Winter is officially in full swing. Whether your climate is cloudy, sunny, windy, or snowy, chances are good that temperatures have dropped and outdoor humidity has plummeted. Indoors, heaters in our homes and workplaces run full-blast for months to keep us protected from the icy chill. With so little moisture in the air, it’s no surprise that breakouts of dry, itchy skin affect so many of us each winter.
Quick trips between your front door and your car blast your face and lips with icy wind, and even a short walk without gloves leaves your hands vulnerable to the harsh effects of this frigid season. You might think you’re getting a good night’s sleep thanks to the space heater that’s keeping you toasty-warm, but your throat and sinuses may be parched from the dehydrated air!
What’s the effect of all this dry air on your skin? As you’ve no doubt learned, the human body is made of up to 70% water, but you might be surprised to learn that your skin loses around 25% of its ability to retain humidity during the winter months. Just as water evaporates from the air, cold weather draws moisture straight out of your skin, sometimes leaving you with a dreaded case of “winter itch.”
Luckily, there are several easy ways to deal with unpleasant breakouts of dry winter skin. Read on for our top 5 tips to prevent dry skin in winter!
We’ve all experienced some form of dry winter skin breakouts, along with the maddening itch that accompanies truly parched skin. Some of the most vulnerable places include your hands, legs, lips, and face. Your hands are often exposed to the wind and cold without gloves, and it doesn’t take long for the skin around your knuckles to become raw and red.
Flakes of skin will begin to peel away if your hands become dry enough, leaving you with cracks and edges that can snag painfully on rough fabrics. Your legs are also prone to dryness; the hot water and abrasion from a shave in the shower strip away oils and moisture, leaving you with shins that look powdery and dull. Try not to scratch them, it only makes things worse.
When the air is especially arid, you’ve probably experienced hair that goes suddenly frizzy, with fly-aways you can’t seem to tame. The more you brush, the more static builds up in your hair, causing it to float maddeningly around your face.
We’ve all experienced the pain of chapped lips, where instead of a soft, springy surface, your lips are coated in jagged flakes that tear and peel. They can become so dry that they literally split, leaving the you with painful and unsightly sores.
Winter is particularly hard on the all of the soft and sensitive skin around your face. Even if your skin type is typically oily, you may find your cheeks turning red and ruddy. And who hasn’t seen those tiny flakes that fall from your forehead when you scratch a particularly itchy spot?
Despite the bounty of products that claim to target dry skin, it’s important to be aware of exactly what you’re buying. Many mass-produced offerings are loaded with chemicals and artificial ingredients that strip hydration from skin, which can lead to a vicious cycle of constantly needing to reapply the product.
Most commercial soaps remove glycerin but add fragrance and chemical ingredients that can irritate your skin, eradicating moisture and leaving your skin feeling tight and stretched. And although some of the large beauty brands sell facial oil products that say they contain “natural oils,” there are many added chemicals that are decidedly not natural, and may not be the best choice to soothe the sensitive skin around your face.
But don’t despair. From simple hydration to luxurious hydrosol, there are simple steps you can take to battle winter itch. Try a few of our favorites below, and start relieving your dry skin immediately.
Winter is here for a few more months, but with vigilant humidifying tactics, nourishing skin oils, and a few spritzes of lavender, you can keep your skin smooth, soft, and hydrated until spring!
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Autumn is here, and winter is coming, but that doesn’t mean you have to endure dry, brittle, frizzy hair until spring. The right strategy and healthful, natural hair care ingredients will help you maintain your bouncy, shiny locks all winter.
First, let’s discuss your winter hair care routine. Then we’ll discuss the products that we recommend for best results.
What do smooth, supple skin, powerful anti-aging, and improved wound healing all share?
They are all benefits of using hyaluronic acid in a natural skin care regimen!
This incredible skin care ingredient can keep you looking young and vibrant even when cold winds, harsh environmental pollutants, and even time leave you feeling dry, cracked, and wrinkled.
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