Welcome Moisture: Skincare During Winter
Looking after your skin and making sure that it’s well-fed can be quite challenging - and especially when the weather takes a turn for the worst. Our skin, as the biggest organ we have, is the first to be in contact with harsh wind and ice cold temperatures so it’s really no wonder that it looks a bit drier during the cold months.
To make matters even worse, we’re only able to find warmth and relief by heating up our homes and making it dry - which again, of course, dries out or skin even more. If you suffer from oily skin and acne, you might even notice that it gets a bit worse during winter; in a desperate attempt to compensate for the dryness, your skin will try to produce even more sebum.
Luckily, there are ways to make it a bit better for ourselves as long as we know how to do it. Follow the tips below and you might actually be able to avoid dry patches, cracked skin, and premature ageing. Here is a comprehensive guide to skincare during winter so that you’re able to enjoy the cold season without cracking up.
First: Make some changes at home
Obviously, a lot of the tips below will include cleansing your face with a mild cleanser and using a good moisturizer - but there are a few changes you can make at home as well in order to ensure that your skin has everything it needs.
Since the air inside tends to be rather dry from all that electrical heating, it’s no wonder that we’re so flaky and itchy these months. Invest a little bit of money in a humidifier at home to compensate for the electrical heating. It will really do wonders in terms of giving your home the moisture it needs - and it will be better for you to breathe in as well.
Maintain that glowing and healthy look all the way through to the festive season with one of these excellent humidifiers. It doesn’t have to cost too much either, by the way, as long as it does the job without making too much noise.
Next: Change your shower routine
Another point to this is that, although those long and steaming hot showers feel great when it’s so cold outside, it’s really not that good for your skin - even if you use a good moisturizer afterwards. Limit your showers with a couple of minutes and try not to make it so hot.
That way, you’re making sure that you’re not drying out your skin before heading out into the cold and dark outside world. You should try to take care of your hands as well, by the way, as they also tend to suffer when it’s cold outside.
Use a good hand cream and wear gloves when you’re out and about; it’s usually the freezing temperatures that make them so red and patchy.
Make some changes to your skincare routine
When you’ve installed that humidifier and shortened your showers with a few minutes, it’s time to take a look at the product you use during winter. While it makes a lot of sense to swap out our wardrobes when the temperatures drop, many people seem to forget that we should do the same with our skincare products.
Your skin needs more moisture and protection during the cold months compared to what it needs when it’s summer. Look for products that contain ingredients that are a bit more nourishing and even made for dry skin - and remember to apply a bit more where you need it the most such as around the nose and around the corners of your mouth.
Many of these products will help to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles too, by the way, so that’s taken care of as well.
Keep in mind that you don’t really need to swap out each and every product you use in order to make your skin glow even when it’s cold outside. Just remember to use a richer moisturizer at least and perhaps take a look at your cleanser in case it’s a bit too harsh for these months.
It’s easy enough to tell if you should swap the cleanser out, though; just consider how your skin feels a few minutes after the shower and treat yourself to a calming one of your skin feels like it’s a few sizes too small for your face.
Hydrate from the inside too
Our number one way of hydrating our bodies is, of course, to drink a large glass of water. When you’re dehydrated, in general, your body will help itself to the moisture that’s found in your skin before anything else; as the largest organ of the body which even exists exclusively to protect the inside of your body, it makes sense that it needs to give up a bit of its own moisture in order to look after your inner organs.
It is, after all, a lot worse to be dehydrated and struggle with kidney problems than to have a bit of dry skin so we should probably be grateful for this function.
That’s why your skin will dry out if you don’t drink enough water - and that’s why you should have a few glasses more to protect your skin from dehydration. It’s great news for your body as well, though, so you hardly need any more reasons to drink lots of water during the way.
Spice it up a bit by having a few cups of tea as well, by the way, so that you’re able to stay both warm and hydrated. There’s nothing better than enjoying a hot cup of tea when it’s freezing cold outside, in any way, so have a look at this article to treat yourself to a few cups specially made for cold winter evenings.
The food you eat will, of course, also influence how moisturized your skin is. The good news is that all the food that contains healthy fats tends to be delicious as well; stock up on fatty fish such as salmon and mackerel, eat your avocados and indulge in nuts throughout the winter. The cream you use on the outside is perhaps the most important in terms of keeping your skin hydrated, but the food you eat can also have a say in this.
Use a face mask at least once a week
How about swapping out your long shower routines for a calming bath once in a while? When we think about everything we look forward to during winter, your bath time is perhaps one of the first things that come to mind; soaking up in a warm and fragrant bath is just a lot nicer when it’s rainy or snowy outside.
Plus, you get to slip into a fuzzy robe afterwards and try out one of those teas in the link above.
You might want to think about swapping out your regular face mask as well, by the way, and make sure that you have one that’s not making your skin even drier. While it can be tough to use a moisturising face mask when your skin is oily, it’s actually very important to do this in order to control breakouts during winter.
People with dry skin and oily skin alike will notice that their problems increase over the winter. While oily skin alone isn’t enough to cause acne or spots, it’s certainly enough if your pores are slightly clogged when your skin tried to produce more oil - and the drier it is, the more oil it will try to produce in order to compensate.
That’s why you might notice that you have both dry skin and spots during the winter and it’s not really that comfortable at all.
A rich face mask can take care of both of these problems at once, though, so make sure that you’re using one that is meant to nourish your skin a bit more than a regular charcoal face mask. Wondering about how often should you use a face mask? While a couple of times a week tends to be sufficient, the link above will also help you out with finding the right ingredients for your dry and glowless skin.
Stay dry and warm
Finally, the best thing you can do for your skin as well as your own comfort, in general, is to make sure that you’re both warm and dry when you’re outside. Nothing will make your hands dry out faster or make them more pink and fragile than exposing them to freezing temperatures; even a quick trip to the grocery shop and back can be terrible for your hands if you’re not wearing gloves.
Do the same for the rest of your body too and it will be much easier to ensure that healthy glow during the winter. Sure, you probably don’t want to cover up in a balaclava all winter but try to at least wear a scarf that you can pull up a bit - and a beanie or a hoodie that covers your face a bit from the side.
If your clothes should get wet from all of those snowball fights you’re going to enjoy, you have to remember to change into something dry as soon as possible. It should be easy enough to remember, though, as it’s rather uncomfortable to walk around in wet clothes.