The winter months are not kind to our face and body. As temperatures drop, the moisture in our skin becomes scarce. The cold air outside mixed with HVACs humid heat inside dries out skin easily. Your skin needs moisture. Otherwise, the skin will crack, flake, flare-up, and itch from lack of it, and eliminating those symptoms will take some time to do. Avoid dry skin by treating your skin with these five effective solutions.
Use the Winter Skincare Routine
The harsh soaps, body washes, face moisturizers, body moisturizers, body scrubs, cleansers, and serums are effective in summer because the skin is humid and sweaty. The summer skincare routine will dry up skin’s moisture in winter, and skin craves moisture in the winter months. Therefore, switch to milder, fragrance-free, and alcohol-free products that keep skin hydrated as your winter skincare routine. It’s best to choose the products best for your face and skin type over beauty trends.
Use Lukewarm Water and Shorten Bathing Time
Hot water feels great on cold skin on a chilly day. Yet, those hot water baths and showers irritate dry skin and remove skin’s natural oils. To avoid skin drought, take a bath or shower in warm or lukewarm water. Meanwhile, shorten bathing time to less than ten minutes. Times longer than that will strip the skin of natural oils and moisture.
Moisturize the Body after Showers and Baths
The winter skincare regimen should aid in moisture during bathing. The trick is to keep the moisture inside the skin after the shower or bath is complete. Try to add lotions, creams, and body butters one to five minutes after bathing to keep skin hydrated by trapping moisture inside the skin. Begin by moisturizing your legs, arms, and buttocks. These areas are the most prone to drying and cracking. Then, add lotion to the feet, stomach, chest, and back. Moisturize the body twice a day.
Choose lotions, body butters, and creams that have one or more ingredients that aid in trapping much-needed moisture inside the skin. The most effective products contain hyaluronic acid, glycerin, shea butter, honey, and/or oil (i.e., coconut, olive, jojoba, argan). The lotion should be fragrance-free, alcohol-free, gentle on the skin, and works well with your skin type.
Apply Hand Lotion
Between winter’s cold weather, drenching hands in water to wash dishes, and washing hands to combat germs, your hands take a beating. The skin is dry and rough; the nails are brittle, dull, and weak, and it cracks cuticles. Repair it by washing hands with moistening soap and rubbing hand lotion on your hands. Regular lotion is not thick and heavy enough to keep hands protected, but hand lotion is because it’s made for hand protection. Fragrance-free hand lotion is preferred.
Apply Lip Balm
The cold air plus exposed lips equal rough, chapped lips that crack and peel. Licking lips is not the solution because the saliva dries out lip moisture. The solution is to use a lip balm to moisturize lips. Lip balm is not the same as lipstick or lip gloss. Lip balm exists to keep lips hydrated and protected from harsh weather conditions. Specifically, search for a lip balm with petroleum jelly, mineral oil, or moisturizer. A lip balm with sunscreen protection is a plus because it offers a second benefit: protecting lips from the winter sun’s harmful rays.
Dry skin affects every skin type, so it’s crucial that you change skincare habits to combat winter’s harsh conditions. This routine is not a one-time, one-day strategy, either. Continue this routine every day during the winter months for the best chance to beat dry skin. The process to avoid dry skin will take time, but the result will be worth it.
