Skin Care for Winter

winter

Cold weather can reap havoc on the skin and now that winter is coming around, it is time to take stock of your routine for skin care. For instance sebaceous glands during the months of winter produce oil in less amounts. For this reason, during winter those who suffer from oily skin the entire year will usually find some relief. On the other hand those with dry skin or combination skin will find that their skin has gotten even drier during these cold months.

Exfoliation

It is a good idea to do exfoliation on your skin once per week. To exfoliate with ease, add cornmeal to your daily facial cleanser and rub in circles. You will soon see that your complexion become smoother and clearer as the winter months progress. You may even want to go so far as to incorporate exfoliation every month of the year and not just winter. It is particularly important in winter however, due to the fact that most people are bundled up in clothes and dead skin cells don’t have a chance to fall off the way they do in the summer.

DIY All Natural Toner

You might want to add a homemade chamomile and green tea toner for your face. To create your own toner all you have to do is boil one cup water with one bag of chamomile and one bag green tea. Strain and put into a spray bottle. Leave this in the refrigerator and use it every night before you moisturize the skin on your face. You will notice that the soothing chamomile and the antioxidant effects of green tea will do wonders for your skin.

Cleanse

Use a gentle, enriching body wash that contains aloe vera. Pat down your body after the shower with a moisturizing lotion such as the kind with shea butter. Use detergents that are free of dye and fragrance. Keep in mind that dry skin can also be irritated by chemicals on our clothes such as when you use fabric softeners, so you might want to avoid these as well.

On the face, it is never a good idea to use harsh soap and showers with extremely hot water. Of course, when the weather is zero degrees, this gets so tempting but do try to avoid the temptation! The skin dries out when hot water is used and this strips natural oil from the face.

Face Hydration

It is important to keep your facial skin hydrated both outside and in. Winter happens to be the perfect season for antioxidant-filled warm herbal tea. In addition, incorporating a moisturizing regimen that has both an SPF and a moisturizer for use in the day time will help keep your skin balanced. At night, use a cream rich in emollients to keep skin supple and hydrated. If you don’t already, think about using cream for night time skin hydration and a lotion during the day. Use creams that contain olive oil, avocado oil or shea butter. It is not a good idea to use a moisturizing agent containing artificial color, fragrance, manmade preservatives and alcohol. These tend to cause skin dryness which won’t help during the months of winter.