Tips to Protect Your Skin from Winter’s Harsh Blasts
Harsh Cleveland winters deal delicate skin a double blow. Cold winter winds blowing off Lake Erie buffet and chafe exposed skin every time you step outdoors.
Your skin doesn’t fare much better if you stay inside. Every time the furnace clicks on, bursts of skin-drying heat swirl around you, sucking the moisture from your skin. During the winter, the lack of humidity in the air both indoors and out takes a heavy toll on our body’s delicate protective covering. Without proper care, your skin and lips can become dry and itchy, red and cracked or flakey and scaly, leaving you in misery all winter.
A little extra tender loving care during the winter months will banish alligator skin and leave your skin feeling smooth, soft and touchable.
- Bathing or showering in lukewarm water will help your body retain more of its natural oils. And don’t wait to apply moisturizer. After bathing, lightly pat your skin with a fluffy towel and immediately apply moisturizer while your skin is still damp. Damp skin absorbs moisturizer more efficiently than dry skin.
- When choosing a moisturizer, look for glycerin and hyaluronic acid in the list of ingredients. Both glycerin and hyaluronic acid have special moisture-absorbing properties that help lock in moisture and plump the skin.
- Either use a moisturizer with built-in sunscreen (SPF 30 or higher) or add a layer of sunscreen -- especially to your face and neck -- to protect your skin from harmful UVA/UVB rays.
- Refresh your lip gloss or lip balm frequently to keep lips from chapping. Choose lip stains and glosses that have a minimum rating of SFP 15 to protect lips from sun damage. Skip the waxy lip balms; they only provide minimal surface protection. Opt for lip products that contain glycerin or shea butter which soak into the skin, protecting lips from moisture loss.