With winter just around the corner most of us are looking forward to enjoying our holidays and having some leisure time with our families. Unfortunately, our skin would prefer to enjoy a sweet summer breeze rather than arctic winds of winter. It’s no secret that cold weather affects our skin negatively.
Freezing temperatures and dry weather are the perfect combination for leaving our biggest organ dry and prone to irritation. In this article I will list a couple of tips that can help you overcome the coldest season of the year with a hopefully warm smile on your face. Let’s get right into it:
1. Limit your shower time. Taking a warm shower or even better, a warm bath feels like heaven during the winter—I know. Don’t fall into the trap of taking daily showers that deplete your entire water tank. Your skin will lose a lot of its natural oils that form protective layers for your skin—guarding it from frost and cold.
If you are an indulgent person, you can still have your long showers—preferably once per week. Other showers should be swift and with mild water. If you can, keep them under five minutes.
2. Consume healthy oils and hydrate. The importance of taking care of your skin internally equals any external protection you will use. The aforementioned lack of moisture has to be handled through an intake of healthy oils in your diet. Oils from plants like coconut, avocado, almond or olive are essential for rejuvenating your skin. Mix them in various meals like salads or sweets, you won’t regret it.
Along with the increase in oil intake, make sure you drink a lot of water. Don’t overdo it, just make sure you are feeling hydrated. You should increase your water intake during the winter due to dry air. Estimates suggest that we need to drink almost twice as much of water during these months (however these do vary from person to person).
3. Use appropriate makeup. Most lips get super dry during the winter, consider using lip balms that match the dryness of your lips. Find appropriate foundations that will hydrate your face before applying makeup. If you use this correctly, there is space to use blush, lipstick, mascara—even silk and mink lashes.
Don’t overdo it though, too much makeup doesn’t fare well with the cold. If the winds are harsh and the temperature is close to zero, your makeup can turn into a hard facade—so don’t do that.
4. Appreciate natural moisturizers. Along with being friendly towards your pocket—natural moisturizers offer the same benefits (if not more) as their chemically enhanced counterparts. Products like aforementioned plant oils, honey, and milk (along with other milk based products) are great substitutes for conventional products found at the personal care shelves.
Butter helps your skin with exfoliation, while yogurt hydrates your skin helping it to breathe. Instead of traditional anti-oxidants that provide that silky smooth feeling, consider using honey instead. The texture and thickness of honey will feel great, you won’t regret it.
5. Dress accordingly. This final point is very important—even though it’s painfully obvious. We all dress to impress, however the cold is unforgiving. Gloves, long leggings and sleeves, along with layers of clothing are key in protecting your skin from the harsh winter.
When able, try protecting your face with scarfs or wrap it up (be careful if you have makeup on) to fight against the winds. All efforts made with steps above will be for nothing if it gets withered away by outside conditions.
I’ve outlined some of the aspects of taking care of yourself during these months—but there are countless more. Talk with your friends about this, preferably with some that have similar skin traits to yours. What works for them will probably work for you too, so don’t be shy and ask away.
Photo by Connor Irwin
Nevena Popović
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