Winter weather might come with a lot of fun things, such as ice skating, tobogganing, winter festival, and hot chocolate runs. While it comes with all these fun activities it can also do a number on your skin. The cold weather, decreased humidity, and cold winds all wear down your skin’s barrier. The result of this? Red, dry, irritated skin.

Some of us suffer from extremely dry hands during the winter months. Dermatologists recommend that you are making sure to apply a heavy coat of moisturizer to your hands every night before bed, if they are especially bad you may want to consider adding a thin pair of gloves over the moisturizer at night to ensure penetration into your skin.

With dry hands in the winter also comes very dry lips. A great way to combat this is by lathering a large layer of thick ointment onto your lips. Over the course of around 10 minutes, your body will eat up the ointment on its own allowing it to permeate your mucus membrane, which allows for longer-lasting hydration. Cocoa Butter Vaseline is an even better way to heal and hydrate your lips.

There is nothing better than a hot shower or bath on a really cold winter day but unfortunately, this is one of the worst things you can do for dry winter skin. Hot water temporarily relieves the itch receptors on the skin, but at the same time strips away more of your body’s natural oils and protective barrier, causing dry skin. Avoid the amount of time you are spending in the shower or bath as well. Try to keep it to a 5 to 10-minute minimum and only once per day. If you are having trouble gauging time set a timer for 10 minutes!

The best time of day to shower or bathe is at night just before bed. When you are cleaning your day off the body make sure to use a body soap that is gentle, avoid any harsh soaps. Once you are finished do not dry off completely, leave your skin slightly wet, and then add on a goopy and greasy moisturizer like Aquaphor or Vaseline. Doing this will seal the moisture into your skin, be sure to wear cotton pyjamas to bed as well.

If you are really feeling the need to have a warm soak in the bathtub it is recommended to put ½ a cup of dried rolled oats into a cheesecloth and pop it into the bottom of your tub. If you do not have cheesecloth, an old pair of nylons work just as well.  Oats contain anti-inflammatory properties, which soothe dry skin.

 Dry skin is so difficult to deal with, especially in our cold and harsh Canadian winters, follow these steps to have a hydrated winter!

Published by HOLR Magazine.