Face the big freeze with seasonally appropriate products in your grooming arsenal.

Come winter, you can look forward to a weakened immune system, stiffer joints, some temporary padding around the midline and a seasonal affective disorder that may very well bleed into March. Most of us will struggle with raw and flaky skin or hair that’s as brittle as the dying leaves that cling to branches, symptoms that are cruelly exacerbated by seasonal comforts like long hot showers and central heating.

It stands to reason, then, that the featherlight grooming unguents that carried you through the summer will provide little relief in extreme conditions. It’s time to bring out the big guns. In the same way that you instinctively overhaul your wardrobe for AW17, your grooming regime will need a few calculated tweaks, too. Here are three ways to do it.

Rehydration is a year-round priority but it becomes doubly important in winter when cold winds rip apart the lipid barrier – the skin’s protective layer – and low humidity pulls any residual moisture out of your face. The net result is skin that feels dry, tight and highly sensitive.

A dense, heavy-duty moisturiser is the most common prescription but many men don’t feel comfortable walking around with anything too weighty on their face. Oils, such as La Mer’s Renewal Oil, or M.E. Skin Lab’s Huile 27, are a viable alternative. They are readily absorbed into the dermis where they can can deliver fat-soluble nutrients that help skin cells in the regeneration process. Crucially, oils can mimic the structure of the aforementioned lipid barrier, providing a much-needed defence against the elements while trapping moisture deep in the skin.

Odour molecules don’t travel with quite the same joie de vivre as they do in summer. If you rely on public transport, this is a good thing. But if you’re attached to your signature scent, compromised olfaction can become problematic.

In order for scents to become perceptible in winter, they need to pack a punch. N.B. This has more to do with the composition of a fragrance than the quantity you use – showering yourself in eau de toilette is never a good idea at any time of year.

So, in the same way that you’re drawn to rich, warming foods in winter, your fragrance will need to be heavier and earthier. A fresh and fizzy eau de cologne will feel completely incongruous with the time of year, if it gets noticed at all. Opt for bold and leathery orientals, as exhibited by Tom Ford Beauty’s Oud Wood or sensual gourmands – as in Maison Francis Kurkdjian’s Grand Soir –to make a seasonal statement.

Cold, dry air has the same impact on your hair as it does on your skin. In order to prevent your calculated quiff from turning into something resembling a wren’s nest, you’ll need to retain as much moisture in the cuticle as possible. As unpleasant as it may sound, try to cut back on shampooing your hair every day as the surfactants in most formulas will dry out each strand. Wash with conditioner – or the new generation of “cleansing conditioners” instead.

“Silicone-based smoothing treatments and leave-in conditioners (such as Swedish brand SACHAJUAN’s Leave-In Conditioner and Intensive Repair Conditioner) will help tame flyaways and frizz, but nothing can beat the results from a professional treatment,” says Mr Darren Fowler, creative director of Fowler35 salon in London.

“L’Oréal Professionnel Smartbond is the new Olaplex (the former Rolls-Royce of reparative treatments),” he says of the in-salon procedure. “It repairs and smooths hair during winter months but keeps it looking natural. But if you need to take smoothing to the next level, there’s always KeraStraight, a protein treatment that adds strength, shine and smoothness and lasts up to three months.”

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