Autumn and winter bring joys and comforts many of us look forward to. But a falling thermometer can bring a rise in skincare troubles such as dryness, flakiness, redness and irritation. How you handle a few key details in your environment and cleansing rituals can mean getting through the cold weather months with skin that’s soft, comfortable, healthy-looking, and resistant to windburn and sun damage.
Caring for Dry Skin in the Winter Begins at Home and in the Kitchen
Some basic life hacks will help minimize dryness before it gets unmanageable. Start with your nutrition: key fats like omega 3s (from flax seeds, fish, walnuts, and chia seeds), vitamin E, vitamin C and hydration from water and other sources will give you a healthy baseline you can build on.
Consider a nourishing daily smoothie with ingredients like leafy greens, nuts/seeds, and bright purple berries for a hydrating complexion (and energy) boost. Make a nutritious and (yes, also) hydrating soup from autumn’s array of vitamin A-rich winter squashes and tubers. Most darkly pigmented fruits and vegetables contain a variety of antioxidants and other skin-supporting micronutrients. Make sure to enjoy the abundant benefits contained in the seasonal cornucopia of colors!Speaking of hydration: one of the dry skin’s biggest culprits in winter is the heated air we enjoy in our homes and offices. These climate-controlled spaces are less humid, wreaking no small amount of havoc on our skin.
Minimize environmental dryness at home by keeping your bathroom door open (hello, got privacy?) during showers to disperse the steam, placing humidifiers and air diffusers throughout the home (or at least in the rooms in which you spend the most time), and keeping the thermostat at the lowest comfortable level.
Read: How to Get Smooth Legs without Bumps
Hold Winter Dry Skin With Natural, Simple Skincare
When skin is at its most sensitive, taking care to keep ingredients clean, non-irritating, and mild is paramount. With that said, some skin does well with a more aggressive exfoliant, whereas others will want to avoid it.
For those whose skin types invite a more rigorous approach (we’re waving our hands in the air, here) a basic sugar scrub like this one you can make at home will keep flakes to a minimum. Use it on your face as often as twice a week, and hit areas like heels, elbows, knees, and hands more frequently.
Switching to a richer moisturizer is helpful at the first sign of a chill. Choose one that’s oil-based, and consider switching to the oil cleansing method or, at the least, a non-sudsing cleansing milk.
For treatment, a simple salve made with organic ingredients will soften any rough patches on the face and body. As an added bonus, oil-based moisturizers and salves do not require the chemical preservatives water-based moisturizers do, making for a cleaner product. Pro tip: lip balm works in a pinch for windburn protection, cuticle softening, and more.
Good circulation helps keep skin elastic and supple. A brisk exercise that gets blood flowing will help cheeks stay rosy and glowing, but if you’re doing it outdoors, don’t forget to slather on moisturizer beforehand.
Read: The Ultimate Guide to Shaving with Eczema
And when it comes to a healthy skincare routine, we’d like to add that keeping unnecessary chemicals out of your self-care routine can extend to the whole shaving business, too. Keep the experience pure, gentle and non-irritating with a razor that uses nothing but water for the closest, cleanest possible shave. Finish with a simple organic moisturizer or other fragrance-free equivalents to keep your skin healthy and fresh...and stave off seasonal dryness.
Aqua Jet Razor is the only eco-friendly, water-powered razor on the market. Its unique design negates the need for any chemical besides simple water. Because water is running continuously through the unit, the blades are always impeccably clean. This prevents skin pulling, blade clogging and it offers you a pleasant, natural, healthy shaving experience that you deserve not only during colder seasons but all year round.