Overview
Have you ever noticed that how your skin responds to the changes of the season? If so, you may have noticed that your skin is usually dry and shiny during the cold winter months. Cold air, dry indoor heat, low humidity, and extreme cold can make your skin damp. This can make your skin appear much less radiant than usual. Not only your face, but also your hands, feet, and other elements are affected. You can take steps to keep your skin healthy, even when the temperature drops and you can’t escape the cold, dry air of winter.
What Are The Symptoms Of Dry Skin?
Some common signs and symptoms of dry skin include:
- Flakiness or Scaliness
- Redness
- Some kind of Rough Texture
- Itchiness
- Raw and irritated skin
- Skin Cracks
- Stinging or Burning
The medical term for dry skin is xerosis. Symptoms can be severe and depend on the region of the body affected.
How To Prevent Dry Skin In Winter?
Dry skin in winter is not inevitable. Make a few changes to your skincare methods and habits and using the right products will keep your winter looking soft, smooth and vibrant in all seasons. Let’s take a closer look at eleven tips that can help you improve your skin health during the colder months of the year.
1- Moisturize Immediately After Washing
Whenever you wash your face, hands or body, you remove its natural oils from your skin. Since these oils help prevent moisture, they need to be replaced. That is why it is important to use a moisturizer whenever you wash your skin, especially in any time of winter. Having a helpful reminder, you should always keep a moisturizer bottle along with you and you should also take a travel-size moisturizer bottle with you when you travel anyway.
2- Apply Sunscreen Daily
Due to the short winter days and low sunlight, it can be tempting to remove sunscreen from your normal morning routine. But think again. Even in winter, harmful ultraviolet light can put pressure on the skin’s moisture barrier, which is essential for maintaining skin health and hydration.
Try to apply a layer of sunscreen every morning after applying your moisturizer.
3- Use Overnight Treatments
Night treatment is a great way to revitalize or prevent dry skin. Emulsifiers are great for numbing. However, since they are a type of thick cream, they may take longer to absorb into the skin. By applying an emulsifier to your skin overnight, your skin will need time to absorb the treatment and your skin will not be able to replenish its moisture and oil needs. If you are applying ointment to your hands or feet, consider wrapping it in a plastic bag or glove to prevent the emulsion from spreading on your plots or bedding.
4- Adjust Your Skincare Routine
If your facial skin looks particularly sensitive or irritated from the cold, dry air, you may want to consider simplifying your skincare routine for now. Keep in mind that your skin must be healthy to respond well to moisture barriers with serums, toners, and other beauty products.
Also, if your skin is irritated, it may be more sensitive to ingredients like perfume and alcohol. This means that products that normally look great on your face can be itchy. Try to keep your skincare routine simple. Consider using just a moisturizer and sunscreen in the morning and a mild cleanser with moisturizer in the evening.
Once you are sure your skin’s hydration barrier is healthy, you can gradually add other treatments and ingredients to your routine.
5. Use A Humidifier
Humidifiers help re-add moisture to the air, which can be especially helpful during the winter months when the indoor heating system heats up. Due to having more moisture in the air, it acts as a natural moisturizing agent, that help us to prevent & alleviate dry skin.
6. Lower The Temperature
A hot shower or bath at the end of a cold winter day can be especially relaxing. But, to keep your skin nourished, you may want to keep the water temperature close to light. According to the Boiler College of Medicine, hot water can remove natural oils from your skin faster than donkey water (which is typically around 98.6 ° F / 37 ° C), and possibly even that can cause harm, too.
Also, be careful when drying your skin after bathing or showering, instead of rubbing the skin hardly, gently pat your skin with a soft towel, so that some quantity of the moisture may hydrate the top layer of your skin.
7- Use Exfoliants And Scrubs
Exfoliation, which helps to remove dead cells from the skin’s surface, helps keep your skin looking smooth and vibrant. But, if you often do the wrong thing or use the wrong products, it is possible to sharpen your skin as much as possible.
If your skin looks dry or flaky, you can choose a mild chemical makeup instead of a body scrub. Harder scrubs with large particles are more likely to break down and damage the skin’s moisture barrier. If your skin is cracked, rough, or irritated, it’s best to avoid exfoliating until your skin heals.
8. Try Adding Occlusive To Your Routine
Earlier, we mentioned the use of emulsifiers to help smooth and heal the skin barrier. But, if you find that the beneficial ingredients are not doing enough to heal your dry skin, you may consider adding ingredients to your skincare routine.
Compound or Occlusive ingredients provide a physical barrier to trap moisture on the skin. Examples of secondary components may include:
- Shea Butter
- Cocoa Butter
- Rosehip oil
- Jojoba oil
- Petroleum Jelly-based products for example Vaseline and Aquaphor
The best way to make these products work as usual is to apply them once or twice a day after hydration.
9- Hydrate From The Inside
Another important step in keeping your skin healthy and radiant is making sure you stay hydrated throughout the day. Not drinking enough fluids can affect the appearance of your skin and make it more sensitive to dryness.
In addition to staying well hydrated, you may want to focus on foods that are high in antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids. Both nutrients may protect your cells from the environmental damage & may help your body to make healthy cells, that may include skin cells.
10- Choose Nonirritating Fabrics
A strict rule when treating any skin problem is to avoid the use of harsh materials. And dry skin is no exception. If the skin on your body is very dry, try wearing loose, comfortable, natural clothing to reduce the risk of additional body irritation.
Also, avoid washing your clothes with detergent regularly. Look for a detergent designed for sensitive skin that does not contain potentially harsh chemicals or fragrances.
11- Wear Gloves
Gloves against environmental agents are the last physical barrier that can dry out the skin on your hands. To protect your hands, wear warm gloves when entering the cold and wear a pair of silicone gloves when washing dishes.
Limiting the dry air and hot water that touches your skin can help keep your hands soft and well hydrated.