Image Source:bestsoapintheworld.com

During the winter months many people suffer from cracked or dry skin. It is because the moisture is stripped away during cold weather, elevated heat temperatures inside the home and lack of moisture in the air. It’s uncomfortable, embarrassing and can make even the simplest motion of bending a finger a painful occurrence.

Glycerin which is commonly found in handmade soaps is a natural part of fat or oil. Glycerin soaps are believed to help replenish and add moisture. While not designed to specifically cure chapped skin, handmade glycerin soap does help rejuvenate the natural texture of the skin surface. It is healthy for the skin and less likely to cause irritation. In fact, many users have found that handmade glycerine soap may be beneficial to those who have sensitive skin.

Image Source: www.backpackgeartest.org

Although you might not realize it, the sun is actually out 365 days every single year. We associate winter with dull skies and plenty of rain and sometimes snow, but we barely think about the trouble that the sun can still cause. The sun does not necessarily have to be hot for it to be damaging, and it is possible to get damaged by its rays, even if it is hazy and cloudy. Though clouds do block a lot of the suns rays, they still only block 20% of the harmful rays, meaning that the other 80% still gets to us.

In winter, you can even get burnt and damaged by the sun, even if there is snow on the ground. The sun easily reflects off the snow and it can bounce up to 90% of the suns rays back up at you. So always take precautions even in winter!

Rough skin is very much common during winter season. It is caused by low humidity. As you have noticed, the very cold air and the central heating systems around you can easily suck the natural moisture of your skin. The common negative effect of this is itchiness and a number of skin conditions. The people who experience this will witness how the fine lines of their skin look deeper. Some are not comfortable with their skin anymore. There is also a big tendency that the skin complexion is not on the best condition up to the extent that it looks uneven.

We usually bundle up more during winter because of the biting cold air.  Whenever we go inside a temperature-controlled room, we’re overdressed, and this causes us to lose moisture when we perspire.  Also, our winter clothes are often made out of irritating fabric like wool, which can cause more dryness, friction, itching, and flaking.  Or we might wear cothes made out of material like nylon or leather, which keeps our skin from breathing and traps bacteria against our skin.

When choosing winter clothes, pick fabrics like cottom - a non-irritating material that doesn’t trap moisture on our skin’s surface.  Remember though that once cotton gets wet, it doesn’t dry very quickly.  Dress up in layers so you can put on or remove articles of clothing according to the changes in temperature.

Just like your skin, your hair is also vulnerable to damage this winter. Before the winter winds can do damage to your crowning glory, treat your hair with deep conditioning by massaging in aloe vera juice for a few minutes every evening.  This will restore the softness and correct some of the damage.  You can also give your hair a homemade hot oil massage treatment once or twice a week using olive oil.  Heat the oil in the microwave for several minutes then soak it for a short time - soaking your hair in oil for too long will make you sick.

Woolen clothes like hats, turtleneck and scarves can also damage your hairline because they cause breakage. Before putting on a hat, cover your hairline with a silk scarf.

Before going out, style your hair in a braid or a knot.  As much as possible, try not to let it down because this is where they are most vulnerable to cold winds.

Your skin is not the only part of your body susceptible to dryness during the winter weather.  Lips don’t have oil glands, and that means they dry out even easier than skin does.  Give your lips the care they need this winter with these tips from the American Academy of Dermatology.

Do not lick your lips.  They will chap even more easily due to the cycle of wetting and drying.  Instead, moisturize them with petrolium jelly or lip balm.

Cover up, especially when you’re headed outside.  You can protect your lips by wrapping a thick scarf around the lower part of your face.

Boost moisture in your house or apartment by using a humidifier.

Use lip balm with sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher.  Exposure to UV rays make chapped lips even worse, and the blinding white snow does a very good job of reflecting rays on people.

If the problem continues to persist, consult your dermatologist.

