With winter just around the corner, it is time to consider how to keep you skin healthy and glowing during those cold months. Those with skin conditions often find these worsen through winter.
Our skin is subjected to cold, windy weather alternating with the dry, low humidity of indoor heating. The skin easily becomes dry and hydrated as we make an effort to stay warm. Here are a few winter skin care hints to help you keep your skin healthy. Long hot baths or showers, while warming are actually drying to the skin. Keep these to shorter times and only use mositurising pH Neutral soaps, such as Botáni Olive Cleansing Bar or Botáni Eco-Clear Body Bar, Just because your skin is covered up, don't use it as an excuse no tho exfoliate. Spirulina Salt Scrub will keep your skin smooth and soft all year round. Follow up with moisturising your skin. Moisturise within 3 minutes of stepping out of the shower. Moisturising while the skin is still slightly wet traps the moisture in and helps to reduce water lost through evaporation. Botáni Nourishing Body Oil or PhytoBody Lotion are ideal to help prevent dehydration. Keeping your skin hydrated always starts on the inside. Even in Winter, you need to be drinking plenty of water. Forget about the ice cold glass of water, drink it at room temperature. Some people even like it hot. You will probably naturally tend to drink more hot drinks, but don't always reach for the coffee, tea or that delicious hot chocolate. There are other options. Try some herbal teas. A fresh slice of ginger in hot water makes a simple delicious tea, add some lemon or other spices for something more exotic. Ginger and other spices such as cinnamon and cardamom are warming and help to improve your circulation. Winter fruits are juicy and not only provide you with water, but the nutrients that will assist you to stay healthy during Winter. A daily piece of citrus fruit is a great Vitamin C boost. Another ideal warming option for winter is a delicious bowl of soup. A vegie or lentil soup is full of nutrients and increases your water intake. A great simple meal to warm your soul. Essential fatty acids need to be kept up during winter. The skin produces less oil this time of year, making it more susceptible to dryness and itchiness. Keep up your Omega 3's. Include fish in your diet to help keep your skin soft and moisturised. You may need to supplement with a good quality fish oil or Krill oil capsule. (If you can't handle those enormous fish oil capsule, go for the krill oil, they are a lot smaller.) Keep your heating down to a temperature where you are comfortable wearing a jumper. A lower temperature will be less drying on your skin. Open the windows on a sunny day and let some fresh air in, even if the air is slightly chilly, your house needs some circulation just like you. If there has been any sickness in the house, this is very important to clear it out. It's not always appealing to go outside during cold winter days, but we still need the sun. The sun provides us with our daily dose of Vitamin D, which is important for our skin and our bones. There is nothing more delicious on a winter's day than finding a nice sunny spot and just allow the warmth of the sun to penetrate. (We still have to be mindful, even in winter, of the damage that the sun can do to our skin, if we are exposed for too long. So, follow your usually sun protection plans. If you work at keeping your skin healthy and moisturised during winter, then when it comes to Spring and you want to start wearing fewer clothes, you won't need to do a major overhaul. Our message this month for successful winter skin care is to keep warm, keep healthy and keep hydrated.
