Wintertime and Your Skin.

            I would love to say that spring time is right around the corner, but the reality it does not seem this way. Record snow falls and freezing temperatures are leaving the whole upper half of the United States praying for February to be over. With two more weeks left and more snow expected, the best we can do is take care of ourselves and make sure are skin does not suffer through the cold.

            During the winter time the use of skin care products, especially moisturizers, play a very important part in keeping our body and mind healthy. What I mean by this is that when your skin is itchy and flaking, it can drive you absolutely crazy. The reason for the dry itchy skin most likely has to do with the weather outside. A rule of thumb, the less moisture in the air, the more you have to provide moisture to your skin via a skin care product so as to avoid that feeling of I am about to go crazy if I don’t stop itching.

            Isn’t snow moisture in some shape or form? Well yes it is, but the fact that during the winter time most of us spend a majority of our time inside is what truly gets our skin dried out. This is the constant running of the heat, sitting close to those cozy fires, and the long hot showers we all enjoy in the winter are the main reasons why are skin starts to dry out. So to avoid those issues, there are a couple of things you can do.

            The easiest to fix is to not take such hot bathes or showers. The hotter the water, the more your natural oils will be stripped off your skin. Luke warm water is the best due to its ability to not “shock” your skin while opening up your skin pores to receive the moisture it so needs. Also, immediately right after a shower, put on your skin care products (Mostly when I say skin care products, I mean your moisturizers for your face and body.). The longer you wait to apply those moisturizing skin care products, the less moisture your skin will hold onto. See, moisturizers of good quality act as an extra protector against the outside influences stealing the moisture from your skin, so please don’t forget them.

            For the fact that we are indoors a majority of the time and the heat is blasting, your best bet is to either buy a humidifier to add the extra moisture your skin needs to stay hydrated, or just turn the heat down (even though I think option B is obsolete these winter season). Also, do as I said above; make sure to carry a moisturizing skin care product on you to be applied when you feel dried out. These suggestions right here will make a world of difference.

                Even though moisturizing skin care products should be an essential for everyone no matter what season, for the winter it is extra important. The cold months that force us to stay in the drying heat are almost over, finally, but this doesn’t mean your skin may not still need attention. Remember to still avoid too hot showers, try to stay as moisturized as possible and perhaps invest in a humidifier, it could be the best decisions you’ve ever made.