Winter weather is severe on every inch of your skin, especially the exposed parts of your face, hands, and feet. Cold temperatures, low humidity, and dry air strip your skin of much-needed hydration. Additionally, hot showers, long baths, and central heating also contribute to dry, sore, flaky skin or even eczema.
If not cared for properly, the skin will dry out and feel tighter than usual. Therefore, you should pay more attention to skin care in winter than in any other season. Here are some helpful winter skin care tips to keep your skin soft and supple.
Hydrate
Keeping your skin well hydrated is the fundamental rule of thumb for all winter skincare tips. In winter, your skin needs more hydration than ever. Apply a moisturizer immediately after showering, washing your hands or face. The longer you wait, the more dry your skin will be.
Always keep a moisturizer with you and use it generously after every wash. Most importantly, massage your hands and feet with a deep moisturizing lotion every night. Hands, elbows, and feet have very few oil glands and tend to become more dry. Wear socks and gloves to retain moisture.
Use oil-based moisturizers
Remember to use an oil-based moisturizer during the winter months. Oil creates a better seal on the skin than water-based products. Opt for non-clogging oil lotions and night creams with shea butter, lavender, chamomile, primrose, avocado, or almond oils. Creams that contain sorbitol or glycerin are also a bonus. Avoid petroleum-based products and harsh cleansers that contain salicylic or glycolic acids, as they tend to dry out the skin.
Your lips dry too
It is also essential to take care of your lips to prevent them from chapping and drying out. Use a natural lip balm with natural oils like grape seed, coconut, shea butter to lock in moisture and prevent chapping of your lips.
Apply sunscreen
We tend to think that sunscreen is only necessary for the summer. However, the winter sun along with the glare of the snow can damage your skin. The UV rays that cause sunburn will ruin your exposed skin even on cloudy days. Apply a sunscreen with a high sun protection factor (SPF) for best results. Keep your face and hands protected from the sun and cold wind by wearing a hat, scarf, and gloves.
Turn on the humidification
Central heating can keep us warm and comfortable in winter, but the hot, dry air that blows through our homes and offices makes our skin dry. In fact, any heating, be it wood, oil, or electric, will dry out the skin. Turn on the humidifier every day to add moisture to the air. Install smaller units around the house, especially in the bedroom for best results.
Keep hydrated
Drinking more water in winter can seem unnatural. After all, having a glass of water is not the first option on a cold day. We all love our hot chocolate and latte in winter. However, these hot drinks can keep us warm, but as diuretics, they cause us to lose water. Try to drink more water, even when you are not thirsty.
You can heat the water and add a little lemon to give it a refreshing taste. Eating water-laden fruits and vegetables like watermelon, oranges, tomatoes, and cucumbers will also help you stay hydrated. Also, your skin needs vitamins and other nutrients from fresh vegetables to stay plump and supple.
It is also important to use natural skin care products that will add moisture to your skin keeping it soft and smooth and preventing it from drying out, which can damage and age your skin.
