Keeping your skin soft and supple during the dry months
Winter can be extremely hard on your skin. If you don't take care of it your skin can become dry and chapped leaving you with undesirable skin and spending more money to fix the problem. Keeping your skin soft and supple during the dry months can be a daunting task but can save you money and time in the end. Here are some tips on how to keep your skin soft and supple during the dry months.
Tip #1: Protect your skin
Sometimes we forget that the sun doesn't just shine during the summer; it also shines during the winter dry months as well. Remember, before you go out in the cold dry weather to put sunscreen on those parts of your body that will be exposed to the sun. Especially if you're going to be outside for a long period of time. Have you have ever seen someone come home who has been skiing all day long and has forgotten to protect their face with sunscreen? Looks pretty painful doesn't it? Not only is it painful, it is extremely damaging and can seriously hurt your skin in the long run. Sunscreens with SPF 15 are usually strong enough for normal days, but if you're going to be out for hours at a time then stick with the SPF 30; even if you never burn. It's better to be safe than sorry. Another part of your face you need to protect is your lips. Lips especially during the dry months can become cracked, chapped, and brittle. Not only does this kill your dating life, but it hurts. So before you got out, go to the store and purchase some lip balm with SPF in it.
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Tip #2: Moisturize
Sometimes we get so caught up in what we're doing that we forget how much moisture our bodies need to be healthy; and this is during the hot months. During the dry winter months your body will need almost twice as much (depending on your skin). Some people think that by turning the humidifier on or up in their house that they don't need to moisturize. You couldn't be more wrong. Protecting your skin with a good moisturizer can help it stay soft and supple, and also helps fight the aging process. It's always a good idea to carry some sort of lotion, or moisturizing cream around with you just to keep hands and target areas supple. Look for products that contain antioxidants and anti-inflammatory's. These can help with the really dry weather.
Tip #3: Don't forget to exfoliate
This is all part of moisturizing but many people forget about it; or they don't even know what it is. To exfoliate your skin means to get rid of the dead skin cells so that the moisturizer can do its work. Have you ever put lotion on your body and felt like it wasn't doing anything except staying on the surface of your skin? It's because you didn't exfoliate first. During the dry winter months it is crucial to exfoliate your skin in order for your moisturizer to do its job. Getting rid of the dead skin cells can leave your skin feeling much softer and more radiant. Then the moisturizer can penetrate deep into your skin and work longer, instead of staying on the surface of your skin and working for maybe 10 minutes.
Tip #4: Use a humidifier
Home can be one of the worst places to be during the winter. As you turn the heat up moisture goes down and your skin goes down the tube. Some furnaces have humidifiers installed with them you just need to turn it one. If you don't have one on your furnace, think about purchasing a portable humidifier or you can place warm water near your vents. A good humidifier will help keep your skin soft and supple
Keeping your skin soft and supple during the dry months takes some extra time out of your schedule but isn't hard. Your skin with thank you for it when the warm weather gets here.
