Winter Skin Care

Come winter and all of us can feel significant change in our skin condition. Increased skin dryness and lack of glow are some of the expected signs of cold winter season. Dry skin not only looks dull, but it also causes skin problems, like itchiness, feeling of tightness and pain. In some people, winter skin problems are worse, ranging from cracking, peeling to uncomfortable eczema. On the brighter side, you can maintain normal skin texture with some basic winter skin care tips.

Winter Skin Care Tips: Explained

The reasons for increased skin dryness and chapped skin during winter are lack of moisture in atmospheric air, low temperature and harsh winds. Collectively, these environmental factors cause depletion of natural skin moisture and oils, thereby leaving your skin dry and dull. Also, we tend to use room heaters, which again worsen dry skin condition. Listed below are some of the useful winter skin care home remedies, which you can follow to stay away from skin dryness and cracks.

Keep Water Warm
Using very hot water to beat cold winter temperature is the main reason for depletion of skin moisture. Hot water along with harsh soaps and chemical based beauty products makes the skin dry. In order to reduce it, use lukewarm water for cleaning and bathing purposes. But, avoid very hot water as far as possible.

Use a Skin Moisturizer
A thick, superior quality skin moisturizer is one of the must have winter skin care products. It helps in keeping the skin moist, supple and soft. Do not apply moisturizer on damp or wet skin. Instead, you can dab your skin dry after a shower or hand washing before application of regular skin moisturizer.

Use Broad Spectrum Sunscreen
Winter sun combined with strong winds cause damaging effects to the skin, of which dry skin is a common sign. In short, applying sunscreen is not restricted to the summer season. You should use a broad-spectrum sunscreen of a trusted brand on your face and other exposed skin areas, prior to stepping out in the sun.

Occasional Skin Exfoliation
As we all know, exfoliation is an easy way to get rid of dead skin cells. Likewise, winter skin care for dry skin includes exfoliation of the face and the skin with a gentle scrub. Put some in your palm and massage it gently into the skin. Considered as a dry skin remedy for face, it increases the effectiveness of using skin moisturizer.

Feet and Heel Care
During winter, it is not unusual to have patches of dry skin in the feet and cracks in the heels. The point is you should replace your regular body lotions with stronger versions. Best feet lotion for use in winter are those that contain glycerin and petroleum jelly. Massage it in the feet and heel to retain soft skin.

Wear Hand Gloves
The skin on the hand remains wet more frequently than other areas in the body. And the worst part is that it is thinner than the rest of the skin. Thus, cracks and itching in hands are commonly manifested signs in winter. If you experience the same, make a habit of wearing gloves and consider moisturizing the skin after washing hands.

Take Short Showers
Taking long baths or soaking in bathtubs for a long time are equally responsible for drying skin. Treating your skin with water for a long time does nothing good for the skin. Rather it washes off the skin oils, resulting in increased dryness. So, follow natural skin care, and keep your shower session brief and short during cold winter months.

Install a Room Humidifier
As aforementioned, dry skin in winter is partly caused due to lack of humidity in air. So, a simple winter skin care tip that is good for your health is using a room humidifier, especially in your bedroom. This home appliance is helpful to replenish humidity in the rooms, which is reduced by usage of hot furnaces and heaters.

Keep Yourself Hydrated
Drinking ample amount of water is beneficial for your overall health, including the health of the skin. You might have already come across the signs of skin dehydration and lack of water symptoms in the body. Considering the fact that water keeps the skin hydrated, you should drink lots of water and healthy fluids as a part of winter skin care regimen.

On the concluding note, following winter skin care tips and adopting dry skin remedies are the key approaches to make your skin look soft and fresh during cold conditions. Also, they reduce the risk of developing skin cracks, peeling, which in turn are the triggering factors for skin infections. With this information, I hope you will succeed in keeping skin soft in winter time. If you experience dry facial skin, reduce the use of chemical peels and alcohol based astringents.

5 Easy Tips To Protect Yourself Against Dry Skin

Our skin can become dry for various reasons. The sebum on the skin can get washed away very fast because of frequent washing of your skin. One of the reasons is that you might be using harsh detergents. The weather may also be playing a part. Dry air will suck the moisture away from our skin. Air conditioners and room heaters are well known to produce dry air and that is one dry skin cause.

When winter comes, the moist, warm weather will soon become dry, cold and harsh. It is a good time to look for a good remedy to combat the dry, chapped, chafed and itchy dry skin. Shielding lotion is now recommended by dermatologists as dry skin treatment. Here are some additional tips that may also help protect you against dry skin.

1. Use sun blocks lotion on sunny days. 15 SPF is usually strong enough, but if you are outdoors for a long time, you need more protection.

2. Although a long, hot bath or shower can feel very comfortable when you are indoors from the cold. However that hot water will cause dry skin just as easily in the winter as the summer. It's also best to use as little soap as possible to avoid washing off protective natural oils.

3. As soon as you get out of the shower, pat dry (rubbing chafes the skin and the towel absorbs too much of the skin's natural oil) and apply a shielding lotion immediately. It can keep the moisture locked in and protect yourself from both the dryness indoors and the harsh elements outdoors. Don't forget about your hands and face.

4. If you're going to be out in the cold for a long time, or you're involved in outdoor sports, you need to prevent overheating and becoming too cold or wet - all of which will cause dry skin. The best way to accomplish all three is to dress in layers of clothes. Silk is best next to our skin. It is good insulation, is soft, lightweight, and allows the skin to breath. It also dries quickly so your skin doesn't chafe from being continually wet. Avoid cotton, it retains moisture.

Wool is moist resistant, and retains its insulating qualities even when it is wet. However, it's not very comfortable right next to the skin. Silk undergarments are readily available in sporting goods stores - pants, tops, and liners for gloves and socks.

5. Use a humidifier if possible. Integrating it into your central heating system is best, but if you have one that's portable, using in the bedroom at night is most effective for preventing dry skin.

Just following the 5 tips above will help you withstand the winter unharmed, and without the cracked, chafed, itchy dry skin that is typical of the season.