Does that healthy summer glow seem to be fading? Although the cool, crisp air may feel refreshing, it’s actually dry. Dry air can rob your skin of its natural oil and moisture, giving you an unwanted ashy, flaky look.
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Well, what can you do to avoid looking like a real-life snowman? Follow these five tips from dermatologist Dr. Michelle Henry!
1. Decrease Your Time In The Shower
A long, hot shower seems like the perfect remedy for relaxation on a cold winter day.
However, showering with hot water for long periods of time can have a drying effect on your skin. The hot water combined with soap can wash away the natural oils in your skin.
Decreasing your shower time to ten minutes or less and showering with lukewarm water can help prevent your skin from drying out. Applying natural moisturizers to your skin like jojoba oil or shea butter after you pat yourself dry from the shower will help to seal in moisture. Adding essential oils like rose, geranium, or chamomile to your moisturizer can amp up the moisturizing power.
Don’t forget to include your lips in your winter skincare routine; use a nourishing lip balm to prevent them from becoming dry and chapped in the cold weather.
“Lips don’t have oil glands that’s why when you lick your lips, they get drier. Invest in something like Vaseline or Aquaphor to really lock in that moisture and keep your lips hydrated all winter season,” Dr. Henry advises.
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2. Cleanse Your Skin With A Moisturizing Soap
The thought of not using soap to get clean is hard to imagine for most. There’s nothing wrong with using soap, but soap can be harsh on the skin, especially in the winter.
Avoiding antibacterial soaps or soaps that have fragrances can prevent the skin from drying. Moisturizing soaps with little to no fragrance have a less drying effect on the skin.
During the winter months, consider switching from a lotion to a cream to provide your skin with extra hydration and protection against the cold, dry air.
“Make sure you are thoroughly hydrated because we are indoors in the winter and radiators are leaching our moisture,” Dr. Henry shares.
3. Don’t Over Exfoliate
Clearing away dead skin cells is an important part of any skincare routine. However, exfoliating too much during the cold months can be damaging to your skin. When you over-exfoliate, you strip away your skin’s natural oils and cause inflammation. This can lead to breakouts and hyperpigmentation of the skin, aka dark spots or blemishes.
If you have normal or oily skin, limit the use of exfoliating creams or sponges to one time per week instead of two to three. If dry skin is