5 Ways To Winterize Your Skincare Regimen

Though it’s not officially winter, it sure feels like it with the frigid temperatures, gusty winds and low humidity.  It’s time to winterize your skin care regimen. What worked in spring, summer and fall may not suffice during the frosty months. Here are 5 ways to winterize your skincare ritual.

1. Limit hot showers

Showers should be kept lukewarm and short. Hot showers are the main culprit for Itchy, dry and flaky skin. Also, you should switch to a cream and or oil-based body wash, which will restore and moisturize your skin.

2. Moisturize

Moisturizing is a must if you want to maintain healthy skin. I can’t tell you how many people are puzzled as to why their skin is dry and flaky in the winter, and when asked if they moisturize, the answer is sometimes, no or not really. Amp up your use of moisturizers that contain rich emollients like shea or cocoa butter, argan oil and other oils, which retain moisture in the skin. Examples include jojoba, coconut and avocado oil.

3. Hydrate

Don’t let your skin go thirsty. Hydrate by drinking lots of water, which transports nutrients to all the cells of your body and gets rid of toxic build up. You’ll experience healthier, more radiant skin.

4. Exfoliate

Find yourself a great exfoliating body scrub with some rich oils, and use two to three times per week. Fluffing away dead skin cells so healthier ones can flourish is a sure fire way to have radiant and healthy skin during the dry winter months.

5. Care for your lips.

This one is a biggie for a lot of folks. The cold, dry winter air can leave lips lacking moisture. Avoid biting, pinching, picking and excessively licking your lips. I know that’s a lot, and as a lip licker myself, I’ve had to train myself to stop. Water evaporates from our lips much like it does the rest of our body.

Excessive licking can also cause lips to become dehydrated, and as a result, cracked and chapped. Something else that you should know is that our lips are made up of very thin skin so, biting and picking may leave openings, which can lead to bacterial infection.

Much like you exfoliate your body with sugar scrubs, exfoliate the lips a few times per week with a gentle sugar scrub.