"Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face." -Victor Hugo
Happy New Years! Now that the holiday season is over, many of us are busy trying to keep our New Year’s resolutions. Along with these resolutions, this time of year typically brings a lot of winter storms in different parts of the country. What does this mean for your skin? Here is a breakdown of things to consider with dry skin and winter time.
Hyaluronic Acid
We all know you should use moisturizers, but what is the best kind of moisturizer to use? There are a ton of options out there. To be fair you should know there are two basic types: occlusive and humectants. Occlusive moisturizers create a barrier between your skin and the air around it. The idea is the sebum (oil) your skin produces stops moisture from escaping. Humectants are substances that attract and keep water. Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a natural substance you have in your body right now. The great thing about HA is it has a 1:1000 water attraction rate to it. This means that for every molecule of HA, it will attract 1,000 times the water to it! So, when you are looking for a serum or moisturizer to put on your face, try looking for a medical grade based HA product. Easy tip: SkinMedica just came out with a new product called HA5. It’s smooth and feels fantastic on your skin.
Humidifier
Skin is the largest organ in the body. It will naturally try to keep an equilibrium of hydration. This is where sebum or oil comes into play. Cold air has less moisture in it, which means your skin will lose moisture in the winter. With less water in the air you need to compensate for that loss of hydration. An easy fix? Get a humidifier. This is an inexpensive way of keeping your skin happy and hydrated.
Use Lip Balm
Lips often take the brunt of low humidity and having dry, cracked lips is the worst! There is nothing wrong with using a petroleum based lip balm because you are aiding the body in keeping in moisture. Any way you slice it you need to protect your lips. If you can get a lip balm with SPF in it that is an extra bonus. Quick tip: try EltaMD’s UV lip balm, which has SPF 30.
Drink More Water
According to a published study by the Journal of Bilogical Chemistry in 1945, human skin is made of up 64% water. Keep in mind when you breathe, you are exhaling small amounts of water. So, the dryer the air, the dryer your skin will naturally become. To figure out how much water to drink per day and, check out this article from Slender Kitchen. They outline some ideas such as adding flavor to water, etc.
Shorter Showers and Baths
We all love a long, hot shower at the end of the day, or maybe you prefer to soak in a warm bubble bath. Whatever your taste, try and limit the amount of time in hot water. While it feels great and is super relaxing, water will strip the oil off your skin. Not only will you be feeling pruney, your skin will be really dry as well. While it’s cold outside how about drinking a warm beverage instead? Granted, it might not be as nice as a bath, but at least you are hydrating versus dehydrating.
Moving Forward
Dry air creates dry skin and we need to compensate for it. With the crazy weather, we have seen all over the nation the hope is this helps your skin. Drinking more water, using a humidifier, and even lip balm are all simple cost effective ways of protecting your skin in the winter. If you ever need help creating a personalized skin care regimen for dry skin, let us know. We are here to help.
To healthy, non-dry skin,
Team Reflect
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