So, it’s that time of year, when the weather gets colder and we get cozier. Whether you’re a fan of the cold or not, your hair and skin probably aren’t! Especially if you’re from a more temperate country.
Cold air and wind can dehydrate your skin, exasperate dry skin, and make you look dull. There might even be tightness and discomfort as a result. Helping your skin stay at its prime can be more straightforward than you might think. But first let’s do a little definition breakdown.
What’s the difference between dry and dehydrated? Dehydration in this context relates to the state when your skin lacks water. This can happen to anyone depending on your skin type and it typically looks dull and can show signs of ageing like wrinkly surface or loss of elasticity. Dry refers to your actual skin type, so water is in the focus here. I mean also be familiar with other skin types of combination or oily. Solutions for this better focus on hydrating the skin and focus on supplying moisture.People with dry skin may experience white flakes and irritation in cooler temperatures. Solutions for this prioritise moisturising the skin, which aims to help the skin retain moisture. You don’t have any control over what skin type you have (e.g. dry, oily, combination). However dehydration is a state that your skin can reach due to your environment and lifestyle. So we’re going to focus on how we can address that.
Best ways to avoid dehydrated skin:
- Stay hydrated: Hydration begins within! The age old trick to having enough water in your skin is enough water in your body. The struggle is, in winter, since you may not be as consistently hot, your impulse to reach for water might not be as often as during warmer seasons. Keeping your bottle filled with water and easily accessible will help you stay regularly hydrated.
2. Eat well! As with your drinking habits, your eating habits have a larger impact on the overall hydration of your skin than it appears much of the time. Foods which are rich with antioxidants (avocado, carrots and very dark chocolate); as well as omega-3 fatty acid dense foods (think: spinach, beans and salmon).
3. Mind your products: The products that help you in the winter are undeniably the most personally varying factor. Some online surfing or conversations with a professional can help you figure out what creams, cleaners and other tools you can incorporate into your routine.
4. Have an Ice cold shower (Just kidding). As much as we love a nice hot shower during these colder seasons to cosy up, they might actually be worsening your skin. This might be more applicable if you have dry skin as opposed to dehydrated skin, but everybody can benefit. Extended hot showers dry out your skin more so ensuring that you keep it minimal and deeply moisturise right after.
5. Humidifier! It’s not only the cool outdoor air to blame. The heaters indoors can dry out the winter air even more, increasing your possible dryness overall. Adding a humidifier to your space will help. The increased moisture in the air may help improve itchy skin or chapped lips.
As you can see there are lots of ways in which we can keep our skin happy and healthy during the cooler times of the year; and a lot of them don’t even require you to go out of your way or spend any more time and energy than you would already. By introducing even just a few of these simple habits you’re leaving more room for your skin to be less dull, more hydrated and overall happier!
