Remedies to Avoid Dry Skin in Winter

The cold may never bother you when the winter season comes, but it will surely bother your skin. It’s no secret that the season’s low temperature and the dry air weather can wreak havoc on your skin, leaving it dry, rough, and itchy. 

Even when your whole body is covered with thick garments most of the time, especially when you go out, you can never hide and deny the struggles you need to deal with upon returning home. Your ordinary lotion does not just work anymore. Your skin condition makes you feel uncomfortable. What are you going to do?

Well, the right routine and a few changes to your daily skincare regime will do the trick. You’ll have fun making snow angels and doing other snow activities in no time if you follow our compiled list of remedies that you can do to avoid getting dry skin in winter. 

1. Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize

shot of an attractive young women applying moisturizer to her face at home

With the rise of the internet and various social media sites, you probably don’t need to go to a dermatologist or an aesthetician anymore to know the importance of moisturizers and skin moisturizing. 

Moisturizers are among the most common skincare products that people usually buy. However, you don’t just simply buy any moisturizer you see in the store because it comes in three common forms, gels, creams, and liquid/lotion. 

Since the moisture in our skin easily evaporates due to the low humidity levels, there needs to be an additional layer to help lock the moisture inside. This is where moisturizers will play their part. 

The layer of the right moisturizer you apply on your face, and other body parts will serve as an added barrier to your skin to prevent water loss. Do this every after you take a bath, wash your face, and after washing hands to get the best results. 

What moisturizer to use?

cropped photo of a hand holding moisturizer cream

Gels are for combination to oily skin types, so that’s a no for winter weather skin problems. The remaining two are the solutions we’re looking for. Gels are for a combination to dry skin types and liquids/lotions are for a combination of skin types. 

However, while lotions can be an alternative, it’s better to use cream moisturizers because their thick consistency helps seal the moisturizer on dry and flaking skin.

2. Stay hydrated

woman drinking water after a workout on a winter day

 

While moisturizers help combat skin problems on the outside, it’s not safe to depend solely on them to take care of your skin. Keeping yourself hydrated is still important to ensure your body’s outer and inner aspects remain healthy and protected. 

Remember, the majority of our body is mainly made of water. It’s natural for the different body systems to need water in order to function properly. Aside from this, hydration also helps flush out toxins, reduces fine lines, and regulates the oils in your face. 

But, how much water do we really need daily, you may ask. Well, experts say that it takes 6-8 full glasses of water to reach our recommended intake. That’s about 2.68 liters! While the numbers may overwhelm and scare you slightly, don’t worry because you’re not forced to drink all that at once. That will do you more harm than good!

What you should do instead is to space out your water consumption throughout the day to ensure that all that liquid intake is properly absorbed for healthy and glowing skin in the winter. 

3. Turn on that humidifier

humidifier on a table in the living room

As the name suggests, humidifiers humidify. They make the dry air wetter by adding moisture to it. 

Since humidity levels drop during the winter season, turning on your humidifiers at home, especially in areas where you usually stay, can help your skin remain hydrated. 

4. Take cold, short showers

woman taking a cold shower

It’s nice to bathe in hot waters during winter, right? It temporarily relieves the coldness that you’re feeling. But, as tempting as it may sound, hot baths can be harmful to your skin as they can speed up the evaporation of your skin’s moisture. It also deprives the skin of natural oils, which may further lead to dryness and flaking. 

But how will you clean your body, you may ask. Well, the answer is for you to take cold showers but at shorter periods. We promise you’ll be thankful that you gave up the temporary comfort of hot showers for a longer period of healthy and hydrated skin. 

5. Don’t forget your sunscreen!

young woman applying sunscreen on her face in snow landscape

You may feel ridiculous with this remedy because, well, you can even barely feel the sun’s heat; why the need for sunscreen, right? 

It’s true. Unlike the summer season, when the sun is at its shining glory and sunscreen is a must-have, the winter season will seem like a resting period for your sunscreen. However, even without feeling the sun’s scorching heat, its harmful UV light is always there. 

This harmful UV light will seep through your skin’s moisture barrier and cause damage that may result in dryness. So, apart from your moisturizer, don’t forget to apply a sufficient amount of sunscreen (with at least SPF 30) on your face and other body parts. 

6. Moisturize your lips as well!

cropped photo of a young female applying lip balm in winter
Having dry lips is another annoying and uncomfortable problem you may experience during winter. While applying your ordinary lip balm is the first step you’ll be taking, you might need to reassess your lip situation and rethink your solution. 

When your lips are feeling dry, it is usually covered with a layer of dry skin that prevents the absorption of moisture from your lip balm. Before applying any lip balm, try exfoliating your lips first to get rid of the layer of dry skin. That way, you can be sure that the products you add will be effective later on. 

Now, going back to the lip balm situation. Not all lip balm products are beneficial for your skin. Some may even cause more drying than alleviate the problem. If your current lip balm contains menthol or mint flavoring or if it is scented, it’s time to make a switch. 

A good lip balm must contain soothing and moisturizing ingredients such as petroleum, beeswax, lanolin, and ceramides. It is usually available in your local pharmacies and drugstores. 

There you go! These skin remedies will allow you to enjoy the winter fully without worrying about your skin. However, remember that no matter what skin product you use, they will only be of significance if you also remember to hydrate yourself always. Drinking water will still be the best way to stay hydrated during the winter.