Does the winter weather affect your skin with an irritable itch and dry flakes?
You are not alone. Many people feel the effect of cold weather drying out their skin resulting in the annoying winter itch. Luckily, there are simple solutions that can soothe and heal your skin.
Understanding Dry Skin
When the moisture level in your body decreases, your skin begins to dry out and crack. Unfortunately, the cracked skin exposes your body to dry air and irritants making the problem worse. The ultimate goal is to keep your skin healthy and hydrated to prevent dry skin in the first place. However, when your skin is already dry, you have to take extra care in restoring, then preventing it from drying out again.
Though it might be tempting to add more moisturizer to your skin to solve the problem, this can be counterproductive. Here are a few different ways of tackling the winter itch through preventative and restorative measures.
Tips for Preventing and Restoring Dry Skin
Stay Hydrated
Your body’s hydration level directly impacts your skin. When you are dehydrated, your skin is prone to drying out and cracking. Drinking more water is a great way to stay hydrated, especially if you start out each morning with 8 oz. and keep your glass topped up throughout the day.
Since fruits and vegetables hold a lot of water, adjusting your diet can help boost your hydration level. Better yet, you can choose foods like romaine lettuce, sweet peppers, and cantaloupes that are not only hydrating, but also contain a good level of Vitamin A which is great to promote healthy skin.
In colder climates, soup is a staple during winter months. Many soups contain a generous amount of water making this is an easy way to warm up and stay hydrated.
Reduce Inflammation
The red outbreak known as inflammation of the skin adds to the discomfort of dryness by causing an itchy rash. While some level of inflammation is necessary to keep your body healthy, too much of it is painful and irritating.
One of the easiest ways to reduce inflammation is to increase your consumption of foods rich in Omega-3. Adding chia, hemp, and flax seeds to your diet are great options, especially for vegetarians and vegans.
In addition to increasing your Omega-3, you’ll want to decrease your sugar. Because sugar creates an imbalance in your insulin level, over consumption leads to inflammation. Cut out processed sugars from your diet and you’ll enjoy benefits beyond healthier skin.
Stress is also a major culprit when it comes to inflammation. Unfortunately, the discomfort of dry skin can be so irritating it keeps you up at night and causes you stress. It’s a vicious cycle, but if you can stay calm throughout the outbreaks, they will clear up much faster.
Increase the Humidity Level in your Home
If you live in a region where winter months bring cold, dry weather, this tip is especially important as a way to prevent dry skin. The combination of wind chill outside and forced hot air in the home make it difficult to maintain a healthy level of moisture for your skin.
When outdoors you want to bundle up to prevent the cold air from hitting your skin, but in the home, you’ll have to take different measures to protect yourself from dry air.
There are two effective ways to increase the humidity in your home. You can either install a humidifier on your furnace or you can add a portable humidifier to your living space.
Avoid Skincare Products with Ethanol Alcohol
Skincare products often list alcohol as an ingredient, and that isn’t always a bad thing. There are a variety of fatty alcohols like cetyl for example that help stabilize your skin. The alcohol you want to stay clear of is ethanol or isopropyl alcohol. This type of alcohol has a drying agent that is harmful for the skin.
When choosing a skincare product, look for one that is natural and full of vitamins, not chemicals. Keeping your skin hydrated and healthy is easy with a nutrient rich moisturizer like Shea butter. Moyaa Shea Butter is unrefined, cold-pressed, and loaded with all-natural antioxidants and vitamins A and D nourishing your skin in a natural way.
Importance of Healing the Winter Itch
If cold weather increases the dryness of your skin, be sure to give the above tips a try. These preventative and restorative skincare methods become even more important if you are planning a winter getaway to a warm climate. Exposing dry skin to sunshine can put you at a higher risk of sunburn, so you want to keep your skin healthy before hitting the beach.
In addition to keeping hydrated, reducing inflammation, using a humidifier, and avoiding ethanol in skincare products, application of the right moisturizer is an effective way to restore your skin’s health and prevent unwanted side effects of winter weather.