Is it just me or is everyone looking forward to winter the second Halloween is over? If you’re anything like me you’re probably daydreaming about snow, mittens, cute warm hats and scarfs, fairy lights, and Christmas decorations. And while all of those things are amazing and the reason we look forward to winter, the cold weather and freezing wind isn’t great for our skin and can leave it feeling dry, flaky and irritated. Thankfully there are a couple of hacks you can use to enjoy this season and protect your skin at the same time.
1. Exfoliate Everything
Exfoliation is key when it comes to soft skin. Exfoliate your body at least once a week, pay special attention to dry and flaky skin on your knees and elbows. Try to find a natural scrub that contains sugar or salt and some moisturizing oils like coconut or shea butter. This will ensure that your skin will be exfoliated and moisturized at the same time. Same goes for your lips, no one wants to see chapped lips.
2. Moisturize Your Whole Body
We all know that we need to moisturize but few of us actually do it properly. Not only do you need to put moisturizer on your face and neck, but you should also put body lotion all over your body. But did you know that there’s a right time to moisturize? It’s not just whenever your hands feel dry. In fact, the best time to moisturize right after you’ve washed your hands or taken a shower and your skin is still damp. Just pat yourself with a towel and then put the moisturizer on.
3. Get A Humidifier
You might think humidifiers are for plants only, but that’s not true. There’s little moisture in the air in the winter and it can dry out our skin pretty quickly. So get yourself a humidifier and turn in on to keep your skin feeling soft and moisturized when you’re at home.
4. Get A Water Based Face Cream
You might think that colder months mean you should get a thicker, oilier moisturizer to better protect you from the cold. But the fact is, while face-creams that contain oil will keep up the appearance of smooth skin, they don’t really hydrate your skin that well. They’re great for glossing over imperfections, but if you want to moisturize and hydrate your skin from within you need to get a water based face cream.
5. Turn Down The Water Temperature
While hot showers feel amazing this time of year, don’t make the water too hot. Why? Because when the water is very hot it can actually remove natural oils that your skin produces and dry out your skin, and we’re kind of trying to prevent that, remember? So go for warm or lukewarm. And if you want to soak in a warm water and hydrate your skin – add some oats to your bath, your skin will thank you. And don’t stay in the bath for longer than 20 minutes.
6. Layer It Up
We’re not talking just about clothing here (even though that’s a good idea too). If you suffer from dry skin in the winter you might want to try layering your products. Instead of just using a moisturizing face cream – use a hydrating serum first and then put on face cream. Every little bit helps.
7. Get Multiple Tubes Of Hand Cream
Hands suffer in the winter the most. We often forget gloves, or have to take them off to get something out of our bag, etc. They’re left unprotected and turn dry pretty quickly. So constantly having hand-cream on you is a great idea. Get a couple of tubes and put them all over your apartment: in the bath, in the kitchen, in the bedroom. This way you’ll always remember to moisturize your hands after you’ve washed them, washed dishes, or just before you go to bed. It’s also a good idea to put little tube of hand cream into each of your handbags, so you always have some with you.
8. Use Luminous Foundation
Our skin can look a bit dull in the winter months and lack that healthy glow. So putting on matte foundation and drying it out even further isn’t a great idea. Go for a luminous finish to get that healthy glow back.