These Tips for Dry Skin during Winter will ensure your largest organ stays soft & supple – all through the season! They’re easy, practical & natural!
It’s quite cold outside, and all we want to do is curl up on the sofa with a soft blanket, sipping on a cup of hot chocolate! While that certainly sounds like selfcare, another aspect is caring for your skin, hair and body – and today we’re focusing on your skin!
Winter poses special challenges for skin, the chief of which is dry skin. As the temperature drops and the humidity reduces, the skin finds it hard to maintain its moisture level, leading to signs of dry skin. The most common of these signs are flakiness, redness, roughness, itchiness, or irritation.
The severity of these symptoms may vary from person to person and also depends upon how harsh the winter is where you live. Whatever it may be, there are some simple things you can do to fix the problem of dry skin during winter.
10 Natural Tips for Dry Skin during Winter
1. Moisturize right after washing
Washing your hands, face and body isn’t something you can avoid altogether, but it’s good to limit it during winter, as much as you can! Washing with soap and water strips the skin of its natural oils, so it’s important to replace the lost hydration with a moisturizer right after washing. Choose a thick moisturizer with humectant ingredients like hyaluronic acid, olive oil, squalane, honey, Vitamin E and jojoba oil. By attracting moisture from the air, these ingredients ensure the skin doesn’t get dry.
2. Use a night cream
Night creams aren’t just an antidote to aging; they’re a great way to prevent dry skin during winter. As the skin repairs itself during night, a night cream is perfect to speed up this process, without drying out the skin. Night creams are often heavier than day creams, and they contain emollient ingredients like ceramides, beeswax and oat flour.
3. Choose warm (not hot) water
When it’s cold outside, it can be tempting to take a nice hot shower and yes – it does feel great! However, your skin may not approve, since hot water ends up making skin drier. To prevent this, set the temperature to warm instead of hot, so that the skin’s moisture barrier stays healthy. After your shower, make sure to use a soft towel to pat your skin dry instead of rubbing it, which can be too harsh.
4. Apply sunscreen
Nearly everyone out there associates sunscreen with summer, and while that’s good, it’s not something that can be ignored during winter! Sun protection is a crucial part of preventing dry skin during winter since harmful UV rays can still hurt your skin during winter. Use a sunscreen with at least SPF 30 and use it after applying a moisturizer.
5. Skip the exfoliation
Exfoliation is a process that helps get rid of dead skin cells from the skin’s surface, revealing soft, fresh skin underneath. While that sounds good, it can affect you adversely especially if you overdo it during winter. Physical scrubs can be too harsh and can damage the skin’s moisture barrier. If you absolutely need to exfoliate, go for a gentle chemical version.
6. Avoid certain ingredients
So you know what products to use to prevent dry skin during winter, but are you paying attention to what’s in them? The ingredients in your skincare products are just as important as when and how you apply them. Avoid any product that has fragrance, alcohol or retinoids, especially if you have sensitive or dry skin. These ingredients tend to irritate skin, making it dry and itchy. Along the same lines, choose a laundry detergent that is hypoallergenic, especially if your skin is sensitive.
7. Use a humidifier
Winter air is extremely dry, which is why your skin finds it hard to maintain its moisture level. A humidifier can help in this case, by adding more moisture back into the air, which can maintain your skin’s hydration. A setting of 60% is sufficient during winter, especially if you have the heater on indoors.
8. Stay hydrated
External hydration is not enough; you need to have internal hydration too! During winter, we tend to push off drinking water since we don’t get thirsty as frequently as during the summer. It helps to set a timer or keep track of your water intake by filling a bottle and drinking from it. You can also maintain hydration through other fluids like juices and watery fruits and vegetables like citrus fruits and cucumbers.
9. Eat healthy fats
It doesn’t matter how many high-quality products you use on your skin or how well you care for it if all you eat is junk. Nourish your skin from the inside by modifying your winter diet. Include foods high in antioxidants and healthy fats, especially omega-3 fatty acids to protect the skin and maintain the outer lipid layer. Good sources of antioxidants and healthy fats are nuts, seeds, soybeans and fish.
10. Protect yourself
Environmental damage is another reason for dry skin during winter, but fortunately this is a problem that can be easily rectified. Your extremities are particularly prone to the cold, dry winter air, so be sure to wear gloves, hats and ear muffs. When performing tasks around the house, make sure you wear household gloves too, especially if you’re going to be dealing with wet stuff.
These are some easy and practical tips to follow to prevent dry skin during winter – and nothing will break your bank! If you’ve been exposed to extreme cold and find that you’ve lost sensation in any part of your body, you may have frostbite and need to see a doctor. Otherwise, with the right routine, you can ensure your skin is soft, supple and healthy this winter!
Prerna is the founder, editor and owner of ‘Maa of All Blogs’, one of India’s Top Parenting Blogs. Besides being a certified Ashtanga Yoga instructor, she is also a fashion designer and economics graduate.
When she’s not busy running her home and business, she ensures she stays active – whether it’s running the half marathon, completing the Oxfam walk or climbing to the Everest base camp. Prerna enjoys wearing all her hats, and she does so in style!
I have got a dry skin. Thanks for the blog.
I have one more tip to add, a humidifier. And, the best thing is that you don’t have to use it just for dry skin and only in the winter when the air is dry (here’s an article talking about using a humidifier throughout the year but for nasal congestions, sinus problems, headaches, and when your kids have a cold. Something that each household should definitely have.
Very interesting tip Jennifer. It’s something that may not strike us as an obvious cause.