Do not let your skin suffer during the cold months, follow our 10 tips to keep your skin healthy during the winter. If you are like us, now that winter has arrived, you have probably noticed.

That your skin needs a slightly different routine than it did a few months ago. Cold weather, central heating, mattresses, and the temptation to take large hot baths can damage your skin.

• Many people find that their skin is dull and dry during the winter months, which can lead to redness, peeling, and irritation.
• For others, the cold causes an increase in the production of fat (sebum), leading to skin congestion and rashes.
• It is perfectly normal for your skin to need different care in winter. This is especially true for those of us who are over 40!
• It can be tempting to turn a blind eye to your skin needs during the winter and keep yourself covered under layers of sweaters, tights, and jeans.
• While this may be the simplest choice, it is a big mistake. Maintaining a healthy glow during the cold winter months requires only a little effort. Here are our top 10 tips to keep your skin healthy during the winter

10 Tips to Keep Your Healthy Winter Skin:

1. Lower the Temperature

If you are guilty of turning on the central heating and taking large hot baths, this is the fastest way to dry your skin. The dry air from the central heating in your home and car absorbs moisture from your skin. While hot water from the bath or shower can damage the keratin cells in the skin (skin surface). This prevents the skin cells from retaining moisture. Our advice is to try to keep the thermostat set at 18-20 degrees c, especially at night while you sleep. When bathing you should try to keep the water warm and minimize. The time you spend in the shower or bath for just 5 or 10 minutes. If your skin is red in the water, it is very hot!

2. Place a Bowl of Water Over the Radiators
As mentioned above, central heating dries the air in your home, eliminating moisture. To combat this problem, we recommend that you humidify the air in the rooms where you spend most of your time. While buying a humidifier for home use is possible, a simple and free trick is to pour a bowl of water over the radiator. This will absorb moisture in the air and keep the skin hydrated. Place a bowl over the refrigerator in rooms where you spend most of your time, just make sure it is safe and does not fall.

3. Replace Your Cleaner
As your skin struggles to cope with temperature changes, you may notice that it becomes dull, dry, flaky, and possibly even irritated. During the winter months, your skin needs more hydration. If you normally use a liquid, gel, or foam cleanser. We recommend that you try an oil-based cleanser or a cream cleanser. This will help you gently cleanse your skin while maintaining the hydration you need. We love circadian skincare’s vitamin veil cleanser. It is a cleansing oil rich in natural oils and vitamins that cleanse the skin, removing makeup, dirt, and debris.

4. Wear Soft Materials
To stay warm and protected from the elements, we all turn to sweaters, scarves, thick socks, and gloves. But be careful as harder or rougher fabrics like wool can make your skin worse. If these rougher fabrics come into direct contact with the skin, they can cause itching and irritation. Make sure you wear softer fabrics, such as cotton, close to the skin. Give yourself a silk lining for your gloves.

5. Increase Your Moisturizer
When we think of dry skin, it’s easy to just focus on our face. Since your skin is the largest organ, it’s important to think about your whole body when it comes to hydration. To avoid peeling and dryness of the skin, we recommend using a moisturizing body cream daily. It is recommended to apply it immediately after a bath or shower, on slightly damp skin. This will help lock in moisture and keep the skin in top condition. To keep your face healthy, we recommend using a heavier, richer moisturizer during the winter months. This will help to deeply nourish the skin, replace lost lipids and strengthen the skin barrier.

6. Don’t Forget Your Hands and Lips
Our hands and lips are constantly exposed to the elements, so it’s no surprise they become chapped, dry, and cracked. Make sure you have a creamy lip balm and moisturizer wherever you go. Look for products that contain Shea butter. Or, if you want a natural alternative, you can try pouring coconut oil.

7. Stay Hydrated
Hydration is so important to support all functions of your body, including your skin. In the colder months, it is easy to forget to drink a lot of water. Let’s understand, the water is cold and not always that appetizing, so you end up drinking more tea and coffee. This can leave you even more dehydrated, not to mention consuming 100 more calories if you keep stopping by Starbucks or costa. If cold water is very frustrating, try drinking hot water and lemon slices. This is a delicious and detoxifying drink. Invest in herbal teas such as green tea, chamomile, or mint, these are easy ways to drink more fluids. You could also replace your regular teas and coffees with decaffeinated varieties. Not only will you increase your fluid intake, but you will also benefit from antioxidants and polyphenols.

8. Get Some Fresh Air
Locking yourself in is not good for all reasons. However, during the winter, we can be deficient in vitamin d, damaging the skin and accelerating aging. Go out for at least 15 minutes every day. Fresh air will help clean the scalp and increase productivity, and daylight will boost vitamin d levels.

9. Wear SPF
Everyone knows how important it is to protect our skin from the sun. But this shouldn’t be exclusive while on vacation. We recommend wearing sunscreen all year round, even in winter. While UVB rays are less in winter, (think UVB = burn) uva rays are the same all year round (think UVA = aging). Exposure to UVA leads to skin damage, accelerated aging, and skin cancer. Furthermore, we are all exposed to internal radiation and smog from cell phones, computer screens, televisions, etc. All of these can hurt your skin. Use a broad spectrum SPF to protect your skin all year round, such as the Heliocare 360 series.

10. Consider the Professional

Winter is a great time to invest in professional tightening and repair treatments. Professional treatments can help improve skin function and combat the effects of winter. If you are looking to dramatically improve your skin, look for treatments like skin peels or micro-needling. These will improve the texture and tone of your skin, treat damage, aging and pigmentation. Or, if you are looking to support your skin during the winter, we suggest a regular monthly face that can help improve the Healthy winter skin function of your skin with deep cleansing, exfoliation, and nourishment.