The winter months are harsh on your health, with cold and flu season arriving, but these colder months are also hard on your skin, causing it to become dry. This dryness can often times be very uncomfortable and even painful. Your skin can start to flake, crack and even present signs of eczema (a skin condition where the skin becomes inflamed). This is caused by all the dry air during winter. The temperatures are so cold outside that once you turn on the heat inside, your skin starts to dry out. Here are some tips on how to fight dry skin this winter. 1. Moisturize a lot more This winter, switch up your moisturizing routine so that you include an ointment moisturizer that’s oil-based instead of water-based. The oil in the moisturizer will act like an extra protective layer on your skin so that it retains more moisture than the other cream-based lotion. Make sure that you moisturize several times a day to keep the moisture inside your skin. 2. Wear gloves Your hands have thinner skin that on other parts of your body and fewer oil glands, which means they tend to get dry a lot easier. To keep your hands moist in the cold, dry winter months, wear gloves when you go outside. And when your gloves get wet, take them off as soon as you can because this can irritate your skin and cause your hands to crack. 3. Get a humidifier A humidifier isn’t just for when you’re sick! In fact, you should have it running all the time in the winter so that it adds moisture back into your home’s dry air. This will help prevent your skin from drying out and will keep it nice and moisturized! 4. Take cooler baths Even though you might want to take warmer or hotter baths, skip them so that your skin will stay moisturized. The heat of the hot shower can actually lead to a loss of moisture and make your skin dry and crack. Just use warm water and cut your showers short.
