How to Get Rid of Your Winter Dry Skin

How to Treat Your Skin Naturally During Winter 

    

      If you live in a cold part of the world, you'll know that low temperatures can damage your skin, both on your face and body. The skin becomes dry, and scaly and sometimes can crack, which is painful or itchy. Cold and dry air can make your skin red, itchy, and irritated. Combat winter dry skin with these tips to retain your skin's natural moisture.

Dry skin occurs when your skin doesn't retain enough moisture, for example, from frequent bathing, use of harsh soaps, aging, or certain medical conditions. Winter poses a particular problem, as humidity is low both outdoors and indoors, and the moisture content of the epidermis (the outermost layer of the skin) tends to reflect the humidity level of the surroundings. Fortunately, there are many simple and inexpensive things you can do to relieve winter dry skin, also known as winter itching.

For many, the bright cold days of winter bring more than just a rosy glow to the cheeks. They also bring about uncomfortable dryness of the skin on your face, hands, and feet. For some people, the problem is worse than a general feeling of tightness and dryness: Cold temperatures make the skin very dry, causing peeling, cracking, and even eczema (inflamed skin).

The harsh winter weather can be damaging to your skin, as the scorching cold temperatures and dry air drain its natural moisture. But the right routine of care and some important changes to your habits and products can help keep the skin on your face and body soft, hydrated, and supple.

Symptoms of Dry Skin

There are some symptoms that you need to keep in mind before you leave your dry skin untreated. Many factors can predispose you to dry skin like climate, age, or health conditions at any given time. Following are some of the symptoms;

- Your skin may become rough and lose its luminous texture.

- You will feel as though your skin has tightened.

- Severe itching

- Skin begins to scaly and peel.

- Skin turns red

Why Choose Natural Dry Skin Remedies Instead of Buying Products?

Given the countless skin products, there are natural remedies that might be worth trying. Natural oils and remedies tend to be pure, so they are a better choice for many.

Other over-the-counter products can have a lot of chemicals in them—they don't only contain active moisturizing products, but they also have preservatives. That is often the case for water-based products. This along with products containing alcohol and fragrances, can cause irritation or an allergic reaction, or dry out your skin.

It is often a good idea to keep it simple when it comes to beauty care, especially for people with allergies or sensitive skin. Unlike water-based or preservative-based lotions and creams, pure oils have natural ingredients, making them great dry skin remedies.

Keep Moisture In The Air

Your skin is a barrier that holds water within your body, so when it's dry and cold, water evaporates from the skin's surface faster and more easily.

To prevent dryness, it is highly recommended to use a humidifier, and it is recommended to drink an additional glass or two of water.

Humidifiers are a great way to add moisture back into your home, especially if you are prone to heat blasts. In terms of cleansers and moisturizers, softer is better.

Use a Milder Product

The key is to use a gentle cleanser, Dove body soap is very moisturizing and doesn't strip skin of moisture.

For your face, you may want to use a gentler cleanser, like Cetaphil. For your body, you might normally use a scented body wash in the summer, but in the winter you might have to switch to something like Dove or Cetaphil, or Vani creams, something more gentle.

If you are dealing with acne, just apply water to the area. Otherwise, it is strongly recommended to use a product with ceramides (Cerave products are a common example) and glycerin (The Ordinary's Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA hydration serum contains glycerin and ceramides) to fix and guard your skin's moisture barrier.

Avoid Hot Showers And Baths

In the winter months, taking a hot shower and not using a moisturizer can create cracks on your skin's surface. Hot water evaporates quickly, and if the skin isn't immediately moisturized, the cracks in the skin expose the skin's nerves to air, resulting in what feels like lots of papercuts and eczema, or 'winter itch.

With the weather we're in, the thing we want to do is come home after a long walk and take a warm shower, realizing that too hot water dehydrates our skin.

If you enjoy hot showers, keep your bathroom door closed if possible, and once you've dried, and moisturized, it's highly recommended to look for products with ceramides as well as hyaluronic acid, to keep your skin's barrier from losing too much water.

You may like hot showers in winter, but your skin doesn't.

Invest in a Humidifier to Maximize Moisture

Using a humidifier in your home or office will add humidity to the dry winter air, and help keep your skin hydrated. Run a humidifier in the rooms you use most often, including your bedroom.

Avocado face mask

Making a homemade avocado face mask will soften your skin, and prevent you from getting dry skin. What you need to do is take half an avocado and add a teaspoon of honey. After this is done, apply the mixture to your face and let it dry for 20 minutes. This recipe can moisturize the skin and make it shine.

Option for Gentle, Fragrance-Free Cleansers

The wrong soap can make itchy and dry skin worse. Ordinary bar soaps may contain irritating ingredients and fragrances. Instead, wash it off with a fragrance-free cleanser or moisturizing gel. (And look for products that are specifically labeled “fragrance-free”, as “unscented” products contain fragrance.)

You can also prevent winter skin problems by using less soap, so limit soap to areas where it is needed, such as your hands, armpits, genitals, and feet.

