Winter can devastate our skin if we do not know how to take proper care of the skin during the dry cold days. It’s because during the winter time, the humidity levels drop both indoors and outdoors, and dry air tends to minimize our skin’s natural moisture.

Once there’s dryness in the skin, it gets uncomfortably rough and itchy. Fortunately, you can avoid all this by sticking to the tips that I’m sharing in today’s post! When it comes to saving our skin in dry winter, there are few rules you need to follow. Let’s see what are those rules:

Use Humidifier

Number one rule is to get and use a Humidifier in your home, if you don’t already have one! As we all know that dry air can cause moisture to evaporate from the skin.  Humidifiers add that moisture back to the air. Adding moisture to the air with a humidifier can help preventing many skin and health related problems that occur because of the dry air inside the closed doors. However, using the humidifier is not enough in itself. In addition, you need be sure that the heat setting is kept on low or at a moderate temperature to avoid that extra dryness in the air.

Avoid Hot & Long Showers

A nice hot steamy shower seems like the perfect remedy  in a cold day. However taking too long shower with even moderately ‘hot’ water can dry out the skin that can lead to itchiness. It’s because the hot showers and baths can inflame the skin which can disrupt the skin’s natural balance of moisture. Stick to showering with lukewarm water and try to shorten your shower time too, somewhere between 8-12 minutes.

Don’t Use Harsh Cleansers

Since your skin is already lacking moisture during these days, you’d want to stick to gentle cleansers for both your face and body. Harsh or stronger cleansers can strip away the natural oils of your skin and make your skin way drier. Try to use cream cleansers instead, because they are gentle on the skin and have built-in moisture. Having said that, try to use only required amount of product on your skin while showering. Only apply the cleanser where you actually need it, such as under your arms, in your groin area, and on your feet. You can use the leftover cleanser (on your hands) on rest of the body parts. By doing this, you can avoid losing the natural moisture that your skin already has!

Exfoliate Moderately

Realistically, you should be exfoliating all year round, but when it comes to winter season, it becomes even more important to buff that extra dry skin. Exfoliation helps replenish the skin and improve the effectiveness of moisturizers. Stick to exfoliation no more than twice a week but only if you have a normal to oily skin type. If your skin type is already dry, then you may want to either skip the exfoliation altogether or you must use a  very gentle and mild scrub instead. In any case, beware of over-exfoliating your skin, as your skin is more prone to dryness in the cold weather. The last thing a raw, dehydrated, winter-worn skin needs is a harsh face peel or scrub, which can further deplete moisture and worsen the skin’s condition.

Moisturize Regularly

Last, but one of the most important rules of winter skin care is to moisturize your skin on regular basis. Moisturizing is an essential part of our skin regimen but it becomes much more important in this dry, freezing weather. Using a good winter moisturizer can help you treat and prevent the dry skin during winter months. Moisturizing can make a huge difference. Be sure to choose a product according to your skin’s need and prefer to apply  it on your skin when your skin is damp (such as after a shower) to help it retain some hydration. Also don’t forget the Sunscreen. You need to accept the fact that Sunscreen isn’t just for the summertime. Winter sun can still damage your skin. 

One additional tip: make ‘Petroleum Jelly’ your best friend, specially in cold season! This gooey substance can fix just about anything that is skin related: from a cracked lip to cracked heals. One of the very popular petroleum jelly brand name is Vaseline! Petroleum is the main ingredient of Vaseline. But unlike other forms of petroleum, Vaseline is said to be safe to use on your skin and hands. I, personally, avoid using it on my face as petroleum jelly may clog the pores but it can be best for your skin on hands and feet. 

At last, I’d like to add, even though all these tips may come handy but if your skin stays dry no matter how much you take care of it, or if it’s constantly peeling or cracking, don’t ignore it. Think of consulting a doctor or a dermatologist to create the best moisturizing action plan possible.  🙂

I hope y’all had a wonderful beginning of 2020! ❤

See you soon in the next post. Until then…