Dry, irritated skin and chapped lips? It’s a sign winter’s here; we suffer because of heaters, to be more precise, dry indoor air due to central heating. How to fight the problem, soothe dry skin and get through the chilly season?
TEWL stands for transepidermal water loss and is a normal phenomenon, not dangerous. Water resources are replenished on a regular basis on condition that there’s no extreme situation e.g. dry indoor air, AC at work, a heater as hot as a furnace. Because of such factors, skin loses water, gets damaged, ages and is irritated. How to prevent that?
Dry skin care in winter
1. Above all, drink lots of water
1,5 liter per day? Yes, in normal conditions. When skin is dry and cries for H2O, the optimal amount is over two liters. Nothing is going to moisturize your body and skin from within better than mineral water. Boiled or spring water washes minerals out of the body so mineral water makes a way better pick.
2. Remember to eat healthy foods high in vitamins
In winter, we have limited access to vegetables and fruit but you can find them if you try. You may as well drink veggie and fruit juices. The truth is that vegetables and fruit in your diet make up a rich source of water, valuable micronutrients and antioxidants. Especially vitamins E and A are important, plus vit. D in winter. They moisturize skin and lock in water.
3. Invest in an air humidifier
The max. temperature in the house is 20 celsius degrees (18 degrees in the bedroom!). Don’t turn up the thermostat; air the room, especially before sleep. If you don’t feel like investing in a regular humidifier, get a ceramic hanging humidifier. Even such subtle changes benefit the skin.
4. Treat skin with lotions and oils
You have a couple of minutes after a bath to apply moisturizing products, did you know that? Otherwise, moisture is going to escape from the epidermis so skin will get dry again. One of the great tricks involves creating so-called occlusive layer by rubbing a natural oil into damp skin.
Natural, cold-pressed oils, e.g. argan oil, almond or coconut oil, are made for body, face and hair care so add a few drops to bath water, favorite lotion or moisturizer.
5. Present your skin with hyaluronic acid
It’s the best moisturizer ever made. One molecule of hyaluronic acid is able to attract around 250 water molecules! That is why it’s still the most highly rated moisturizing substance. Hyaluronic acid has various sizes of molecules: the smaller they are, the deeper layers they penetrate. However, in order to ensure optimal moisture, we should use various forms of hyaluronic acid at the same time.
A game-changing hack!
After a face wash, use a toner or floral water and don’t wait until it’s absorbed – just apply oil or moisturizer right away. This way moisture levels are boosted.
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