Cold winter air makes us do bad things to our skin. We crank up the heat. We take long, hot showers to thaw our chilled bones. We stay covered up in heavy, itchy wool clothes. What's so bad about all these totally natural reactions to dipping temperatures? They all dry out our skin, causing it to look dull and scaly – and feel tight and itchy.
Our skin secretes oils that form a protective layer to hold in moisture, which can help make up for our bad winter habits. But we sabotage this effort by taking long, hot showers that strip away the oils and allow the moisture to evaporate. The cold winter air itself can also dry out our skin.
We can't make the cold air go away, but we can control how well we treat our skin. Here are some tips and techniques:
- Take fewer showers and baths, and lower the temperature of the water. This will allow those protective oils to do their job for our skin.
- Apply moisturizer to your skin more often, especially immediately after a bath or shower, since moisturizers can help lock moisture into your skin.
- Swap harsh soap or detergent-based cleansers for more gentle cleansers. Avoid potentially irritating ingredients, like fragrance, which can further dry out the skin.
- Drink plenty of water. It's easy to forget to drink water when you're not hot and sweaty, but hydration is just as important in winter as in summer. For your skin, it's good to hydrate from within.
- Exfoliate your skin using a loofah to slough off dead, dry skin. When skin cells do not shed, they can build up and cause acne or make your skin appear dull.
- And don't forget your feet! Snuggled into socks and stuffed into boots, your feet stay warm but the skin may be neglected. Scrub your feet with a pumice stone to remove dry, dead skin. Or do like Victoria Beckham does at night – coat your feet in rich, smoothing lotions and then go to bed with your tootsies wrapped in warm cotton socks to hold in the moisture.
- Use sunscreen with at least SPF 30. The sun may not feel as warm, but it's still as damaging to your skin as ever.
- Consider using a humidifier in your home to keep the air moist. And if possible, use heaters less frequently.
All material copyright MediResource Inc. 1996 – 2024. Terms and conditions of use. The contents herein are for informational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Source: www.medbroadcast.com/healthfeature/gethealthfeature/How-to-Be-Winter-Wonderful
Winter whips in, and we all pull on our parkas and boots and mittens and scarves. Most of our body gets wrapped in woolly warmth, but one very vulnerable body part gets too often left out in the cold – our lips!
Wind, sun, and cold, dry air can all cause our lips to crack and chap. Smooth, kissable lips require moisture they can hold onto.
- As with your skin, your lips will look smoother and healthier when you're drinking enough water.
- Slather on lip balm to lock in moisture, but resist the urge to lick your lips, a habit that can make lips even drier.
- Use oil-based creams or lip balms that contain beeswax or petrolatum. Choose a formula with softening ingredients like vitamin E or chamomile – and make sure it's in a flavour that won't tempt you to lick it all right off!
- Lip balms containing sunscreen can shield your lips from the winter sun when it reflects off the snow.
- On really extreme weather days, shield your lips from the wind by wearing a scarf, balaclava, or ski mask.
- Those with chronically chapped and painfully dry lips could try medicated balms that contain soothing ingredients like aloe, menthol, and camphor.
- If nothing seems to work, you may need to check with your doctor. There may be an underlying condition to consider.
All material copyright MediResource Inc. 1996 – 2024. Terms and conditions of use. The contents herein are for informational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Source: www.medbroadcast.com/healthfeature/gethealthfeature/How-to-Be-Winter-Wonderful
Winter hair presents a flurry of problems. Cold, dry air crackles with static electricity that can zap your hair and result in those wispy winter flyaway hairs. Then there's that beloved "hat head" look.
- Brush your hair less often to reduce static build-up. Some people swear by anti-static products – spray can be applied to combs before brushing, and laundry fabric softener sheets can be swiped along the insides of caps and toques.
- Wash your hair less often, too. Like your skin, your hair has a protective layer of natural oils which hold in moisture. Too much cleansing can scrub away these oils. Some shampoos include harsh ingredients that strip away the oils, so you may need to experiment with which ones work best for your hair type during the colder months.
- You can skip a day in your lather-rinse-repeat cycle, but you'll need to enhance your conditioner routine. Try leave-in products or deep-conditioning hair "masks."
- Turn down the heat of styling tools. Take a break from hair dryers and straightening or curling irons whenever you can. If you must style with heat, first gently towel dry your hair and then apply a thermal protective product.
- To boost hair flattened by hats or levelled by bad weather, flip your hair upside down and massage volumizing product into your scalp and out to the ends of your hair.
- Guys and girls with curls are advised to use an activating product to kick-start curls and keep them from looking frizzy and dry.
- Get better acquainted with your hairdresser. You may need more frequent trims in the winter to snip off dry, split ends.
All material copyright MediResource Inc. 1996 – 2024. Terms and conditions of use. The contents herein are for informational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Source: www.medbroadcast.com/healthfeature/gethealthfeature/How-to-Be-Winter-Wonderful
