Winter Skin Remedies

Good morning lassies!

The winter is really truly drawing ever closer to taking over the season of autumn.  I'm sitting writing this post under my warmest blanket, sipping a lovely cup of warm tea.  Soon...I'll have to make myself a cup of yummy hot chocolate with mini marshmallows and squirty cream.  Love it!

That brings me to winter skin care tips....

1. Seek a Specialist

The most important thing to understand about your skin, during the winter, is which areas tend to be dry and which areas tend to be normal/combination skin.  If you go to your local drugstore, you'll be hard put to find a salesperson who can give you good advice. That's why going to an esthetician or dermatologist even once is a good investment. Such a specialist can analyze your skin type, troubleshoot your current skin care regimen, and give you advice on the skin care products you should be using.  Dermalogica have a brilliant skin mapping system where the consultant looks at the skin in different areas on the face and advise you on your skin type in these areas.  I've had this done, and it is brilliant and very true.  For example, I suffer from an oily T-zone and my cheeks are often prone to dryness.  You can visit a beauty salon near you that specialises in Dermalogica Face Mapping and also buy their brilliant products that speak for themselves.  This applies to woman AND men!

Online Face Mapping Click Here

2. Moisturize More

You may have found a moisturizer that works just fine in spring and summer.  But as weather conditions change, so, too, should your skin care routine.  Find an "ointment" moisturizer that's oil-based, rather than water-based, as the oil will create a protective layer on the skin that retains more moisture than a cream or lotion. (Hint: Many lotions labeled as "night creams" are oil-based.)
But choose your oils with care because not all oils are appropriate for the face. Instead, look for "nonclogging" oils, like avocado oil, mineral oil, primrose oil, or almond oil. Shea oil -- or butter -- is controversial, because it can clog facial pores.
You can also look for lotions containing "humectants," a class of substances (including glycerine, sorbitol, and alpha-hydroxy acids) that attract moisture to your skin.

3. Slather on the Sunscreen

No, sunscreen isn't just for summertime. Winter sun -- combined with snow glare -- can still damage your skin. Try applying a broad-spectrum sunscreen to your face and your hands (if they're exposed) about 30 minutes before going outside. Reapply frequently if you stay outside a long time.

Using a multipurpose product like a B.B. cream with SPF15 is an excellent solution

4. Give Your Hands a Hand

The skin on your hands is thinner than on most parts of the body and has fewer oil glands. That means it's harder to keep your hands moist, especially in cold, dry weather. This can lead to itchiness and cracking. Wear gloves when you go outside; if you need to wear wool to keep your hands warm, slip on a thin cotton glove first, to avoid any irritation the wool might cause.

5. Avoid Wet Gloves and Socks

Wet socks and gloves can irritate your skin and cause itching, cracking, sores, or even a flare-up of eczema.

Painful eczema on the hands

6. Hook Up the Humidifier

Central heating systems (as well as space heaters) blast hot dry air throughout our homes and offices. Humidifiers get more moisture in the air, which helps prevent your skin from drying out. Place several small humidifiers throughout your home; they help disperse the moisture more evenly.

7. Hydrate for Your Health, Not for Your Skin

If you've heard it once, you've heard it a thousand times: Drinking water helps your skin stay young looking. In fact, it's a myth. Water is good for your overall health and "the skin of someone who is severely dehydrated will benefit from fluids.

Drink water for your health as it will detoxify your body, which will help your skin.

8. Grease Up Your Feet

Yes, those minty foot lotions are lovely in the hot summer months, but during the winter, your feet need stronger stuff. Try finding lotions that contain petroleum jelly or glycerine instead. And use exfoliants to get the dead skin off periodically; that helps any moisturizers you use to sink in faster and deeper.  I'll be doing a blog about looking after your feet shortly.

9. Pace the Peels

If your facial skin is uncomfortably dry, avoid using harsh peels, masks, and alcohol-based toners or astringents, all of which can strip vital oil from your skin. Instead, find a cleansing milk or mild foaming cleanser, a toner with no alcohol, and masks that are "deeply hydrating," rather than clay-based, which tends to draw moisture out of the face. And use them a little less often.

Yes to hydrating masks in winter!

No to clay-based masks, better used in summer!

10. Ban Superhot Baths

Sure, soaking in a burning-hot bath feels great after frolicking out in the cold. But the intense heat of a hot shower or bath actually breaks down the lipid barriers (fat-barrier) in the skin, which can lead to a loss of moisture.
A lukewarm bath with oatmeal or baking soda, can help relieve skin that is so dry it has become itchy. So, too, can periodically reapplying your moisturizer. If those techniques don't work, go see a dermatologist. "You may need a prescription lotion to combat the dry skin. Or you may have a condition that isn't simply dry skin and that requires different treatment.
                                                                
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I hope you found this helpful especially as the winter is fast approaching!  The wind is definitely very blowy lately and that makes skin even more dry.  So keep up with these top winter skin tips, and you should avoid feeling like you are wearing a clay mask!  Enjoy ^_^