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Do you love cold weather? Ahh, winter!
Winter is the season of Santa, and snuggles, warm cocoa, and sitting in cozy corners, wrapped in the warmest winter clothes.
On the flip side, winter is also the season of dry, itchy skin because low temperatures affect our moisture-seeking skin.
So, what’s your favorite winter escape? Taking a hot shower?
While taking a hot shower is a good idea to combat the cold and get rid of dry skin in winter, it might end up stripping your skin of its natural oils and making matters worse.
Trying and testing out ways to battle dry skin might not always work in your favor; you might have to put in some extra effort and special care to prevent your skin from going dry and flaky.
Does your skin get dry during the winter season? Don’t worry! With a few changes and some best ways to take care of dry skin, you can take care of your dry skin during the winter season and turn it into soft, supple, hydrated skin from dehydrated, chapped, and itchy skin.
How does the winter season affect our skin?
Dry indoor heat, cold air, low humidity levels, and harsh winter winds can steal the skin’s moisture. This will leave your skin looking dull and dry, including your face, hands, and feet.
Even if you keep yourself covered from head to toe, you will need an external application of products and a regime slightly different from your regular one to prevent and deal with the effect of winter on your skin.
Looking for ways to take care of your skin during the winter season? We’ll give you not one or two but;
10 best ways to take care of dry skin during winter
Avoid taking long and hot showers
If there’s any place more comforting than your blanket during the winter season, it’s the shower! But as relaxing and perfect as a long, hot shower feels, it is the enemy of your skin during winter.
Too much heat can cause increased evaporation of your skin’s natural hydration. So keep your showers short and sweet; approximately 10 minutes is enough.
And to make your showers a bit moisturizing, switch your parching body soaps for gel or oil-based cleansers enriched with fatty acids like plant oils to protect and fortify your skin’s moisture barrier. As difficult as it might seem, it’s time to break up with your long, hot winter showers!
Lather yourself in moisturizers
The first thing you must do after patting yourself dry after a shower is lathered yourself in moisturizer. Unfortunately, one common mistake is waiting to dry ourselves entirely before applying moisturizer. But did you know your skin will absorb and moisturize better while it is still damp?
This little tip is one of the best ways to take care of dry skin as it stays nourished and moisturized for a long time, keeping winter dryness at bay. Spread a good layer of moisturizer all over your body just like you’d generously apply butter to a crispy toast or honey on a pancake.
Moisturizing your face and body seals nourishment and moisture into cracked, dry, flaking skin and helps the skin heal intensely. Opt for a thicker moisturizer consistency, unlike the runny lotions we use in summer.
And when we say moisturizing, it’s not just your face. Make sure you rub your moisturizer right from your hands to your feet.
Avoid washing up multiple times a day
While you can double up on delicious food all winter long, you will have to cut down on washing your face multiple times a day to avoid excessive dry skin during the winter season.
Gel and foaming face washes will give you a squeaky clean face and leave your skin dehydrated, as they are potent cleansing agents. Instead, opt for a gentle cleanser, as those are less likely to contain harsh cleansing ingredients that can dehydrate the skin.
Skip your toner
Also known as astringents, toners are mostly made with alcohol to absorb oil and are best when your skin is more sweat-prone such as during monsoons or summer. Using toners during the winter season can enhance dryness in the skin.
Can’t seem to leave the habit of toning your skin? You can try an alcohol-free mist with hydrating ingredients or make your DIY non-drying toner with essential oils or green tea.
Avoid over-exfoliation
The last thing dry, dehydrated skin needs is excessive scrubbing, which can further deplete moisture off your skin and make the irritation and itching worse. If you wish to continue exfoliating your body, swap your exfoliating gel for a milder formula, preferably gel based.
Steer clear of DIY exfoliants like sugar and salt and abrasive tools like body brushes, sponges, and loofahs. Instead, simply take a bath and use a towel to wipe yourself off without rubbing or scratching. Such actions can damage the surface of your dry skin and cause additional moisture loss.
Humidify your surrounding
It is not a compulsion to do so, but considering the repulsive effect of heaters and the low winter temperature outside, it is essential to use a humidifier. This is one of the best ways to take care of dry skin when it’s cold outside.
The heat keeping you warm in your home is very dry and trapped inside. Hence, a humidifier adds moisture back into the air and prevents your skin from drying excessively.
Hydrate
What’s your favorite winter drink? Soup or hot chocolate? Tea or coffee? Regardless of what you drink for comfort during winter, it is essential to keep yourself hydrated.
Proper hydration is linked to skin cell regeneration, and drinking 8-10 glasses of water daily will prevent your skin from becoming dehydrated and dry. However, drinking gallons of water doesn’t mean you won’t need external moisturization. So strike a balance inside-out.
Don’t forget your lips
The skin on your lips is thinner compared to the rest of your face, making it more susceptible to damage and dryness during winter. However, lip care is just as critical as the rest of your face and body. Hence, always wear lip balm to fend off chapping of lips.
Dry lips entail a dry mouth region which is a dicey situation given you cannot moisturize a specific area, mainly when moisturizers or lotions cannot be applied to lips. Look for lip balms with moisturizing and occlusive ingredients that lock in nourishment and hydrate your lips by forming a protective barrier.
Consume collagen-rich foods
Every external application tip will come in handy for dry skin during the winter season, but eating the right food is essential to maintain nourished skin and body. There is a direct link between your skin and gut health; hence consuming healthy fats will ward off dry skin.
During the winter, consuming collagen-rich foods like walnuts, broccoli, avocado, and cauliflower helps keep the skin smooth, firm, healthy, and moisturized. You can also binge on tomatoes, spinach, carrots, and strawberries as one of the best ways to take care of dry skin.
Don’t skip sunscreen even on cold winter days
Skipping sunscreen thinking the winter sun doesn’t contribute to making your skin dry is just as delusional and naïve as believing the tooth fairy exists! UV rays are linked to making skin excessively dry and cause sunburn, premature skin aging, and skin cancer.
Apply a generous amount of broad-spectrum sunscreen with SPF 30 or more to your face and other exposed areas before stepping out every day as a part of your skincare routine during winter.
Do you think what we think you are?
Fine! We’ll drop in some additional skincare routine during winter suggestions exclusively for the readers of this blog:
- Wear comfortable, non-irritating clothing. Layer your clothing so that wool doesn’t come in direct contact with your dry skin, making it more susceptible to irritation. Instead, opt for cotton-like material within and an overcoat-like layer or sweater on top of it.
- Look for hydrating ingredients in the products you are investing in. You can also go for hydrating sheet masks with actives that give your skin a much-needed surge of hydration, making skin look plump, healthy, and radiant.
- Using fragrance products will irritate the skin and end up drying the skin even more.
Quick Summary!
With these tips, you are bound to prevent and heal dry skin during the winter season. However, remember to be just as consistent as the winter winds with a skincare routine during winter, for one cannot afford to damage their skin with excessive dryness. Combating dry skin during winter is not an overnight game changer, and you must remain patient to notice visible results.
