With winter coming soon, it’s crucial to start thinking about how you’re going to combat inevitable dry lips, skin and hair. But instead of letting the harsh weather get you down, embrace it, and adopt new beauty habits! Building these habits now will really help you later as the seasons change.
1. Don’t take super hot showers
I know, this one is tough to hear. After walking class to class in the freezing weather, all you want to do is jump into a hot bath or shower to relax. However, not only does this make getting out even more difficult, but it’s also bad for your skin.
Hot showers are extremely drying, which makes your skin become irritated in the cold weather. Plus, it will cause you to need to moisturize even more. Do yourself a favor and turn the heat down!
2. Wash your hair less often
You’ve probably heard this before. Constantly washing your hair strips your scalp of essential oils and dries out your hair. When your hair is dry, it’s more likely to get frizzy or static-y, and that adds time to your morning ritual. Invest in a good shower cap, and start skipping a day here and there to let your hair and scalp recover.
3. Moisturize and exfoliate!
This is a no-brainer. With cold, dry winds, your skin suffers. Get into the habit of moisturizing your face, hands, and body once in the morning and once at night. You should also use an exfoliating scrub on your body at least twice a week to get rid of dry, dead skin cells. Yes, this will take time you may think you don’t have, but it will save you the discomfort of red, itchy, and flaky skin later on!
4. Hydrate
How many times have I used the word “dry” so far? It’s important to drink a lot of water to keep your body hydrated. If you don’t, you may end up with chapped lips and flaky skin that just won’t go away. Don’t put yourself through that extra stress, and grab a water bottle on your way out the door!
5. Keep a few necessities in your school backpack or purse
No matter how well you keep up with these habits, you will probably still find times when you’re in class or out with friends and you feel like you need a boost. Here are a few items that you should keep in your school backpack or purse:
- Lip balm. Keep a small lip balm with you for when your lips feel dry or you need to reapply your lip color.
- A small bottle of lotion or Vaseline. This is always a good item to have on-hand for in between those times you moisturize every day. Vaseline can double as a lip balm!
- Fast-absorbing hand cream. Using a cream that’s specifically for your hands will make your skin less sticky, and if it’s fast-absorbing you can have it on under your gloves or mittens. Make sure to use extra on your cuticles to prevent hangnails!
- Eye drops. Whether you wear contact lenses or not, cold winds can really dry out your eyes.
- Water. You should always have water with you so you have no excuse not to hydrate!
Hopefully these tips will help you navigate the downsides to winter, so you can better enjoy the fun winter can bring. Once there’s some snow on the ground, grab some friends to go sledding or ice skating!