When it’s snowing and blowing outside, all you want to do is curl up by the fire with a cozy blanket and read a good book. There’s a reason why so many animals hibernate during the winter.
Unfortunately, most of us have to brave the weather to shovel the driveway, get to work, run errands, and generally carry on living. Many people also enjoy winter activities like skiing, sledding, and building snowmen.
When you expose your skin to cold, wet weather, however, you risk drying and damage that can be difficult to reverse. The best way to combat itchy dry skin during the winter is with a proper preventive skincare regimen. Here are a few tips to keep your skin healthy and radiant in winter.
Hydrate Your Body
If you don’t know what causes dry skin you can hardly find ways to prevent it. Although some people suffer from conditions like eczema or psoriasis that are responsible for dry skin patches, most of us suffer from dry skin related to both external elements and a failure to properly hydrate.
Since there’s nothing you can do about the weather, your best hope for supple, smooth skin during the winter is to hydrate. This starts from within by drinking plenty of water. Eight glasses, or 64 ounces a day is recommended, but in dry winter conditions, you may need even more.
If cold water doesn’t appeal when it’s cold outside, simply warm it with a little lemon and honey or make yourself a cup of tea. Ingesting plenty of fluids helps to flush away toxins and all the every cells in your body healthy and functioning properly, including your skin.
Hydrate Your Skin
Drinking adequate water is always a good thing, but when your skin is under attack by harsh winter weather you may have to go the extra mile with more targeted efforts. You can start by switching to a face wash for dry skin, especially if you start to notice tightness and flaking.
From there, you must do all you can to inject moisture and seal it in against the onslaught of freezing temperatures and drying winds. If you don’t already use a serum, you should know that the Vitality26 Facial Serum not only plumps skin and addresses fine lines and wrinkles with hyaluronic acid, but it also contains glycerin and organic oils that infuse skin with hydration.
When you follow this up with the Extra Hydrating Facial Cream for both day and night usage, you’ll get an extra boost of hydration from shea butter, not to mention another layer of protection from the elements. This is all good news for extra thirsty skin that might otherwise be adversely affected by dry winter weather conditions.
Use a Humidifier
Even if you aren’t outdoors, your home interior could get rather dry when you’re constantly running the furnace and pumping hot air throughout the house. There is an easy solution for this problem, though – humidifiers.
You can hook up a whole-home system to your HVAC or simply place portable units in the rooms you spend the most time in. Make sure to put one in your bedroom to hydrate your skin while you sleep. As a bonus, you’ll keep mucous membranes moist, helping to stave off cold and flu bugs.
Stay Out of the Sun
When skin is tight and itchy, you’ll get a lot of value from slathering on the best lotion for dry skin, especially right after you wash your face or emerge from the shower. For the greatest benefit, however, you’ll want to stay out of the sun, cover up, or add sunblock. Winter sun can still cause burns, even when weather is cold or overcast.
Avoid Wetness
Hydration and wetness may sound like the same thing, but moisturizing your skin is very different from getting it wet. In the winter, you know you’re not supposed to leave wet socks or gloves on since the combination of coldness and wetness can leave your skin raw and chapped.
This is why licking your lips during the winter leaves them red and peeling, whereas using an appropriate balm keeps them soft, moist, and protected. Since you’re going to wash your face daily regardless of the season, at least combat the drying effects washing can have in the winter by shortening shower times and upgrading to a hydrating moisturizer for dry skin. Vitality26 Extra Hydrating Facial Cream features organic oils and shea butter that boost moisture without making skin sticky or greasy.