Your face is not the only exposed skin that has to deal with the harsh drying winter climate. Your face, hands, and often your neck are all exposed to the drying winter temperatures and need to be protected from chafing, cracking and drying out. Skin care during winter can be a challenge for some people, especially if your skin has a natural tendency to become dry. However there are some simple, common sense steps anyone can take to help reduce the harsh effects of winter on your skin: - Moisturizers help protect your skin against the harsh winter elements. Apply a good quality, natural moisturiser after a bath or shower to help seal in moisture and the body's natural oils.
- Dont just put the moisturiser on your face and neck, your heals, hands and the remaining skin on your body need regular moisturising, especially during winter.
- Gloves are a simple, easy way to protect your hands from cold temperatures and dry air that can trigger eczema. Gloves can also prevent cracked and splitting of your cuticles and fingernails.
- If you develop dry and itchy skin or eczema, don't let the condition get worse. Take action and start using a good quality natural skin care range of products.
- Apply sunscreen to all exposed skin when you're outdoors, and reapply your moisturiser regularly.
- Protect your lips by using lip balms or lipsticks, and ensure you are drinking enough water, even if you do not feel thirsty.
- Don't take long, hot showers, which can strip skin of its natural acid mantel and cause your skin to become dry.
Following a correct skin care regime to counteract dry skin is crucial and the following steps are suggested: - Do not wash, using soap, as it dries out your skin! Instead, use an exfoliant, such as the Skin Renewal Gel from Wildcrafted Herbal Products, followed by a cleanser (Wildcrafteds Hydrating Cleanser is ideal) to keep your skin from drying out unnecessarily.
- Apply a toner to prevent loss of moisture from your skin This step is often neglected by many, yet it is a very important step, especially if you have dry skin. Toning lotions, for example Wildcrafteds Milk of Roses Toner provides essential oils and herbal extract that help to close the opened pores and prevents loss of moisture.
- Moisturise, moisturise, moisturise. This cannot be stressed strongly enough. Moisturising will not only nourish your skin, but it will help to reduce loss of moisture even further, thus preventing dry skin, as well as repair damaged skin. Wildcrafteds Papaya Day Crme, for example is a good illustration of using essential oils and herbal extracts to re-hydrate the depleted skin and nourish it to help protect is from loss of moisture.
Dry skin can also be itchy and become very sensitive, resulting in eczema and dermatitis. The prevention of excessive loss of moisture to prevent dry skin is important to avoid further complications of dry skin. Remember to continue to drink water. Your body requires about 2 litres of water a day to maintain its normal functions. Just because the temperatures have dropped and youre not perspiring as often or as easily as you do during summer, does not mean you dont need to keep up your water intake. Always use natural skin care products on your skin, as they are less likely to irritate your already sensitive skin. Natural skin care products also do not have the same incidence of causing allergic reactions as other, non-natural skin care products. However, always apply a small amount to the inside of your forearm to make sure you are not allergic to any of the ingredients - an allergen can be as natural as a strawberry extract, so take care when using any new skin care product, natural or otherwise.Following these tips will help you to prevent dry skin this winter and allow you to enjoy the season to its fullest. |
