The winter months make my skin very unhappy. My legs are scaly, my face is dry, my scalp is flaky… the whole body really doesn’t like the cold weather season.
Why not?
· The heat being on makes the air very dry.
· The sun isn’t out as long, robbing my body of vitamin D.
· I’m not hot and thirsty, so I don’t drink as much water.
So what can you do to prevent the winter dryness? Start with adding more humidity to the house. Personally, I prefer warm mist humidifiers to cold mist ones, but they both do the same thing – spit out moisture in mist form. And add more liquids to your daily routine, especially water. We’re supposed to drink about six glasses of water every day… but how many people actually manage it? Not me. Even three glasses of water every day would be more than I’m drinking now. Water helps keep your skin hydrated from the inside.
And if you’re already suffering from unhappy winter skin, don’t give up hope!
1. Start with an exfoliation. You can make a very simple body scrub from coarse grain salt and olive oil. Fill an 8oz sized cup about three quarters of the way with the salt. Add oil to moisten the salt and stir. (You can also add a drop or two of your favorite essential oils to make a scented scrub!) Scrub your arms, your legs, your back, your feet, your elbows… anywhere that your skin feels dry – except for your face. This scrub is WAY too harsh for your face.
2. Moisturize! Use lotion on a daily basis. Lube up after your shower, and be sure to do your hands every time they get wet. Everybody likes different kinds of lotions. Find one you like and use it! It’s very relaxing to massage lotion onto your legs and feet right before bed… I have a special “sleepy time” sort of scented lotion that I like to use, from The Healing Garden.
3. If your scalp is the problem, try a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner. A leave-in conditioner may even help.
4. Did I mention that you should probably be drinking more water? We all should.