As the days get shorter, the season of matte finishes are coming to an end and our skin is also changing with the leaves. Our face starts to dry up, our lips chap, and our hands crack and stiffen. Skin care is easily dismissible, especially in the midst of fighting the cold winter breezes, but maintaining healthy, moisturized skin is just as important as any other health concern. Here are four ways you can help keep your skin healthy all winter long.
Exfoliate
Although it may sound counterproductive to wipe off a layer of skin to keep it from drying out, the popular technique isn’t just an internet fad. Dead skin cells that have been exposed to the environment inevitably build up on the outermost layer of our skin. Exfoliating helps replenish the skin, because it gets rid of this top layer of dead skin cells that have built up throughout the day.
Hydrate
Hydrating your entire body—including your skin—is key. It feels like a cliche, but drinking more water does have countless health benefits. It will help increase blood flow and open capillaries, allowing the skin to retain more water.
Moisturize
What you do on the inside can only do so much in the cold winter winds. It’s important to go the extra step to “feed” your skin the moisture that it needs. Our skin naturally produces oil throughout the day, but that just isn’t enough during the drier cold seasons. Many cosmetic brands have night creams, hydrating oils, and sheet masks to keep your skin soft and dewy.
Humidify your room
Everyone hates humidity and it’s finally the season when we can’t feel the vapor in the air. However, keeping a humidifier by your bed will have a significant impact on your skin. Humidifiers infuse moisture in the air, drawing out the natural moisture in your skin, thus soothing dried skin and chapped lips.
Continue using products with SPF
The sun isn’t beaming down as much as it used to, but that doesn’t mean that you should ditch your SPF. Environmental exposure is the leading cause to irritated, dry skin. Continue protecting your skin with SPF and PA+++ labeled products. Plus, SPF can also protect your skin from the pain of the cold winter winds.
by Jane Lee