If your skin dries up in the winter, you know all too well how uncomfortable and unpleasant it can be. Depending on the severity of your dry skin, you may experience flaking skin, cracking, and even some itching. The problem typically occurs and gets worse when you come in from the cold outdoors and turn on your heater. The heat just seems to suck any moisture right out of your skin.
The good news is that there are some simple ways to reduce the dryness of your skin. The following are four of those ways:
- Moisturize. You may already have a moisturizer that you use on a regular basis. Perhaps during the spring and summer, you only moisturize your face once a day. During winter months, it may become necessary to moisturize your entire body, and possibly twice a day. When searching for the right moisturizer, look for one that is oil based. Oil based moisturizers put a sort of protective layer over your skin so that the moisture is properly retained in the skin. For your face, you should look for moisturizers that contain oils proven to not clog the pores.
- Protect. Something that many individuals simply do not realize is that you need to protect your skin just as much in the winter as you do in the summer. Too many people associate the heat with sunscreen, when they should be associating the sun with sunscreen. The sun is up and shining on you during the winter, just as it is in summer. Lather on the sunscreen any time you plan to spend time outdoors during winter.
- Dry. Although you may not think that wet gloves and socks will make your dry skin worse, they can actually cause the skin to itch and crack. Eczema is often worsened due to wearing socks or gloves that are wet. If you are planning to play in the snow, be sure to bring along multiple pairs of extra gloves and socks so that you can change when you get too wet. If you are going to be somewhere that you can go indoors, take some breaks throughout the day to go in, get dry, and moisturize.
- Cleanse. During winter, individuals with dry skin should avoid masks, peels, and harsh toners. Instead, they should focus more on cleansing with mild foaming cleansers and use products that do not contain alcohol. Masks and peels will strip the necessary oil from your face, making it irritated and even more dry.
While it is often impossible to completely cure yourself of dry skin during the winter, there are some things you can try in order to alleviate the problem a little bit. Following these tips will help you to feel more comfortable and less itchy this winter.
