Luckily, you can take control of the situation. With a little effort, you can have soft, smooth, beautiful skin… Even in the dead of winter! Read on as we discuss the solutions for five of the most common winter skin issues.
#1 Dry Skin
Cold, windy, dry air depletes your skin of its natural moisture, drying it out. When the air is consistently cold and lacking humidity, the water in your skin evaporates quickly, giving you that dry, tight, leather feeling.
Unfortunately, doubling down on your moisturizer isn’t enough.
The solution: Stay hydrated.
It may sound like a no-brainer but moisturizing from the inside is the best way to combat dry skin. Nourish your body with healthy foods and beverages, including a lot of water. A healthy diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids, like fish and flaxseed oil, can help manage hydration and reduce premature aging of your skin. (It also helps alleviate depression, which is more common in the winter when there’s less sun. Bonus!)
Of course, a good skincare routine that includes cleansing, exfoliating a few times per week, and a winter-friendly moisturizer will help, too.
For your face, serum. Like our Kakadu Skin Brightening Serum, is essential in the winter. Serum penetrates and pulls moisture deep into your skin’s inner layers and helps keep it there. Use it after cleansing and before moisturizing,
#2 Flaky Skin
Excessive dryness often leads to flaky or even cracked skin. Ouch! Moisturizers are helpful but won’t completely alleviate the problem.
The solution: Exfoliate.
Exfoliate your skin regularly. You may need to increase how often you do this in the winter. A few times per week should help.
Our ReNew Exfoliating Face Mask Polishing Scrub is not just for your face! Use it where your skin is dry, and let it sit on your skin for 5 minutes or so before rinsing it off. Your hands, feet, elbows, arms, and your face will appreciate the extra care, and the hydrating ingredients in the scrub will definitely take care of them.
#3 Chapped Lips
Lips need just as much moisture as the rest of your body. Wearing thick matte or long-lasting lipstick can also leave your lips dry or cracked.
During the colder months, you tend to lick your lips more frequently because they are dry. It may feel like a good solution at the moment, but saliva quickly evaporates and dries out your lips.
The solution: Use lip ointment or lip butter.
Lip ointments and lip butters that are rich in vitamin A or E help hydrate and heal chapped, cracked lips. Use them throughout the day and at night. These lip treatments can be used under your lipstick. You can also use a moisturizing lip gloss that goes over your color to combat the dry air.
During the winter, you might also want to avoid using plumping lip glosses, as they contain irritants that can further dry your lips.
#4 Irritation and Redness
Red or flushed hands, cheeks, chest, nose, ears… You’ve seen or experienced this in the winter. As with extreme heat in the summer, harsh winter conditions can result in irritation and redness of your skin. If you’re not careful, this can last through the entire winter.
The solution: Be faithful to your skincare routine.
It’s easy to become complacent or even lazy when it comes to taking care of your skin, especially when you’re locked inside and not spending a lot of time mingling with others. Don’t be that person. Stay on top of your daily regimen. Use a cleanser like our Purifying Facial Cleanser, to help remove irritants, followed with a serum, and finish with a moisturizer like our Vitamin C Moisturizer.
In the winter, especially, never shortcut or skip your routine. Your skin really needs the attention and care of a solid routine with quality, healing products.
For your body, you may need to use a more gentle cleanser in the winter. Some soaps and body washes (especially those made with sulfates) actually increase your skin’s dryness, or cause irritation when your skin is already dry, like it can be from the weather. Switching to a more gentle cleanser, like our Organic Psoriasis Shampoo + Body Wash, can help keep your skin healthy by not causing additional irritation. Our Organic Psoriasis Shampoo + Body Wash is not just for those dealing with Psoriasis. It’s for anyone with sensitive skin! The gentle, nourishing ingredients help restore your skin to its naturally healthy state.
#5 UV Damage
It’s true! The sun’s rays can damage your skin even when it’s -20° outside. If you’re lucky enough to live where it snows, snow can reflect up to 80 percent of the sun’s rays right back up at you, so regular sunscreen use in the winter is crucial to decreasing your UV exposure.
The solution: You know this one – Sunscreen!
Eventually, Winter Ends
Spring will be here soon enough, but until then, take care of your skin. That way, when springtime rolls around, you’re looking younger and healthier because of your skin.
Like What You Just Read?
In case you were wondering, the following products were mentioned in this blog post.
Remarkably Clean Purifying Face Wash
Kakadu Skin Brightening Serum
ReNew Exfoliating Face Mask
Vitamin C Moisturizer
Psoriasis Shampoo + Body Wash
