Good Morning Beautifuls!
How's the colder weather treating you? Has Jack Frost nipped at your lips, yet? Is your skin ashy, flaky, cracked or d. all of the above? What about your hair? Does it stay on "crispy"? Has your eczema gone full-blown? Trust me... I'm right there with you.
When the temperature outside drops and the temperature inside rises, our skin is under major assault. Low humidity, coupled with heavier clothing and longer, hotter showers and baths can leave your skin feeling dry & itchy. Slathering on lotion is a good start but there are other effective ways to combat winter dryness like the following..
1. Continue to drink water. Normally, I'm the person who loves downing water. Now, I find that I'm having to force myself to drink it. Remember, water hydrates the skin from inside out.
2. And about that long, hot shower (or bath if you like)...it is recommended by Hillard H. Pearlstein, M.D. (professor of dermatology at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine), to take a 15 minutes soak in "lukewarm" water. He also feels that bathing everyday is unnecessary. ..*side eye* I beg to differ. At least for me. However, shortening my shower time and lowering the water temps, I can do. If you're into baths you may want to try adding oils to your water.
3. Use a mild soap to bathe and/or wash your face and hands. Try soaps that contain glycerin, which traps & maintains moisture. Or try fatty, moisturizing body washes.
4. Once you're finished washing your face, hands or bathing - dab yourself to the point where you're almost dry. Just a little damp. Then apply your moisturizer so that you trap the water in the upper layers of the skin, thereby sealing in moisture.
5. Try adding oil like vitamin e, jojoba, etc. etc. to your moisturizer.
6. Shave using lotion or hair conditioner instead of shaving foam.
For Your Hair...
7. Apply a leave-in conditioner to your hair daily. This is a must!
8. Avoid using excessive heat on your hair.
9. Deep condition regularly. Hot oil treatments are also great.
10. If you hair get too dry, opt for a hair repair mask.
11. Shield your hair with a cute hat, cap or scarf, slightly loose to allow scalp circulation to protect your hair against the wind chill. If you choose to do this, shoot for silk or satin-lined to keep away hair snags.
And most important...
Invest in a humidifier. This will put moisture back into the air that's been dried out by your homes furnace-heated air, which can reduce the humidity level in your home.
Hope this helps!
Let me know if you have any great suggestions...
Post Title → Combating Winter Dryness