Here’s an effective way for you to moisturize your skin during winter: take an oil-infused bath instead of a hot shower.  While this might not be very practical for mornings on your way to work, do this during weekends on after work.  Fill your tub with warm water and amply infuse your bath with jojoba oil or sweet almond oil.  Add a few drops of an essential oil like ilang-ilang or lavander for a more relaxing bath.  Stay soaked for at least twenty minutes.  Make sure that the essential oil you’re using is diluted with a base oil like jojoba or sweet almond to avoid irritating your skin.

Some people prefer traveling to tropical areas or going to the beach during winter time. The sultry winds keep the skin lithe and moist, hence, a healthy skin. But heading down south or hitting the beach isn’t the only option to care for the skin; it may be as simple as going to the nearest spa.

England’s The Sequoia Spa will rehydrate your face by a massage that will replenish with face oil. This face oil includes aromatic sandalwood and patchouli essences. This rejuvenates exhausted and environmentally stressed skin. All of these for only about $160.

Body treatment in Belladona’s in New Orelans, is at the same time, fruity and soothing. Tropical fruits enzymes from pineapples and papayas are natural exfoliators. For only $135 for 110 minutes, this body treatment includes a cream-based papaya and pineapple enzyme mask, plus a coconut-papaya salt scrub. Yummy and relaxing at the same time!

The most neglected, yet an important part of the body that also needs attention: the feet. Winter season requires the feet to wear boots, thus, trapping the footsies.

Belladonna’s Thai Lime Pedicure boosts hydration and exfoliation for the feet. This pedicure contributes in the circulation of the blood. This treatment includes a deep Thai massage to the legs and feet and also, a stimulation of acupressure points with a special wooden tool. This relaxing treatment for the most ignored part of your body for only $80.

Here are Audrey Kunin’s, M.D.Top 5 skin care myths for fall and winter skin.

1. Sunscreen is only needed during hot days of the summer.

Wrong! Sunscreen should be part of your daily routine all year round especially during fall and winter months. Fall and winter are the seasons in the year where the cloud cover is most common. Clouds reproduce unwanted UV rays from the sun which will damage your skin.

2. One type of moisturizer for the whole year is enough.

Once again, wrong! It depends on how harsh the season is. A mild season would best fit a lotion-based moisturizer. For strong seasons, a cream-based moisturizer will help restore moisture levels in the skin and generate a defensive barrier against the winter weather.

3. Repairing chapped lips with a lip balm.

This is another myth for caring the skin. Lip balm is good for healthy lips to avoid chapped lips, but lip balm for already chapped lips won’t do much. Lip balm for chapped lips will not moisturize the lips. A gentle lip exfoliant every night then followed by an emollient or prescription-strength hydrocortisone ointment will do cure those chapped lips. Pucker up!

4. Lotion will remedy cracked, chapped skin.

No, lotion won’t do any good for those chapped and cracked skin. A recommendable solution for cracked and chapped skin is a combination therapy which includes passive protectants (i.e. bland emollient creams) and active moisturizers. Passive protectants will create a shield for your skin from the environment. Meanwhile, moisturizers will soften and exfoliate the skin.

5. There’s no need to change my daily facial rejuvenation, whatever the season may be.

People, who undergo skin rejuvenation therapy or wrinkle treatment, would want to think twice about their regimen during cold, dry seasons. Product bases should be altered as fall and winter draw near. Lotions and serums should be set aside and replaced by creams and including a hyaluronic acid to the mix. After that, you may want to lessen the use of skin products with vitamin A. It doesn’t hurt if you apply additional moisturizer to obtain more hydration.

Those who reside in four season countries are more prone to skin damage than those living in the tropics. This is because people of two seasonal climates only need to adjust to two kinds of weather patterns, the summer and the rainy season. This is not the case with those who had to experience summer, winter, spring and fall. Since their skin is exposed to more weather changes, and abrupt changes too seeing as how climate change has altered the standard passing of seasons nowadays, a more intensive skin regimen would be required of them. Hydration is the key for these individuals, as well as sun protection, so that translates to moisturizer and sunblock. During the winter season, people are still advised to wear both because the dry cold could actually burn our skin. For these instances, it is advised that one wears a sunblock mixed with a moisturizer to survive the cold dry months. Without this, skin will peel off from the dry cold and you will also develop mild ice burns.