Icy temperatures, whipping winds, and tropical heating, can wreak havoc on your skin during winter months. Take a look at these five skin care tips to avoid dryness and redness, and get the skin as smooth and as soft as ever. They should do the trick until the temperatures begin to rise again.
1. Keep showers short.
There is nothing like a long hot shower on a cold morning, or after you have spent time outside in the cold. As tempting as it may be, you should do your best to keep those showers at 10 minutes or less, limit them to once a day, and keep the water mid to lukewarm. Warmth affects the outmost layer of your skin, the epidermis, which serves two purposes. It protects you from the environment AND it helps your skin retain moisture. In order to retain moisture, the epidermis produces oil, which creates a protective barrier on the skin. This oil barrier is melted and washed away with hot water. Moisture evaporates from the skin more easily and it soon leads to dryness and itchiness.
2. Wear SPF.
You are used to summer warnings about wearing sunscreen with a high SPF, but these warning also apply to winter. Even on a cloudy and rainy day, UV rays penetrate the clouds and can affect your skin. So you need to be protected all year round. The damage caused by overexposure to sun ranges from discoloration and dryness of the skin, to wrinkles and skin cancer. Did you know that over 80% of visible aging signs are due to the so called photo aging? By wearing sunscreen whenever you leave the house, regardless of the weather, you will prevent premature aging.
3. Use organic skin care products.
Winter weather conditions are harsh enough on your skin, so why would you want to make things even worse? Once the temperatures drop, switch to milder skin care products. Although it may not seem like it, cold winter air is extremely dry. That is why moisturization is particularly important. You should moisturize more often and to avoid irritating your skin with aggressive products, use organic face moisturisers. They are made of completely natural ingredients that cause no allergies or other irritation to your skin.
4. Eat your way to glowing skin
What you eat reflects on your complexion. The key vitamins and minerals that will get you a radiant complexion are vitamin A, which can be found in sweet potato, carrot, egg yolk, and fish oil. It promotes the formation of new cells and preserves the youthful look. Second on the list is vitamin B, abundant in soy and whole grain products, which keeps the skin smooth and supple. Thanks to vitamin C, eating citrus fruits, cauliflower, tomatoes, and strawberries, your skin will remain elastic. Zinc is vital for healing of scars and wounds. Get it from sunflower seeds, seafood, red meat, cheese, and mushrooms. Blueberries, raspberries, goji berries, and acai berries, are strong anti-oxidant foods, just like green tea and raw cacao.
5. Drink plenty of water
To sum up the first four tips, the key to glowing complexion during winter is rehydration. Dehydrated skin looks dull and scaly. This can be avoided by drinking plenty of water. If you cannot drink two litres of plain water a day, flavour it with freshly squeezed citrus fruits. Or make yourself a cup of green tea. Just do not replace water with eight cups of winter’s favourite beverages – hot chocolate and mulled wine.
Do you have any secrets for winter skin care? Share them with us.
About the Author
Amy Mia Goldsmith is a literature graduate from Melbourne. Her passion is beauty and fashion and she loves to spend her free time travelling and of course – shopping! You can contact Amy on her Facebook page and Twitter.
