Winter Skin Care
Surely you’re aware of the negative effects hot temperature has on your skin, but did you know that cold can also cause you all kinds of skin problems? Summer isn’t the only time of the year when your skin needs good care; you need to take a good care of it all the time!
If you live in areas where winters are fierce, you better prepare your skin for the cold weather. And if you’re not sure how to do it, we’re here to help you out. Here are some useful tips that will make your skin stay healthy during the cold winter months. So, let’s start with some general tips on how to care for your skin. The most important thing to remember is to wear warm, yet breathable clothes.
Dress Wisely
Do you know what’s the largest organ in your body? No, it’s not the one between your legs… The skin is the largest human organ. It covers an area of approximately 20 square feet. That’s why we can’t just focus on winter-proofing your face, but keeping your entire skin healthy during winter.
To ensure you don’t get any frostbites, you need to wear clothes that cover as much skin as possible. But, you need to make sure the clothes are comfortable to wear. They need to be made of organic materials, so that no irritations would happen. Furthermore, the material needs to be breathable, otherwise, you may sweat a lot even though the weather outside is super-cold. And sweat means smells, irritations, redness, and whatnot.
A good idea for preventing excessive sweating underneath winter clothes is to wear a cotton undershirt. In fact, dressing in layers is the key to ensuring proper skin health during winter. So, when going out, make sure to wear an undershirt, a shirt or a sweater (or both), a jacket, and so on. And don’t forget to put on some gloves and use a scarf to keep your neck protected from cold winds.
Stay Away from Hot Showers
When you get home from a long walk on a freezing winter’s day, your instinct might be to throw all your clothes and jump under a hot shower or into a hot bath. This may sound like a good idea to get your body temperature back to normal, but it’s not such a great idea for your skin health. Why? Because hot water makes the skin dry!
Hot water will wash away the oils your skin cells secrete, which will result in dryness of the skin. And that’s the best-case scenario. If you take really hot showers for an extensive period of time, you may end up with severe irritations.
Obviously, to prevent that from happening, the solution is to shower with lukewarm water. Unfortunately, even that might not help you prevent your skin from drying. The reason is that the water is full of chlorine which has a pretty bad effect on the skin.
So, does this mean we advise against taking care of personal hygiene? Of course not. We’re just saying that you will have to be careful about it. You will need to use proper cosmetics in order to ensure the health of your skin during winter!
Use Hydrating Body Wash
To prevent your skin from turning dry and irritable, it’s essential to use a proper body wash. Our advice is to pick a hydrating body wash that contains all the essential vitamins and minerals your skin needs. Surely, you can use a moisturizing body lotion as well, but a hydrating body wash is a must.
The reason why we’re insisting so much on this type of cosmetics is that it will supply your skin cells with all the nutrients they need. Warm shower or bath will open up your pores and let the essential nutrients slip right in. Because of this, we advise you to use a similar kind of products when washing your face.
Use a Hydrating Face Wash
It’s basically the same reason why you ought to use a hydrating face wash – it will supply your skin cells with everything they need, while also preventing the skin from drying out. The problem is that your skin might get too greasy during the winter days. The reason for that is that the skin may secrete more oil in order to add an extra layer of protection from the cold.
Unfortunately, too much oil on your skin equals acne, blackheads, and other issues. What this means is that you will have to get rid of the excess oil. But, how are you supposed to do that without making your skin too dry. A hydrating face wash or facial cleanser can help you with this, but sometimes it may not be enough.
The solution is to use exfoliators for men from time to time. But, you need to be careful not to exfoliate your skin too often as it can make it dry, irritable, and reduce its ability to withstand cold temperatures. That said, you should use these kinds of products 1-2 times a week.
Use Face Creams Regularly
Every time you wash your face, no matter if you’re using an exfoliator or a hydrating face wash, a lot of your skin’s natural oil will get washed away. This is why it’s important to apply a good face cream right afterward, while your pores are still open. Using a good face moisturizer for men is essential. It will bring your skin moisture and supply it with essential vitamins and minerals.
A part of the skin that’s most prone to irritations is the area around the eyes. Even if you wash it with nothing but tap water, you can still make that part of the face dry. The reason why that is the case is that that area is exposed to cold temperature every time you get outside. You can’t wear scarf over your eyes, so that part of the skin is going to remain exposed to the cold. You can try to wear glasses when the wind is strong, but a much better solution seems to be buying a quality eye cream for men which will feed the skin cells with all they need.
How to Shave During Winter Time?
Well, don’t, unless you really have to. Long beard will keep your facial skin protected from cold. It’s basically fur for your face. But, if sporting a beard isn’t your style, surely you can shave even if the temperature outside is below zero. Shaving in winter time doesn’t differ much from shaving during other seasons. You just need to be more careful.
You need to be careful not to cut yourself or cause any irritations as the skin heals slower during the cold days. And the combination of freezing weather and razor cuts can cause you a lot of pain.
Here are a few bonus tips on how to shave safely:
- Wash your beard with warm water before shaving it
- Use a good shaving foam (or a gel)
- Use a sharp razor
- Move the razor gently rather than pressing it hard onto your skin
- Wash your face with cold water after shaving
- Use a good aftershave (or a balm)
If you’re planning to shave, make sure to pick the right time. Do it at the time of day when you got nothing else to do, so you won’t have to rush it. A good advice is to shave just before going to bed, as there won’t be any business calls to hurry you up.
Eat Healthy to Winterproof Your Skin
You need to up the amount of calories you consume per day in order to ensure your general health during the freezing winter days. But, this doesn’t mean that you should get those calories from junk food. If you eat processed foods, drink a lot of carbonated drinks and alcoholic beverages, it’s not going to do well for your skin.
Your body will do all in its power to flush away the toxins you’ve ingested by eating poor-quality foods. One of the ways of getting rid of toxins is through sweating. And that means that your skin will get in contact with those toxins.
So, instead of eating junk food, it is much better to switch to a healthy diet, preferably one that’s full of foods that are beneficial for the health of your skin. But, which foods are good for your skin? Those that are rich in Omega and Omega 6 fatty acids!
Some of those foods include:
- Flax
- Chia seeds
- Herring, sardines, salmon and other types of fish
- Shellfish
- Avocados
- Olives and olive oil
- Nuts and Legumes
- Eggs
- Strawberries, blueberries, and other types of berries
Of course, if you don’t want to be careful too much about what you eat, maybe the solution is to take some food supplements. Fish oil supplements are fish in Omega fats and the best thing is that they’re pretty cheap. Some of them even come in capsules, which is ideal for those who don’t like the taste of fish oil.
