How to Take Care of your Skin this Winter
Winter is a festive season full of joyous celebrations and merrymaking. While the season may be a great time to go shopping and travel to meet family, it is harsh weather for your skin. The cold outside tends to make your skin feel raw and makes it flaky and irritable. Whereas the heater most of us have inside causes you to lose moisture and cause dry skin.
Studies suggest that while these changes in the weather are seasonal, it leaves a long-lasting impact on your skin and may cause it to lose its elasticity. This makes your skin age faster and it lowers the self-healing powers of the skin.
Don’t be disheartened! There are several small measures you can take to take care of your skin in the winters. Here are some of the most feasible yet simple changes to make to your skincare routine-
Use Lukewarm Water
While the hot water shower may be a tempting affair, it is essential to avoid long hot water showers. The use of hot water showers tends to reduce moisture in your skin and strip the skin of the essential oils causing flakiness and irritability. In the same way, washing using dryers on your hair tends to strip away its natural oils as well. Use the hairdryer until your hair is partially dried and then leave them as they are. This should help them retain a great amount of moisture.
One of the first problems that people mention when talking about their winter skincare is dryness, irritability, and flakiness. The best way to curb dry skin is to make sure you moisturize enough. Make sure you moisturize right after your bath. A major aspect that is often overlooked is that before applying the moisturizer, certain moisture has to be retained by the skin. So instead of wiping yourself dry after the shower, pat your towel on your body. This will help retain moisture. Apply moisturizer to seal the deal!
Use Cream-based cleanser instead of Gel
One of the most common mistakes people make in their winter skincare routine is that they use a gel-based cleanser. The gel tends to strip away more moisture than the cream-based products. Making a small change from gel-based facewash to cream-based cleanser makes a huge impact. Avoid making this common mistake and switch your cleanser to a milder one that has a cream base.
Use Sunscreen
The most overlooked aspect of winter skincare is sunscreen. While there is little heat and the rays of the sun don’t seem as harsh when it’s cold outside. However, the UV rays are just as harmful in the winters as much as in summers. In fact, in places that experience snowfall, the rays of the sun are reflected on the ice or snow, causing more damage than the direct sunlight. It is important to use sunscreen before you step out to prevent sunburns and to protect your skin from cancer.
Use Chemical Exfoliants instead of Physical
Exfoliation is often ignored during the winters. While it may seem like exfoliation can cause damage to potentially weak skin, it is essential to remove dead skin cells since it gives your skin a dull appearance. However, exfoliating with physical exfoliants such as skin buffs instead of chemical ones during winter can cause skin damage. A great way to take care of your skin during winter is to make this switch. Your skin will not seem dull and feel fresh without causing further damage.
Stay Hydrated
While applying moisturizer may help lock the moisture on your skin and prevent it from getting dry, there’s little it can do to help if there’s not enough water in your body. Most people don’t feel thirsty as much as they would in the hot seasons. However, make sure you drink at least 5 liters of water every day. Hydration will only benefit your body and especially your skin in winters.
Winter skincare is very important and good skin health can easily be achieved with the right changes to your winter skincare routine. Make these small changes this winter and see the effects for yourself.