While winter weather may bring some fun activities, it doesn’t bring fun things for your skin. The low humidity levels outdoors means dryer air while increased heat indoors means less moisture in the air. Colder weather means a harsher environment for your skin, drying it out, and causing a slew of other unfavorable traits such as chapping, redness, itching, and even cracking and bleeding.
If you don’t care for your face and skin this winter, you can find yourself with some undesirable skin. And no one wants that! So we’ve put together a list of tips for how to keep your skin comfortable and healthy.
Use luke-warm water. Too-hot water can dry out the skin while too-cold is just unpleasant. Try to stick with luke-warm water to avoid stripping your skin of its natural oils.
Moisturize after every wash/rinse. Moisturizing immediately following a wash is the best way to get skin moisture right when you need it.
Choose a quality moisturizer. Stay away from petroleum-based and water-based moisturizers during the winter months. Oil-based are more likely to help your skin retain moisture.
Choose a quality cleanser. While cleansers containing glycolic or salicylic acid are effective, they can be overly drying in the winter months. Rotating cleansers with the seasons can save your skin.
Protect it. Protecting your skin with physical barriers such as hats, gloves, and scarves, will keep skin from getting wind-burn during extreme weather. For not-so-extreme weather, don’t forget the sunscreen. Winter rays are just as harmful as summer rays!
Hydrate from the inside out. Drinking water and consuming fruits and veggies with a high water content will help your skin stay moisturized.
Use a deep moisturizer or moisturizing mask overnight. Naturally moisturizing ingredients like honey, avocado, yogurt, and oils will pamper your dry winter skin. Leave it on for 30 mins or sleep in it overnight.
Don’t skip exfoliating. Exfoliating dead skin cells will help prevent build up and clogged pores. During winter when your skin is more likely to be dry and flaky, its especially important to exfoliate and keep skin fresh and clean.