Winter time. There are plenty of fun activities you can do in the winter. Namely, build a snowman, skiing, holidays and also Christmas! There’s only one problem, the air is so cold and dry. It makes our skin feel tight and uncomfortable.
Photo by Kristin Vogt
Why Your Skin Gets Dry in the Winter?
If you have dry skin, it could be painful to get through winter months. Your skin feels tight, flaky and itchy.
We get it. Don’t worry, we are here to share our tips with you to combat dry skin.
But first, what are the reasons that your skin gets dry in the winter?
As we all know, the temperature dropped really low in the winter, and so does the humidity in the air. The water vapor content in the air decreased significantly in the winter compared to summer.
Secondly, hot showers also dried out our skin. We can’t deny the fact a hot shower in the winter feels AMAZING. It feels warm, cozy and relief body tension. However, hot showers dry out your skin and damage your keratin cells. Your damaged skin cells are not able to lock in the moisture and caused dry skin.
Lastly, your skin care products are not up to the game. Your skin needs more hydration and a thicker moisturizer to seal the moisture to your skin. For instance, use moisturizing cream instead of moisturizing gel.
Add Beauty Oil to Your Beauty Routine
Beauty oil huge trends over the past few years. If you haven’t jumped on the bandwagon, we don’t know what are you waiting for. Beauty oils are wonderful to use on almost any part of the bodies.
If you have dry skin, apply a few drops of oils on your skin.
Split ends and tangled hair? Smooth a few drops of oils to your hair and your hair is smooth again.
Want your foundation to last longer? Add a drop of oil and mix with your foundation. It lasts all day and gives you a healthy glow.
It’s a miracle elixir to cure dryness on almost any part of your body.
There are a variety of oils that available nowadays. For instance, rosehip oil, camelia oil, and tea tree oil. However, we think that argan oil and olive oil are the best for dehydrated skin.
First of all, fatty acids. Fatty acids are essential for healthy skin. They keep our skin hydrated and plumper. They often found in the food in your healthy diets such as salmon and olive oil. Olive oils and argan oils are both rich in fatty acids. It keeps your skin hydrated and protect your skin from environmental damage.
Secondly, they are rich in vitamin E. Vitamin E brighten up your face and fade away scars. You can use it to reduce sun damage and acne scars. With its great healing and antioxidant properties, your skin feels nourishing and healthier.
Last but not least, they are similar to the oils that produced by our skin. Therefore, they blend and absorb well into our skin.
We like to add a few drops to our body lotion and apply it all over our skin in the winter. Bear in mind that it can feel heavy on the skin. So don’t attempt to do this in the summer.
Photo by Valentin Lacoste
Avoid Long Hot Shower
Hot and steamy shower not only strip off your skin’s moisture but also oil barrier. When your skin barrier is disrupted, it leads to itchy and flaky skin. Your skin barrier could be damaged over time. When your skin barrier becomes damaged, your skin will become easily irritated, redness and dehydrated.
Don’t take long, hot shower especially in the winter. We heard this statement over and over again. But how long exactly is considered as a long, hot shower? The answer is not more than 10 minutes. You should only take a hot shower about 5-10 minutes each time.
Additionally, keep your temperature low. Setting your hot shower to a lower temperature doesn’t irritate your skin as much. A cooler and shorter shower always better for your skin.
However, long, hot shower is not always bad. A long, hot shower after work actually relieve your tension and help you get to sleep faster. Hot showers also help you to relieve your nasal passage when you catch a cold.
Use a Shower Oil
Ditch your shower gel and switch to a shower oil instead. It seems insignificant, but trust me, shower oil can make a difference on your skin especially in the winter.
Shower oil is gentle and gives a soothing effect on your dry and sensitive skin. It often formulated with hydrating properties such as coconut oil, almond oil, and castor oil. These hydrating ingredients contain fatty acid which helps you to moisturize and get rid of dry patches.
On the other hand, shower gel or body wash are formulated with mild surfactants that keep your skin clean. It leaves your skin with a squeaky clean feeling but strips away your skin’s moisture.
Don’t let the name to scare you away. Even though it’s called shower oil, it actually cleans your skin pretty well. And no, you won’t feel anything oily on your skin.
Apply your body lotion once you finished with your shower. The body lotion prevents skin’s moisture to escape from your skin. We promise that your skin will feel soft and smooth even in winter.
Humidifier
A humidifier could save your dry skin in the winter. It keeps the air moist by raising the humidity level in the air. Your living environment immediately feels more comfortable with a humidifier.
There are countless benefits you could get from a humidifier.
A humidifier provides continuous humidification which also means to keep your skin moisturized. When your skin continuously lost its moisture, it might lead to dry, tight and flaky skin. Some might even feel itchy on their skin. When the moisture in the air elevates, so does your skin’s moisture level.
Adding a humidifier naturally rehydrate your skin and keep you away from dry skin.
Besides, if you ever catch a cold, a humidifier is very effective to soothe your sinuses. The humidity in the air actually keeps your mucus flowing so it clears up faster. Your nasal passage feels relieved and recover faster.
Moreover, you can add a drop of essential oils to de-stress yourself. Lavender oil is a great choice for relaxation and sleep.
Make sure to replace your water regularly to keep away bacteria and mold.
Consider getting a humidifier for yourself for this holiday season. It will significantly improve your living environment and brings countless benefits to you and your family.
Photo by Ali Marel
Apply More Moisturizer At Night
Moisturize your skin is the key to combat dry skin. First of all, make sure you are using the right moisturizer for your skin. With that being said, your moisturizer should make your skin feels plump and hydrated all day. The texture of your moisturizer is one of the key factors too.
Go for a thicker and greasier cream in the winter. The humidity in the air decreased in cold weather, that’s why your skin is constantly feeling tight and dry. The creamy texture helps you to seal the moisture in your skin.
If you suffer from dry and itchy skin, apply double the amount of your cream at night. Here’s the thing. Make your dry, flaky skin feels greasy and oily. When you look in the mirror, you feel like you need blot the excess oil. Don’t worry about it, go to bed with your shiny face and wake up with fresh looking skin.
Your skin repair and regenerate during your sleep. As a result, your skin is more receptive to certain products. Besides that, your skin also loses its moisture at night. For that reason, a heavier cream works perfectly for the cold winter night. Don’t forget to replenish your body with a glass water when you wake up in the morning.
On a side note, experiment how much cream you need to apply. Every moisturizer has different ingredients and texture, therefore we can’t tell you exactly how much product you should apply. Experiment with it to find that perfect balance to your skin.
