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7 Skincare tips to combat harsh winter weather

The cold winter weather can really zap the life out of your skin. Keep your skin healthy and beautiful with a little TLC.
Susie Galvez offers these winter beauty tips.

Gels clean best

Women should use a creamier facial and body cleanser, as opposed to gels during the winter. Cream-based cleansers are milder and thicker than gel formulas because they contain more hydrating moisturizers. As gels clean, they leave behind moisturizing ingredients depending on the formula, such as honey and hyaluronic acid that add moisture to the skin instead of stripping it of hydration.

Find a thick moisturizer

In short when shopping for a good moisturizer, thick is in, thin is out. During the winter months, thick creams will seal in the moisture and reduce in trans-dermal moisture loss, which is water leaving the body. Save the serums and lighter lotions for the warmer season.

Soft exfoliation work during the hard cold

Instead of the abrasive grams (e.g. ground nuts, or fruit pits to remove dead, dry, skin cells), use a hydrating mask to whisk away the debris. Your skin will feel smooth and moisturized. If you must exfoliate, use a wash cloth to help with dead skin removal. Also, forget ‘Bufpufs’ and other abrasive skin tools. Save them to scrub your tub – not your face!

Time your bath

Keep shower time to less than 10 minutes. Baths should last no longer than 20 minutes. Excess water time will not help but only dehydrate the skin. If your fingers are pruning – so are you! And not to mention, your significant other will probably thank you.

The 3 minute rule

After you wash, you only have three minutes to add moisture back to the skin before it seals itself off. Wash, towel dry and add a deep conditioning moisturizing body cream to the body within three minutes to get the most out your body products and protect the skin.

Sports for the cold

Just because it’s winter, doesn’t mean sports have to stop. If you go outside, protect yourself. Believe it or not, your skincare products could actually freeze your skin. Water-based products such as moisturizer, foundation and body lotions actually freeze on the face in colder temperatures. During outside wintertime activities, choose an oil-based product instead. Oil has a lower freeze point, protecting the skin. The bit of extra oil in the product will not cause the skin to break out in most cases, but will allow for ultra skin protection.

Ice, ice, baby

Although it’s cold outside, take the time to bring a little of it inside for your skin. If you skin becomes chapped or irritated, here is the perfect cure. Make a pot of chamomile tea, cool and pour into an ice cube tray. Take out a frozen cube, wrap in cotton gauze and rub gently around the face for five minutes. Afterwards, take a cotton ball soaked in milk and press over the entire facial area for five more minutes. The skin will be calm and de-stressed. This treatment is also excellent for postwaxing sensitivities.

Kori Ellis is an editor and writer based in San Antonio, TX, where she lives with her husband and three children. At SheKnows, she contributes articles to the Beauty & Style channel and several other sections. Additionally, Kori has been published in dozens of magazines, newspapers and websites worldwide, writing about everything from wedding planning to fantasy sports.

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