Happy Holidays everyone! What a season of joy and good times - although its also time for cold weather, harsh heating and beating winds! These can wreak havoc on our hair and skin, so even though this is a festive time of year, lets make it a beautiful one as well.
Today I'm going to share some tips and my personal beauty routines for your body's "winterization". First, lets begin with some winter basics! Here in Canada, the temperature drops and with it goes the humidity (at least here in the west), so we need to account for not only the cold temperature but the lack of moisture in the air as well. Here are some great tips, in no particular order!
Top Tips
1. Use a humidifier - I learned the importance of this while living in Calgary, probably the driest place in Canada! Not only does the added moisture in the air benefit your skin and hair, it also benefits your lungs, sinuses and throat which is especially essential during cold and flu season. You can purchase "personal" humidifiers for as little as $20 so there's no reason to be without!
2. Boost your moisturizer (no matter what your skin type) - You can boost your hydration and moisturization in a couple ways. First, if your skin is normal to dry or extra dry, try a thicker, richer cream with added emollients and water binding agents. These can include glycerine, hyaluronic acid, natural plant oils and vitamins such as E. For oily or acne prone skin, adding a hydrating oil-free serum can be your best bet as well as an oil-free moisturizer.
3. Skip long hot baths and showers - I know, I know, I love them too but they are exceptionally drying for skin. If you must take a warm bath or a long hot shower be sure to use hydrating body washes or a bath oil. Many bubble bath formulas are very drying so if you want bubbles, try some bubble bars from Lush Cosmetics which incorporate hydrating oils with bubbles, or add a bath oil as well. Be sure to follow your bath or shower with a body oil or rich lotion.
4. Cut back on exfoliation - I love to exfoliate seeing as I have oily, acne prone skin but during the winter months, I find it can actually make things worse. With the drier air, my skin gets extremely sensitive so I switch to chemical exfoliants as opposed to scrubs. I also find I have to switch my Clarisonic brush head to the "delicate skin" option and use it a lot less often. If you find you have dry skin and it gets flakey, you may need to exfoliate but try a cream based scrub or daily chemical exfoliating cream.
5. Wash your hair less often - To keep your scalp dandruff free and your hair from becoming dry, try to wash your hair a maximum of once every two days. This will keep your ends from drying out and your scalp from becoming itchy or flakey. Use a hydrating shampoo. Also, if you find your hair gets exceedingly dry in the winter (hello static!) use a deep condition mask every time you wash as opposed to just a regular conditioner. Follow with a leave in conditioner or oil. You can also use a hydrating treatment overnight once a week for extra benefit.
6. Exfoliate your body - This may sound like it contradicts point number 4 but body skin is different than facial skin and for you to be able to get the full benefit of your body cream, you need to exfoliate first. Again, don't over do it. A loofah or puff is usually good enough paired with a hydrating body wash. For extra dry patches, use a gentle scrub. This will help you get the full potential out of your body cream.
So, those are my top tips for the winter season! Do you have any more to add that you swear by? Let me know down below! :)
Check back for my personal picks for the season!
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