Luckily, I’ve had unproblematic skin for the most part throughout my life. But when winter hits, my skin completely changes. Dry, patchy, red and peeling skin has plagued me during the winter months for as long as I can remember.
Over the years I’ve managed to create a routine that has made a tremendous difference in my life. All products can be found in drugstores, but keep in mind that what works for me may not be everybody’s preferred methods.
Exfoliating
Exfoliating is necessary when cleansing the pores on your face as well as your body, however over exfoliating can lead to flakiness and severely dry skin. Personally, I try to limit my exfoliating to the face to about two times a week. For the body, however, I exfoliate in the shower once a day by shaving or using a loofah with a beaded body exfoliator. Since the skin on the body is less sensitive than the face, I can get away with exfoliating followed by moisturizing almost daily. For the face, I use Neutrogena’s Pink Grapefruit acne wash.
Witch hazel
Witch hazel is something I’ve recently incorporated into my daily skincare routine. It’s a natural cleanser/toner but is also known for its moisturizing effect. To ensure this product efficiently works for dry skin, find one without alcohol.
Moisturize
I cannot stress this enough – moisturize, moisturize, moisturize! This is by far the most crucial step in keeping your skin flake-free. Especially after exfoliating, it’s important to lather up on moisturizer, especially on the face. However, you don’t want to moisturize directly after exfoliating, as the lotion will enter freshly opened, clean pores and may lead to a few pimples popping up. That being said, I personally recommend waiting about an hour between exfoliating the face and applying moisturizer. When it comes to moisturizing the body, this is something I do every single night before bed, despite exfoliating the body that night or not. The way I see it, I can never get enough moisturizer on my body, especially the legs!
Face masks
On days it seems like defeating my dry skin is impossible, one of my favorite tactics is applying an overnight moisturizing face mask. These face masks are stronger than the average daily moisturizer and leave you waking up with a glow.
Drink water!
I have to admit, when I see someone go through a change in their skin for the better, I get frustrated when their first piece of advice is to drink water. It seems easy and obvious, but it’s true! Increasing your water intake is a great way to prevent dryness, especially in your lips, and leave you glowing – even if it means a few more trips to the bathroom.