Is dry skin driving you mad?
I would guesstimate that 80% of my patients complain about dry skin in winter. Until I ask the question, a lot of them have never made the link that they only get dry, itchy skin during the colder months.
Why so dry in winter?
There are a few contributing factors.
The most obvious being our tendency to make our homes very warm. This dry, warm air sucks the moisture right out of our skin.
Next there are the hot showers we stand under once or twice a day. I am also guilty of this, stepping out of the shower with a bright red glow all over!
And lastly, a lot of people forget to drink their daily quota of water in winter.
How can you make it through winter with beautiful supple skin?
Lets hit the obvious ones first:
1. Turn the heat down and/or go a few hours without the heater on. Put on a jumper and some slippers and have a cup of warm tea.
2. Turn the shower down! I struggle with this one so I spend my shower time alternating between hot and warm water to minimise the drying effect.
3. Keep your fluids up. I don’t recommend drinking cold water at any time of year, but especially in winter, have your water room temperature or slightly warm. Aim for two litres of pure water daily. If you really struggle then add a pot of herbal tea to the mix (caffeine free of course) to help boost the h2o intake. Try drinking herbal teas that help benefit your hydration and skin health. My Beutea is formulated with a blend of herbs to help calm and hydrate the skin. Also it tastes heavenly, drink up and your skin will glow.
And a couple more skin saving tips:
4. Dry skin brush before you shower. This will help to remove dead skin cells and it also gets your lymphatic circulation moving to help with detoxification and immune function.
5. Take a good quality fish oil or eat low heavy metal, oily fish 3-4 times a week. Omega 3 fats help to keep skin cells plump and healthy and reduce inflammation.
6. Use natural or organic moisturiser to help nourish the skin topically. I use organic coconut oil at night all over my face and body to re-hydrate my epidermis.
Start doing all of these things as soon as the cooler weather hits and you’ll prevent dry skin completely.