Winter weather can be harsh to your skin. Cold air and wind dry your skin out. Similarly, warm and dry air indoors removes moisture from your skin. Without the proper care, dry skin can lead to redness and cracking.
However, with the proper skin care you can counteract these effects and keep your skin looking healthy and youthful. Here are some tips to protect your skin from the cold and keep it looking its best in the winter.
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Skin protection from the inside
The best way to keep your skin supple and soft is to nourish it from the inside! Follow a balanced diet with a variety of foods that include plant based fat and vitamins. Fat is essential for your skin to stay flexible and healthy. Eat whole foods naturally filled with fats like nuts, chia seeds, avocados and of course olive oil. Fruit and vegetables will provide you with the necessary vitamins. In addition, they contain antioxidants help fight free-radical damage and aging.
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Drink Lots Of Fluids
Water will help you stay hydrated, and drinking more will especially help if you don’t usually drink enough. You can also stay hydrated with beverages like green tea, chamomile that will also warm you up. Do not forget that fruit and vegetables also contain water and contribute to your body’s hydration.
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Keep The Thermostat Low
Don’t set the temperature too high in your house and office and turn the heater off at night. To stay comfortable, simply wear more clothes during the day instead of turning up the heat, and use more blankets on your bed at night. The other side benefits of a little lower indoor temperature are being more alert during the day and sleeping better at night.
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Cover your body to protect your skin from the cold
This may be obvious, but clothes, gloves, scarves, hats, etc. should cover as much exposed skin as possible when it is very cold, protecting you from the elements that remove valuable moisture from your skin.
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Protect Yourself From The Sun
Just because it’s cold and wintery doesn’t mean the sun can’t damage your skin. A high percentage of UVA rays still penetrate the atmosphere, aging your skin. As you do in the summer, use caution if you’re outdoors during the day in the winter. Wearing full-coverage clothing and using sunscreen will protect you from the harmful sun rays.
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Sleep In Socks And Gloves
The skin on your hands and feet is very often damaged by low temperatures so you need to intensively protect your skin from the cold in these areas. Sleep in socks and gloves to protect them from moisture loss and rubbing against the sheets throughout the night. You may also want to put a moisturizer on first. To avoid getting moisturizer in good gloves, consider wearing socks on your hands instead.
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Keep Wash Water Cool
Shower and wash your face in cool or lukewarm water, not hot water! In particular, make sure you avoid hot water on your face, which is especially sensitive. Also, don’t take long showers, as the longer you are in the water the more your skin will be dried out. When you wash your hands, use only cool or lukewarm water as well for the same reason.
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Moisturize With A Natural Oil
If your skin is dry, prefer to use a natural oil onto your skin for hydration. You can apply it to your face, hands, feet, etc. You can choose among a variety of oils like shea butter, argan or jojoba oil that protect your skin from the cold. If your skin is dry, moisturize immediately after taking a shower or washing your skin–while your skin is still damp–to help seal in moisture.
