Whether you live in or are traveling to a cold, dry destination this winter, you need to know about the best skin care tips for winter. Moving from cold, brisk temps outside to warm, dry settings inside can wreak havoc on skin’s natural moisture, causing your skin to be red, itchy, dry, and irritated. Find out some cure-all techniques to prevent the winter blues from affecting your skin.

Reevaluate Your Daily Skin Care Routine

Daily skin care is critical in keeping healthy-looking skin. You should know your skin type and have a daily routine that nourishes your skin to make it look its best. When the cooler temps start to hit, you might need to reevaluate your routine to accommodate the harsh weather. If your skin starts to show problems like cracking, redness, or other irritations, you might want to look for gentler products to help. Your daily routine should include cleansing and a moisturizer, at the very least.

Add Skin Moisturizer Often

Winter weather brings low humidity, which means the air is dry and can cause dry skin. One way to combat this is to add more moisturizer to your daily routine. If you usually just put on moisturizer after you take a shower or bath, try applying before you go to sleep and when you wake up as well. Also, remember that you should be moisturizing your hands often to keep them soft and crack-free.

Sunscreen

Surprisingly, skincare in winter does not leave off your daily sunscreen. The sun is bright in the winter, and the rays are just as harmful, even if you cannot feel them due to the cold. Additionally, if you live in or are traveling to higher altitudes, your UV exposure increases 4-5 percent with every 1,000 feet above sea level. Make sure to put that sunscreen all over your face, ears, scalp, and lips!

Protect Those Lips

Your lips need some extra love when switching to a winter skincare routine. Dry winter air will cause you to lick your lips and drink more, which means they will need more hydration and protection from the elements. Use a hydrating and protective lip balm to prevent dry skin on or around your lips. We love applying a thick layer before bed to wake up with hydrated lips.

Hydrate Your Skin from the Inside Out

Topical moisturizer is essential to fighting dry, winter air, but hydrating from the inside out by drinking plenty of water plays a huge factor. If you usually drink 7-9 glasses of water a day, you should increase that by half or more to prevent dry skin. The dry air makes us sweat more; thus, we need more water inside our bodies.

Avoid Hot Showers and Hot Tubs

We know that being out in the cold for long periods makes you want to soak in a hot bath or shower; however, this could dry out your skin more than you can imagine. Turn that knob to warm, not hot, and enjoy a pleasant 5-10 minute shower as recommended by doctors. If you want more warmth, cuddle up with some blankets after your shower.

Bundle Up

Your skin is your largest organ. Winter skincare should include everything, head to toe. Bundle up and protecting every inch of skin. Keeping your body protected from the dry, cold air should help prevent dry skin. 

Use A Humidifier

As we mentioned before, winter brings dry air. One way to combat that is to use a humidifier in your home, especially in your bedroom. The additional moisture in the air will help combat the natural dry air and prevent dry skin. It also helps relieve congestion, also related to winter and dry air.

When using a humidifier, make sure to clean it regularly to prevent the build-up of harmful mold and mildew.

Exfoliate

Using a gentle exfoliating scrub in the winter will help shed dry skin and prevent build-up that could cause acne and other skin problems. Use a gentle scrub made with natural ingredients safe for teen skin 2-3 times a week for skincare in the winter. You can have a little fun and make your own scrub by mashing a banana, adding a teaspoon of oatmeal, and then applying it to your skin. Oatmeal is a natural anti-inflammatory and is an excellent exfoliant.

Dry skin in the winter is preventable, and by following these tips for winter skincare, you can enjoy the winter months without worrying about your skin.