10 Tips for Keeping Your Skin Healthy During the Winter

We all know how “gentle” the winter is on our skin. The temperature drops, and the air becomes chilly and dry, and if there’s wind, your skin is surviving a freezing torture. In order to help your skin maintain its health and not come out of the winter looking 5 years older, we recommend following the tips we prepared for you.

1. Keep an eye on which body and face wash you are using

The cold, dry winter air is already damaging your skin, and when you add hot water and skin-dehydrating chemicals that can be found in body hygiene products into the equation, you get skin that is alarmingly dried out and ready to scale and crack.

Make sure you are using products that contain as less as possible artificial ingredients and focus on those that are made of natural ingredients (fruits and plants). Also, try using cooler water and make your showers and bath times shorter.

2. Gently Exfoliate

Before you say - “Wait, isn’t exfoliating going to make my skin even more sensitive to cold, dry air?”, we are going to say - Yes, but only if you scrub with all your strength. On the other hand, gently exfoliating your skin during the winter will help in getting rid of the possible dead skin cell buildup and rejuvenate it.

But, keep an eye on the products you are using, and choose ones that are natural and free of damaging chemicals that dry up and irritate your skin even more.

3. Two-Step Moisturizing

The part of your body that is exposed to the cold wind is your face. Therefore, extra care should be taken to prevent face skin from drying up and cracking. To keep your face hydrated, try the two step moisturization.

Step one would be using a hydrating serum (gel or water based). You need to apply a thin base layer that will help your skin attract the moisture.

Then, step two, moisturizing cream. The role of the moisturizing cream is to keep the moisture the lotion attracted on the surface on the skin, locked. It also prevents it from evaporating. Thus, your face will be nicely moisturized and protected from the dry, cold winter wind.

4. Deep Night Moisturization 

Before you go to bed, it would be a good thing to use a moisturizing body butter or lotion on your elbows, knees, feet, and hands. They are the parts that suffer the most during the day and they need deep moisturization over the night so that they are revitalized for the next day. Also, you can wear thin socks and mittens to keep that moisture locked in and actually have an effect.

5. Use a Humidifier

Not many people know that humidifiers are not only great for your respiratory system. In fact, they do wonders for your skin as well. Also, when you are out, exposed to that cold, dry winter air, your skin dehydrates, and, when you get back home where the heating system has dried up the air even more, your skin is doomed.

So, adding moisture in your home’s air with, for example, the Boneco humidifier or Levoit humidifier, would drastically improve the moisturization of your skin and make it rehydrated and ready for the next winter day.

6. Stay Hydrated

One of the most important things for keeping your skin hydrated and healthy is hydrating your body from the inside. This means making sure you drink plenty of water and avoiding drinks that dehydrate you.

Also, foods such as fruits and vegetables, as well as fish and olive oil, have plenty of water and vitamins that are essential for keeping your kin healthy and properly hydrated.

On the other hand, tea, coffee, and soda drinks, dehydrate your body. Thus, your skin will become dry and even more sensitive to cold and dry air.

7. Lips also need hydration

Most people forget that their lips also need protection from the winter air. Your lips’ skin is thin and sensitive and can easily dry up and crack. So, instead on focusing on colors and shades, make sure your lip balm offers proper hydration. We all know how chapped lips hurt, especially during the winter when they keep drying up and can’t regenerate.

8. Additional outdoor protection

Make sure that when you go out, every part of your body that can be covered, is covered. You need to protect your skin from the cold wind as much as possible. So, hoodies, wool caps, scarves, gloves, should be regular items of your winter outdoor gear. And, if there’s snow outside and it’s cold but sunny, make sure you apply some sunscreen because the sun’s rays are even more damaging because you are hit from both the above and from the reflected sun rays from the snow.

9.  Homemade moisturizing face-mask

Making your own face-mask is actually great because you know what’s in it and it’s not expensive. Most of the ingredients can actually be found in any household. And, having a huge bowl of a nice, natural face-mask is a great reason to have some friends come over and have a face-mask/vine relaxing session (gossip party).

10. Keep away from skin irritants

By now, you’ve definitely realized that during the winter, our skin becomes more sensitive than on other seasons. Dry, cold air and the dreadful winter winds made sure of that. Therefore, to avoid irritating your skin even more, keep an eye on the laundry detergents and softeners you use. It would not be a bad idea to switch to some natural options or at least the ones that are made for sensitive skin.

Also, some fabrics, for example, wool, can irritate your skin, especially if you suffer from skin conditions such as eczema. So, avoid strong detergents and wool clothes and switch to something more skin soothing.