashley Ziegler is a full-time writer with extensive experience covering women's health, babies' and kids' health, mental health, and wellness. Her work has appeared on websites inc...
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Resources
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Xu X et al. Effects of electrical stimulation on skin surface. Acta Mechanica Sinica . 2021.
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Pintea A et al. Peptides: Emerging Candidates for the Prevention and Treatment of Skin Senescence: A Review. Biomolecules . January 9, 2025.
