Fighting Dry Skin During Winter

Winters always spells trouble for the skin and the hair. The skin loses moisture during the colder months and this leads to intense dryness and also lays the foundation for wrinkles and fine lines. In some cases the dryness could also lead to itchiness and cause rashes also. With just a little care we can avoid all of these problems and keep our skin supple and well moisturized all through the winter months.

Some tips on fighting dryness are listed below:

• Oil massages – While we will often take extra care of our face, the skin on the rest of the body is often ignored and this is why dryness hits harder here. Massaging the skin periodically with some warm olive oil will help to prevent dryness. It is important to massage the skin for about 20 minutes with special attention to the elbows, knees and also the feet. Leave the oil in for about an hour or so before taking a bath with warm water.
• Water intake – During the winter months we tend to have lesser water and depend more on warmer beverages like coffee. This translates as double jeopardy for the skin. Caffeine dries it out and the lack of water prevents the skin from rejuvenating. It is important that we keep drinking water right through the day even in the winter months. In case you wish to drink something warm, a glass of warm water is the best option.
• Aloe Vera – In areas where the dryness hits harder, Aloe Vera massages are very important. Unlike oil massages, you do not need to bathe after an aloe rubbing session. Instead let the skin soak in all the aloe possible. This is why the aloe rub should be after the bath and not before it. It is important to focus on the areas where the dryness is more pronounced.
• Avoid soaps – Almost all soaps will dry your skin further and this is why when it comes to bathing in the winters one should work with a moisturizer laden soap or body wash instead. Avoid using too much soap on the face or even the hands and as far as possible, do apply a moisturizer right after you use soap to clean up. Keeping moisturized wet tissues is a great idea during the winter months.
• No hot water – As winters get colder many of us will move towards hotter bathing water. Hot water baths are very damaging and can make the skin very dry. So do make sure that you bathe with just luke warm water and prevent your skin from drying up.

The winter months can be very harsh on our skin and if we ignore the dryness, then the skin will look weary right through the summer months too. So keep the above tips in mind and make sure the entire house follows them so that all of you can enjoy supple skin even when it’s snowing outside not to mention the rest of the year.