For many people, the cold clear days of winter bring more than just a rosy glow to the cheeks. They also bring uncomfortable dryness to the skin of the face, hands, and feet. Cold weather and low humidity levels result in dry air, which then steals moisture away from the skin every second of every day.
"As soon as you turn the heat on indoors, the skin starts to dry out," Bonnie LaPlante, an esthetician with the Canyon Ranch resort in Lenox, Mass., tells WebMD. "It doesn't matter if you heat your home using oil, wood, or electricity. The skin gets dry.”
1. Moisturise, moisturise, moisturise
Your skin not only needs more moisture, but moisture right after you wash. Applying moisture to damp skin helps seal that dampness into the skin. Keep a bottle near the bathtub, shower stall, and at every sink and use liberally every time you wash.But choose your moisturizer carefully!
We recommend a combination of:
Dryer areas like hands, feet, elbows, and knees have thin skin and tend to lose moisture faster than other areas on the body. Consider slathering on a deep moisturizing balm such as our favourite Trilogy Everything Balm at night, then wear cotton gloves and socks to seal in the moisture until morning.
2. Hydrate
The skin of someone who is severely dehydrated will benefit from fluids. So drink up! A little warm water with lemon can be very refreshing and hydrating at the same time.
3. Protect
Get used to wearing gloves and scarves to protect skin from cold winds, rain, and snow. The skin on your hands is thinner than on most parts of the body and has fewer oil glands. That means it's harder to keep your hands moist, especially in cold, dry weather. This can lead to itchiness and cracking. Wear gloves when you go outside; if you need to wear wool to keep your hands warm, slip on a thin cotton glove first, to avoid any irritation the wool might cause.
Also, don’t forget the sunscreen. Winter sun can be just as damaging as summer sun, so apply a safe option like zinc oxide or titanium dioxide to any exposed areas.
4. Humidify
Heating systems dry out the air, so consider installing a humidifier in your home, particularly in your bedroom, to put moisture back into the air and help prevent your skin from drying out.
5. Forget about super hot baths
The intense heat of a hot shower or bath actually breaks down the lipid barriers in the skin, which can lead to a loss of moisture.
6. Exfoliate
We often forget to help the skin slough off dead cells in the winter, particularly on our hands. Yet moisture can’t get in if the dead cells are too plentiful. Find an exfoliating mask and use it on your face and your hands, as well as gently on your lips, then follow immediately with moisture to truly see a smoother difference. Exfoliating body washes are also helpful in the winter months
7. Use masks
Masks can provide needed moisture in the winter months.
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