Easy Tips To Prevent Dry Winter Skin ❄️

Does your skin respond to the changing seasons? I know mine does! 
My mature skin, which I can easily hydrate with a touch of a light serum during summer, becomes drier and flakier in the colder winter months. 
Our skin dries out when exposed to cold, dry air, biting winds, low humidity levels, and dry indoor heat. As a result, it can become dry, red, chapped, and easily irritated.
So if your skin is showing signs of ageing as the temperature changes, don't worry; we've got you covered. 
Here are some easy steps to help your face and body retain sufficient moisture and keep it feeling and looking healthy, even when the temperature plummets and there's no escape from winter's dry, cold air.

Let's talk face care-

Cleanse your face daily to remove dirt and dead skin and to allow better moisture and nourishment absorption. 
Exfoliation and face cleansing is a must year-round because removing dirt and dead skin cells allows your skin to soak in serums, face oils and face creams. But in winter, you must be extra gentle not to disturb the skin barrier. To do so, use the gentle and effective double cleansing method.
Double cleansing is a two-stage method that deeply cleanses your face, leaving your skin healthy and glowing.

The first stage of double cleansing is cleaning the face with micellar water. This step lifts the dirt accumulated on our faces during the day, consisting of our skin's natural oils, sweat, makeup, bacteria and environmental dirt. This dirt clogs our pores, encouraging acne outbreaks, blackheads, and unhealthy skin.

The second stage of double cleansing is exfoliating your face gently with a Konjac Sponge and water to remove the now-loose dirt and dead skin cells, leaving the skin balanced, clean and prepared to soak in your choice of serums, face oils and face creams.

Let's talk body care-

Keep baths and showers short and lukewarm, and avoid vigorous scrubbing and drying soap.
We all love a long, hot shower or bath and a scrub that makes us feel rejuvenated and clean. But we must remember hot water strips our skin's natural oils, and so does scrubbing. The combination of hot water, soap and vigorous scrubbing is excellent for removing dirt and fat from our dishes but not so great for our skin! Our skin barrier becomes fragile and exposed, leading to roughness, flaking, itching, burning sensation, cracking, and sometimes bleeding.

Instead-

Use lukewarm water and keep your bathing time to a minimum.
Avoid luffas, scrub brushes, commercial exfoliators or generic soaps.
Replace soap with a soft damp washcloth with a bit of body oil using only a light touch. The oil will trap dirt and dead skin cells, allowing them to be rinsed without disrupting your natural skin barrier. 
After a bath or shower, pat your skin dry with a towel to prevent mechanical damage to the skin.
Moisturise your skin immediately after bathing.

For your face - Apply your chosen serum, face oil or cream on damp skin. It will help plug the spaces between your skin cells and seal in the moisture. 
If you are over 30 years old, consider using Hyaluronic Acid serums according to your skin type for extra face hydration and healthy glowing skin.  

For your body - Apply your chosen body oil or cream immediately after bathing. 

Protect your lips- Nourish and hydrate, but never exfoliate!

Our lips are exposed to the elements year-round. But unlike most other areas of our skin, the lips contain no oil glands and cannot generate their own hydration. As a result, lips can become dehydrated and chapped quicker than the rest of our skin. Therefore Exfoliating your lips is never a good idea, as it will leave the skin on your lips thin and dry. Instead, supply your lips with regular hydration using the 'It's All Good' Hemp & Tulsi Nourishing Lip Balm For Weather Protection. The lip balm will improve the skin's barrier function while creating a natural shield that protects your lips from the elements, leaving your lips soft and well-hydrated. 

Hydrate from the inside

Did you know that even if you drink enough water during winter, it doesn't mean your body knows how to absorb it sufficiently? That can affect your metabolism and overall health, therefore affecting the appearance of your skin, making it appear dryer and wrinklier.

Your body needs more than just water for hydration. For your drink to be easily absorbed within the gut and to spread into the cells that need it most, it needs to have the right mix of water and electrolytes. The best electrolytes you can drink are 100% nature-created NZ Fulvic acid. Fulvic acids are water-based electrolytes. Their chelating ability demonstrates that they can bond essential minerals and enhance them for use by living organisms. Fulvic Acid Benefits and helps regulate every system in our body. Skin-wise, it generates many benefits, including promoting water absorption into the cells and protecting the collagen and elastin cells in the skin. This keeps the cells plump, bright, and hydrated. As a result, it prevents wrinkles and maintains a bright, smooth, youthful look. Protecting the collagen and elastin also retains strength in the skin, making it harder for wrinkles to form.

Eat natural fats

A Japanese study of 716 women found that those who ate a diet rich in saturated fat had significantly fewer wrinkles and better skin elasticity.

Saturated fats make up the cell membranes of every cell in your body, including your skin. Healthy and robust cell membranes contain plenty of cholesterol and saturated fats, which helps your skin retain water and stay plump and beautiful. In addition, omega-3 fatty acids increase the skin's moisture retention and firmness, improving dry skin, acne, rosacea, eczema and psoriasis. Natural fats you can eat are tallow, lard, avocado and coconut, and foods that contain omega-3 fatty acids are, for example, oily fish.

So if you want to keep your skin healthy and hydrated year-round, eat plenty of natural fats and omega-3 fatty acids. In addition, drink enough water with electrolytes, protect your skin from the elements, and be gentle with your skincare routines.

Enjoy winter and healthy glowing skin!