So it's not exactly cold yet where I live (it was in the 80s today), but we have had a few days with lows in the 40s. I always hate this time of year where the weather switches back and forth from summer to fall weather from day to day, but it does mean that soon the cold weather will be here. I love fall and winter, so I am always looking forward to it. However; my skin does not like cold weather. I know a lot of you are already experiencing snow and therefore probably also experiencing drier skin because of it. I have dry skin year round, but it's more "normal" in the summer and extremely dry during the winter. We're talking cracked hands and lips; the works. So here are some of the things I am planning on doing this winter in an effort to keep the dry skin at bay.
1) Drink more water. I know this is cliche (forgive the missing accent, I have never been able to figure those out), but I need to work on this most of all. I used to drink only one or two glasses a day. Now, contrary to popular belief, drinking water does not "moisturize your skin". What it does do is keep the cells in your body functioning properly which can help to alleviate some severe dryness.
2) Take warm showers instead of hot showers. I love hot showers, but they can strip every bit of moisture out of your skin. I know that this will be a hard one for me, but hopefully I can change.
3) Moisturize while skin is still damp after showering. This helps to lock the moisture in your skin. I'm hoping that it will help prevent my skin from cracking. Now I can't say that I will be slathering lotion all over my entire body while still slightly damp because the feeling freaks me out a little, but I am going to put lotion on all my dry spots right away. Areas I will focus on are my lips and hands along with my elbows, knees and feet.
4) Use a hydrating mist throughout the day as needed. I think that this will help to refresh my face throughout the day and keep my makeup looking nice as my skin gets drier. I have never done this before, so I am not sure how it will go. I am planning on trying The Body Shop's Vitamin E Facial Mist. I have heard good things. If it doesn't work I will just use Mac Fix+.
These are the big changes I am planning on making. There are other things I will be doing too, but I already do them. In case you aren't doing them here they are.
1) Use a cream or oil cleanser. I already do this. I have been using Philosophy Purity for years and it works well for me. I also just started using the cleansing oil from the same line to remove my makeup. This is of course all based on your skin though, so do what you think will work best.
2) Wash my face every night (aka don't sleep with makeup on). I never sleep with makeup on for a full night. I have fallen asleep for a few hours with it on before, but I always wake up and wash my face at some point. I think my body knows lol. Sleeping in makeup dries out my skin and makes me break out even just for a little bit.
3) Apply body cream and facial moisturizer every night. This is something I have been doing for years upon years so no problem for me.
4) Apply lip balm. My poor lips require constant application of lip balms. They have always been chapped, but my hypothyroidism has made it even worse. I tend to use things like vitamin e oil, argan oil, Fresh sugar lip treatment and of course Vaseline/Aquaphor.
5) Get plenty of omega-3s. I take a fish oil supplement everyday to help keep my skin and organs functioning properly.
So there they are. The things I will be doing this winter. I'm sure I forgot some of the things I already do because that's my nature, but I will update you if I notice any others. Hopefully this will be helpful for any one who sees it. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
