As soon as the temperatures drop each fall, women everywhere begin to scratch. It’s no secret that the lack of moisture in the air during winter months causes dry skin, leaving the ladies rubbing up against any rough surface or available fingernails like a bear scratching his back on tree bark. Sure, it feels good for a moment, but then they’re left with dry, scaly red patches that just begin to itch again in a few minutes. Torture!
Working in a dermatology clinic for several years taught me a lot about how to get through the winter months with soft, glowing skin. Lucky you! Try these tips and stay smooth and itch-free until spring, and all her April showers, returns.
Keep showers short and luke-warm. Hot water dries skin out and the longer you remain under the spray, the drier you get. Keep it on the cool side to avoid dry skin.
Use a fragrance-free, organic soap for sensitive skin. Perfumes in soaps have alcohol (to maintain them). Alcohol strips skin of its natural oils leaving behind dry, unprotected skin. Regular soaps all have some kind of fragrance added to them. Organic soaps avoid using harsh detergents that strip skin of vital oils (same goes for organic shampoos so using a brand like Ren-Pure will help keep your hair from being dried out as well. Follow with a conditioner that adds essential oils back in like Garnier Smooth and Sleek).
Moisturize skin within 3 minutes of stepping out of the shower. Better yet, keep a fragrance-free moisturizer or body oil (Almond Oil and Olive Oil work wonderfully and are inexpensive) in the shower and begin moisturizing as soon as you shut off the water (while water droplets are still on your skin). This helps keep moisture locked into your pours. Gently pat dry with a towel.
Keep a good hand lotion with you when out. Hands are exposed all day to the harsh elements. Keeping them moisturized after every hand wash is the best way to keep skin from drying and cracking.
Make sure to apply and SPF of 15 to 30 on face, neck, décolletage, and arms down to hands before applying makeup and getting dressed. Putting an SPF moisturizer on one’s face is a given, but most women don’t think about the exposed skin of the neck, cleavage, and arms (usually from the elbows down) as being at risk for UV exposure. They are! And those areas are the first ones to give away age, so keeping them protected from sun damage (which causes not only premature wrinkles, but also skin cancer) is important. Don’t forget two key areas of the face when applying an SPF moisturizer; eyes and ears!
Take a soothing, cooling oatmeal bath once a week. Oatmeal baths are often prescribed by dermatologists for those with overly dry skin. Taking a luke-warm oatmeal bath (oatmeal bath products are available in the pharmacy department of any grocery store) will help replenish dry skin. Adding in a little olive or almond oil also helps. Soak for as long as recommended by the product. Follow the previous after bath/shower steps to keep skin silky smooth.
Give yourself an all-natural avocado facial once a week. This one is so easy, and you can make some guacamole to snack on with the extras while you wait! Mash half an avocado and rub it on your clean, makeup-free face. Let sit for about 15 minutes. Take the remaining avocados (two or three, and mash them in a separate bowl, add some cut up tomatoes (a little finely chopped onion for those who like it), a little salt, a little pepper, and a squeeze of lemon juice. Mix thoroughly and enjoy with some tortilla chips or cut veggies. Avocados are amazing.
Give yourself a scalp massage oil treatment once a week. For best results, this one requires doing it with a friend. Using one of three oils (Neem oil for really dry scalp/dandruff, Coconut oil for regular dry, non-dandruff scalp, or Almond oil for those with thin hair), massage oil into the dry hair. Once applied, massage the scalp and make sure to get oil down to the ends of the hair. This is both relaxing and good for stimulating blood flow to the scalp. Let sit for anywhere between 30 minutes to overnight (with a cap and a towel on one’s pillow). Friends can massage each others scalps. Make it a girl’s day and do nails, too. When the ‘soaking’ time is over, shampoo out and condition as usual. I actually saw this one on Dr. Oz recently. Seems that women in India do this regularly and that’s why they have such shiny hair. The American equivalent is the VO5 Hot Oil treatment, but heat makes hair frizz, so using room temperature oil is much better.
Don’t forget your feet! Feet get dry and cracked all year round. Don’t forget to pamper your feet with a lemon/sugar scrub (can be bought in stores or made at home) to remove dead, flaky skin. Buff off with a pumice stone after rubbing the lemon juice/sugar mix all over feet (do this in the shower). Wash the scrub away, then moisturize your feet the same way you would the rest of your body. For added effect, put extra lotion on the feet followed quickly by a pair of sock to hold it all in.
For stubborn spots that won’t respond to all this effort (like your lower back and haunches – I have a spot back there that drives me crazy every winter!), keep a steroid cream for itchy skin around. Cortaid works well. Do whatever you must to keep dry skin at bay and avoid scratching.
With all these tips at your disposal, you should sail through winter with skin as smooth and soft as a baby’s bum.