HOW TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR SKIN IN WINTER

• Winter weather affects your skin in several ways.

• Dry skin is the most common result of seasonal weathering.

• Cold weather air lacks humidity and dries up natural oils in your skin, causing it to lose moisture.

• This leads to rough, cracked skin that can feel tight and uncomfortable.

• Winter weather not only irritates healthy skin but also can make current skin problems worse.

• Do not worry. All such problems can be kept away by taking a little care of your skin

during this season.

Understanding about windburn: 

• Wind can cause unpleasant skin condition known as windburn.

• As the sunburn, windburn can leave you skin red, raw and blistered.

• So try to protect your skin from windburn by following these tips.

MOISTURIZE MORE:

• Choose oil based moisturizer rather than water based.

• Oil based moisturizers will create protective layer on skin that retains more moisture

 than a cream or lotions.

• Apply to your face as well as body and at least thrice a day, especially before going to bed.

SHIELD YOUR LIPS:

• Use as a good petroleum jelly as a weather shield for your lips.(OR)

• Use a lip balm with at least SPF 15 and preferably one with antiseptic agents to aid in healing.

• Some lip balm products are made with tea tree oil which helps to heal painful cracks.

• At times, butter can also be used to get extra softness and to cure chapped lips.

BEFORE BATH:

• Apply and massage any essential oil of your choice either it is coconut or

olive oil to your face, hands ,legs and rest of your body before having a shower.

• If time permits heat oil and apply.

• After shower, use a light moisturizer/sunscreen as winter sun is not any less harsh.

LIMIT USING SOAP TO MILD CLEANSER.

• Winter dryness is caused due to loss of moisture from skin during winter.

• If you wash your face with soap, it can strip essential oils you need.

• If you are using soap then use a creamy one which will supplement extra suppleness

to your skin or use any mild cleanser.

THEN WHAT TO USE INSTEAD OF SOAP??

• To clean your skin, make use of green gram paste instead of soap.

• Its regular use would leave you soft and supple skin.

PRODUCTS TO BE USED DURING WINTER:

• Use products containing shea butter, petrolatum, mineral oil, tea tree oil or glycerin.

CUCUMBER JUICE:

• Apply cucumber juice on affected area for 10 minutes every day.

• It contains lots of water which helps to hydrate your skin.

YOGURT, HONEY AND LIME:

• Curd makes for an excellent skin hydrant which helps to soothe your dry and itchy skin.

• Mix required amount of yogurt, tablespoon of honey and few drops of lime and mix it well.

• Apply this mixture to your skin and leave it around 20 minutes.

AVOID USING TOO HOT WATER:

• The intense heat of hot shower actually breaks down the lipid barriers in the skin which can lead

to a loss of moisture and also lessens skin’s natural oils.

• So, it’s better to use luke warm water.

• To retain lost moisture, add few drops of oil to the water that would be used in bathing.

APPLY OLIVE OIL/ ANY VITAMIN E OIL:

• The fats present in the olive oil have a similar composition to the fat cells present in the skin.

• The vitamin E in it helps the skin fight free radicals which are generally responsible for bad skin.

• Applying olive oil over dry skin will also reduce the dryness of the skin. 

HOW TO TREAT YOUR LEGS AND HANDS:

• To treat your legs, add a few oil drops in the water and soak your legs in the water.

• For hands, use rubber gloves while exposing them to water.

• Always cover your nails by applying base coat on them.

LIMIT MASKS AND PEELS TO CLEANSING MILK OR MILD CLEANSER:

• If your facial skin is uncomfortably dry, avoid using harsh peels, masks and alcohol-based toners

or astringents all of which can strip vital oil from your skin.

• Instead, find a cleansing milk or mild foaming cleanser, a toner with no alcohol, and masks that

are deeply hydrating rather than clay-based which tends to draw moisture out of the face.

•  Try to use them a little less often during this winter season.

AVOID WET GLOVES AND SOCKS:

• Wet gloves and socks can irritate your skin and cause itching, cracking, sores etc.

APPLY SUNSCREEN:

• Sunscreen is not only for summer.

• Winter sun combined with snow glare can still damage your skin.

• Try to apply sunscreen about 30 minutes before going outside and reapply frequently if you stay

outside for a long time.

AVOID SKIN PRODUCTS THAT DRY OUT YOUR SKIN:

• Avoid skin care products that contain ingredients that dry out your skin.

• Such ingredients to be avoided would be fragrance oil, alcohol and other harsh

un-natural ingredients.

USE OF SANDALWOOD:

• Peeling skin can also be caused by bacteria present on the skin.

• It has anti-microbial properties and can kill bacteria in the skin.

• Use sandalwood soap or apply sandalwood paste to your skin to get rid of peeling skin.

STAY HYDRATED:

• Continue to drink lots of water to provide necessary hydration to your skin.

APPLY HONEY:

• Honey has antioxidant, anti-microbial properties and also contains fructose, water, oil, glucose

and enzymes which acts as natural skin moisturizers.

• Massage your face with honey and leave it for about 20 minutes.

• There is nothing better that your skin can ask for.

OATS WITH EGG YOLK:

• Take one egg yolk and some oats in it and make it into fine paste.

• Apply it on your face and leave it for 20 minutes and wash with cold water.

• This will provide moisturizer to your face.

APPLY COLD MILK:

• Applying cold milk with the help of cotton ball over the skin is also effective and gives relief

from the irritation of skin.

MUSTARD OIL WITH SESAME AND OLIVE OIL:

• Take equal parts of olive, mustard and sesame oil and mix them.

• Use this mixture of oils over the body and massage gently till the time the oils gets absorbed

 into the body.

HONEY AND MILK:

• Add some honey in required amount of milk and stir it until you get a thick substance.

• Apply this mixture to your skin and leave for 15-20 minutes.

VITAMIN A FOOD SOURCES:

• Vitamin A is needed to avoid getting winter dryness.

• Hence include vegetables and fruits that are rich source of vitamin A.

YOGURT, HONEY AND EGG YOLK:

• Take on egg yolk and add required amount of yogurt and honey and mix it.

• Apply it over your skin and leave it around 20 minutes.

• This will reduce dryness of your skin and make your skin soft.

RAW MILK WITH ROSE WATER/ LIME:

• Keep aside 3-4 tablespoons of raw milk before you use it for boiling.

• Add few drops of rose water/lime to raw milk.

• Apply it all over your body and leave it for 15-20 minutes and wash with cold water.

• Do this daily, your skin will feel baby soft.

APPLY ALOE VERA:

• Aloe vera is super good for your skin; it will not only moisturize your skin it will also protect

your skin form protective layer that will keep impurities entering your skin.

• Squeeze gel from piece of aloe and apply onto your face, hands, legs.

• Leave it on your face based on your time, no problem if you leave for long hours also.

• Although aloe is good skin hydrant, it can leave your skin tight. So you might have to apply

some moisturizer.

GLYCERIN WITH LEMON:

• Glycerin helps absorb and retain moisture.

• Mix a tablespoon of glycerin with few drops of lime and massage onto your skin.

• Leave it for 15-20 minutes and wash with cold water.

COCONUT MILK:

• Coconut milk not only reduces skin dryness, but also helps to reduce dark spots and blemishes.

• Rub it on your face and body and leave it overnight.