Wintertime offers some of the best times of the year. As the weather begins to cool, the influence is seen everywhere. People wearing bigger coats, cute winter accessories and the beginning of the holiday season! However, the effects can also be seen under those clothes because as much as you try to protect your skin, with cold weather comes dry climate and therefore, dry skin. Keeping your skin soft and beautiful throughout the winter can add many benefits to your skin come warmer months. Here are ten tips to care for and maintain soft and healthy skin throughout the winter.
Basics:
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Water (as always) is your magic potion: Drinking lots of water is always a positive way to enhance the look and feel of your skin. As the seasons become drier and colder it helps even more to drink as much water as possible. Keeping hydrated starts with drinking water, the rest of the tips are just added extras that can benefit your skin. However, water is always necessary.
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Your hair can be a problem: The oils your hair creates can affect your skin at its most vulnerable time. When you sleep your hair oils transfer to your pillow and can from their transfer to your face. If there was ever a time to pull your hair back, when you sleep is the best time to do it.
Body:
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Use a body scrub once a week: over exfoliating can cause irritation to your skin. Exfoliating daily will keep your skin raw because you are constantly removing dry skin which adds to the dryness that it is already experiencing. Using a body scrub once a week limits your exfoliating and adds moisture that can last until your next scrub.
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Use a moisturizing body wash: using body wash with exfoliating beads everyday is not benefiting your already dry skin. Using a moisture based body wash for your daily washing because it keeps your skin hydrated.
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Lotion is your best friend: but not necessarily the good scented kind. Over scented lotion does not help treat your skin as much as a scent free lotion. Stick to one kind and put it on directly after you shower to trap in as much moisture as possible.
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Protect your FEET: Focusing on your most vulnerable spots in the winter can keep you protected for the coming warm months. When you lotion your feet or hands, it can help to cover them up after the season. Putting on a pair of socks while your feet are freshly moisturized keeps them from cracking and from experiencing the winter damage. This way, come summer, your feet are baby soft and ready for the beach!
Face:
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Lip Balm is your new BFF: your lips are one of the most used and important parts of your face. As the weather cools off, they experience the same dryness that affects the rest of you. Chap stick is also one of the easiest things to lose so have a chap stick/ lip balm in every bag, next to your bed and anywhere else you think is important. Keep your lips hydrated, because no one likes cracked lips!
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Thick moisturizer works best: Face moisturizer is a product that is probably the most often used. However, many moisturizers have a formula that makes them thin and that does not work as well as a moisturizer with a thicker texture. Though it takes more rubbing in, it is more efficient in giving you that soft glow.
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Face masks are always great but now they are even more necessary. The amount of change your skin experiences differs on your specific skin type. So, face masks can help regulate your skin changes based on the way your skin tends to appear. Finding some that you know works and using them periodically throughout the cold months will also benefit your skin once the weather begins getting warm again.
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Do NOT sleep in your makeup: this may be seen as an obvious tip, but you would be surprised with how often people sleep with their make-up on. In the winter your skin is vulnerable to the weather and seasonal change, sleeping in makeup is known to clog pores, but now that, along with the dry climate, there may be unnecessary breakouts on your face. So even if you are half asleep, remove that make-up!
Photos courtesy of: Pexel.com