Exfoliate in moderation

The last thing dehydrated skin needs, and to wear in winter, is a scrub for rough and abrasive skin, which can strip moisture and exacerbate irritation. If you notice flaking or redness as your skin peels, switch to a gentler facial skin care formula, with lactic or fruit acids, or a facial scrub with round jojoba beads, which are less likely to dehydrate the skin.

Avoid stronger acids like glycolic acid and harsher exfoliants like sugar and salt, and use your exfoliator no more than once a week.

Replace more abrasive cleaning tools such as loofahs, sponges, or itchy body brushes with softer washcloths, which are less likely to disturb the skin's hydration barrier, and lightly wipe your face and body with a towel, not scrubbing. Avoid scratching your skin too. No matter how itchy your dry skin is, scratching can damage the surface of the skin and cause more moisture loss. Instead, apply a hydrating ointment or balm to the area to immediately soothe and protect the skin.

Lower the Thermostat to Avoid Your Skin Dryness

When it's cold outside, what's the first thing you like to do? Turn up the heat! However, central heat can make the air in your home drier. Try setting the thermostat to a cool but comfortable setting — 68°F to 72°F to maintain healthy skin.

Limit Shower Time and Temperature

It may be tempting to take a long shower, but your skin will feel much better with a 5 to 10-minute warm bath. You should also avoid using too hot water when washing your hands — if the water causes your skin to turn red, it's too hot. Washing hands with colder water appears to be just as effective as removing germs with warm water, and is less irritating to the skin, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). And if you use a restroom air hand dryer, use it only until your hands are damp, not completely dry.

Wear Appropriate, Comfortable, Nonirritating Clothing

Many cold-weather fabrics can make dry winter skin worse. Keep wool and rough clothing away from touching your skin directly, as they can cause dry skin to become irritated and itchy.

Instead, put on a light layer of soft, breathable material directly on your skin, then put on your heavier, warmer sweater. Be sure to protect your hands from the cold winter air with gloves or mittens, remembering to choose a pair that won't irritate your skin. If you prefer wool gloves, apply a cotton or silk glove lining first.

Reset Your Skin Care Regimen for This Winter

During the winter months, choose a cream-based cleanser, and use toners and astringents sparingly, if available. Many astringents contain alcohol, which can further dry your skin out. When your skin is dry and itchy, stop using products containing alcohol and fragrances to help your skin retain its natural oils. In the evening, apply a richer moisturizer on your face.

Moisturize Frequently, Especially Your Hands

Take care of your skin's health by moisturizing it after bathing. Using a cream or ointment in the winter is the best way. The lotion will work better in a more humid and warm climate.

Remember to Eat Properly and Stay Hydrated

Sometimes when the skin is very dry, it can be helped by foods or supplements containing omega-3 or omega-6 fatty acids, such as fish oil and flaxseed oil. For the most part, though, it's important to help skin moisturize from the outside.

Upgrade Your Moisturizer, And Use It Often

Moisturizing your skin is essential to keep it hydrated all winter long.

Applying a very heavy moisturizer as soon as you get out of the bath or shower will help keep your skin feeling nice and smooth. Sometimes coating the oil on your face and body before a cream-based moisturizer will help trap in hydration.

Before bathing, skin experts recommend body oils. I like coconut oil, as it hydrates the skin and protects the barrier before taking a warm shower. In addition to coconut oil, which is excellent for the body, essential oils are a great novelty. There are argan oil, tea tree oil, rose oil, and rose hip oil which is great for the face and a little easier on someone prone to acne.

One common mistake you make is choosing a lotion over a cream.

The lotion is a common moisturizer and comes in pump form. The problem with lotions is that they are not thick, and because they are not moisturizing when your skin is dry in winter, it is important to use creams, which come in jars, and ointments. You'll also want to avoid fragrances, as those can irritate and dry out the skin.

Ointments or very thick products like Vaseline are better suited for your body's skin than your face, as they can clog pores, so when choosing a cream for your face, it's highly recommended to look for a product. Contains ceramides that are noncomedogenic (so they don't make a breakout) and are fragrance-free.

Other ingredients to look for are a B vitamin derivative called niacinamide, which contains hyaluronic acid, and Aveeno.

Reduce exfoliation

Do you have to do an exfoliation? If your skin is really dry then you definitely shouldn't exfoliate, but if it doesn't have any effect, then you can. Of course, your skin will exfoliate less than usual, because your skin barrier will be slightly disturbed by dryness and cold air.

If your skin is okay with exfoliating, do it once a week to help accelerate skin regeneration and allow better penetration of your moisturizer.

Seek a Skincare Specialist

If you go to your local drugstore, you will be hard-pressed to find anyone who can give you the right advice. That's why you should go to a beautician or dermatologist. The specialist can analyze your skin type, troubleshoot your current skin care regimen, and give you advice on the skin care products you should use.

But that doesn't mean you will be stuck buying high-end products. Inexpensive products work just as well as high-end products. The extra price you pay for expensive items is often just packaging and marketing. What's most important is how your skin responds to the product, not how much money you pay for it.