'Tis the season for staticky hair and dry skin. The coming months are going to bring all kinds of harsh weathers to your skin like wind, cold, and lack of moisture. But thankfully there are ways to beat the winter skin blues!
1. Wash with Lukewarm Water
Hot showers feel amazing, but try to turn the temperature down a little bit, especially when washing your face and hands. Washing in lukewarm water strips away less oils from your skin than hot water.
2. Moisturize Immediately after Washing
Damp skin helps to trap the moisture and lock it in, so make sure to keep a bottle of lotion next to the bathtub or shower and use liberally.
3. Humidify
Heating systems actually take the moisture out of the air so consider a humidifier. If you don't have one, it's the perfect gift to put on your Wish List with the holiday season right around the corner.
4. Exfoliate
You may think you're just drying your skin out more, but you're not. You're actually allowing an opportunity to let more moisture in by getting rid of all of the dead skin that would otherwise prevent it.
5. Deeply Moisturize
Areas like the hands, knees, feet, and elbows have a thinner layer of skin than the rest of your body, which is why they tend to get dryer faster. Use a nice balmy moisturizer on these parts of your body for extra moisture. (A neat trick for your hands: use a balmy moisturizer, or even bag balm, and put rubber gloves on. Sleep with the gloves and moisturizer on and you'll wake up with softer skin!)
6. Hydrating Masks
Whether you buy them or find a DIY recipe, hydrating masks are your facial friends during the winter season.
7. Check your Labels
Get out your moisturizer and check that ingredient label! If you're using products with toner or alcohol then you may want to reconsider. Those products actually take moisture out of the skin instead of putting it in. A better option for this season would be ingredients such as witch hazel or pure cocoa butter.
8. Hydrate Inside and Out
Eating foods with higher water content, or even drinking more water, will help hydrate your body from the inside out. Watermelon, oranges, cantaloupe, celery, zucchini, and tomatoes are all great options!
