Maintaining healthy skin in winters

Along with the rest of nature, our skin also changes as the seasons turn. Winter weather is hard enough on anyone’s protective barrier ‘The skin’’, robbing it of moisture and heat, causing dryness and cracks. With winter comes, low humidity, which strips skin of its natural moisture, leaving it dry and more susceptible to damage.  Skin in the humid summer is often smooth and moist compared to winter skin. The skin, which is the largest organ of a body, is driest in winter, when temperatures and humidity levels plumbs. Cold weather is often dreaded by people with sensitive skin. 

 One of the most common skin conditions brought on by cold weather is the development of severely dry skin. Dry skin occurs more often during colder weather because cold air is often drier than warm air, and this lack of humidity leaves your skin feeling dry(and often looking) thirsty. Dry skin is often temporary — you get it only in winter and what's more, signs and symptoms of dry skin depend on your age, your health, where you live, and time spent outdoors.

People who suffer with dry skin often have any one or all of these conditions which include: Skin tightness, roughness, fine lines or cracks, redness, slight to severe itching, flaking or peeling, or deep bleeding cracks in the foot. Apart from extreme weather conditions outdoors, room heaters may add to this problem.

Winter as they say is a season of festivity, parties and enjoyment, but when changes in climate can your throw skin for a loop; when you feel low on your appearance; your feel good mood can go for a toss. Hence it becomes imperative to take care of your skin especially during winters. Your daily skin care habits in warm months might be inadequate for winter weather. You might need a different routine for winter.

 Although cold weather can have many harmful effects on your skin, there are numerous steps you can take to prevent them. By taking a natural approach to skin care routine it is easy to achieve beautiful and healthy growing skin.

Adding these simple steps to your cold weather skincare routine can help keep dry skin at bay.

Everyone knows that that proper care and cleansing is important to getting great looking skin, however people with sensitive skin have to take a few extra precautions in order to keep their skin looking its best. If your skin is sensitive you will notice symptoms such as dryness, itching, and flakiness after washing with regular soap, sweating profusely, after the application of any soaps or skincare products that contain fragrances and dyes, after exposure to the sun, harsh winds, extremely hot or cold temperatures, and after facial treatments like hydrating masks or exfoliation. The best step in looking after sensitive skin is turning to natural moisturizers with healing ingredients

When choosing a moisturizer, first consider your skin type; For oily skin, use a light moisturizer; for normal to oily skin, use a moisturizing lotion; and for dry skin, use a moisturizing cream. Use a light moisturizer for daytime and an intense moisturizer for nighttime while you sleep.

But before buying a moisturizer, analyze the product’s ingredient list: Nearly every moisturizer contains some combination of emollients, humectants, emulsifiers, active ingredients and penetration enhancers which will soften and hydrate the skin.

Avoid poor-quality ingredients such as mineral oils, harsh chemicals, and artificial colors and fragrances. Harsh chemicals such as paraben, formaldehyde and propylene glycol are often used to give moisturizers a longer shelf life and help them absorb into the skin, but they can have side effects ranging from skin irritation to potential reproductive disorders.

Use skincare line of products that usually includes a cleanser which helps to exfoliate skin and increase cell turnover and remove dead skin cells. This step eliminates the dull appearance of aging skin and helps increase the look of softer, fresher looking skin.

Use a natural cleansers, body washers and soaps to get rid of flakes of dead skin in order to reduce irritation and skin blockage. Lock in all the benefits of cleansing with a moisturizer that will keep skin fresh for hours. 

Vitamin D is very essential for a healthy skin, but when you can’t soak up the feel-good rays, because of your skin sensitivity, consider taking Vitamin D supplements.

One of the most common mistakes people make in protecting their skin during the winter months is leaving the house without sun block just because it’s colder outside it doesn’t mean that the sun is doing any less damage to your skin. To protect your skin from the damage that the sun can do (including drying and wrinkles), simply apply sun block just as you would during the warm summer months You can even eliminate the extra step by using makeup or hydrating lotion that will protect your skin from sun damage.

Winter behooves you to be mindful of the effects the harsh weather can have on skin. You can take precautions to prevent skin problems by simply keeping your skin warm, moisturized, and blocked from too much exposure to the sun; you can retain your natural beauty throughout the entire winter months.