10 super-easy ways to take care of your winter skin

There is so much information on how to protect your face in the winter against the harsher elements of the season. However, a much neglected area is our bodies. I am going to write 10 things that I do differently in the winter, that I believe help my skin stay softer and hydrated.

1) You need to exfoliate even in the winter

Nobody wants to do a full body exfoliation in the winter: its freezing. BUT absent exfoliation you have more and more dry skin accumulating on the surface of your skin. This makes skin look scaly, dry, wrinkled (essentially, older than it actually is). The problem is made worse with age as our the natural rate of our skin exfoliating (desquamation) goes from 28 days to 40 days.

Mild exfoliators for your body are hard to come by. Here is my suggested recipe

2) Protect your lips by not drinking scalding hot drinks

It is tempting to keep drinking very hot drinks – I am guilty of this. All that happens is that your lips are constantly exposed to very hot surfaces and burn. They contribute to increasing chapped lip syndrome that no amount of lip balm seems to fix. Also, if you are Indian you may notice your lips become darker during the winter – and I think the excessive hot drinks make this worse.

3) Regularly exfoliate your lips

Exfoliating your lips with even a simple sugar and honey mix will reduce the dryness of your skin. Dry skin is like a vicious circle, as dry skin increases the rate of TEWL, making skin drier..

Forest Essentials’ make a great cane sugar exfoliator specifically for the lips.

See also

4) Don’t reduce liquid intake

During the summer I ordinarily drink at least 3 litres of water and frankly, I have to keep reminding myself to drink the same amount, because its so cold. Keep sipping lukewarm water if it helps, but definitely don’t reduce the amount of water consumption

5) Avoid carbohydrate overload

I don’t need to tell you that sugar ages your skin – it changes the nature of the protein structure in your skin making one look older. The holiday season festivities are over and I appreciate that the 18th January is Martin Luther King Day, but that is not a festival to gorge on Krispy Kreme donuts. Keep it together.

6) Think of becoming a teetotaller

I am kidding (not really).

Alcohol intake is on the rise in most countries operating pandemic lockdown rules. In fact, my classmate claimed that Norway had seen a 400% rise in alcohol consumption (although, I think that was just him…).

Without doubt, alcohol and smoking dehydrate the skin and contribute to long-term skin ageing. Therefore, go easy on the alcohol

P.S. I love this explanation from the Guardian newspaper:

Avoid alcohol, though – the “warming” effect of a nip of whisky is temporary and counterproductive. Alcohol causes the blood vessels to dilate, resulting in the rosy-cheeked look, which makes the skin feel warm while also causing you to lose that heat, and cool your core. So you’ll end up colder.

Cold as ice? How to stay warm without whacking up the heating

7) Sunscreen is not optional: wear it during the winter as well.

I am embarrassed to admit that my family and close friends repeatedly say this to me, “the sun is not shining and its so cold, why do I need to wear sunscreen?” Sometimes, I can’t tell the difference between a broken record and myself. But while there are seasonal fluctuations in the amount of UVB (less in the winter and more in the summer), UVA intensity pretty much stays the same during the winter.

It is important that if you want to prevent photoaging that is primarily caused by UVA radiation, that you wear sunscreen. To remind you, this is the damage that we want sunscreen to counter:

8) Use a mild soap and don’t take long, hot, scorching showers

Hot showers increase the rate of transepidermal water loss, which causes the skin to lose more water (moisture) and become dehydrated. Your skin will thank you for taking short and warm showers. Also, use a milder soap, as the surfactants (cleaning agents) are less harsh on your skin. My favourite mild soaps are silk soaps by Forest Essentials.

I appreciate at INR 775, you are probably thinking this is too expensive. BUT if you take this soap out of the shower and let it dry, then this product easily lasts at least 2-3 months.

A less fragrant alternative is offered by Juicy Chemistry and in the sale, quite frankly they are at least 25% cheaper than Forest Essentials. I begrudgingly uses these soaps. They are a non-event, but ok, they don’t damage my skin

9) Moisturise your skin straight after your shower

You have a couple of minutes when you come out of a shower, before the rate of water loss from your body starts to increase. Therefore, moisturise! Also, penetration of said moisturiser is easier when the skin is damp.

Damp skin is the perfect time to use a body butter and a heavier body butter is preferable in the winter, because the oil forms an occlusive layer (or essentially a film) on the epidermis preventing water loss.

10) Up your intake of essential fatty acids

Essential fatty acids are crucial to the skin’s lipid barrier. A deficiency of Essential Fatty Acids (EFA) causes all manner of problems: atopic dermatitis (very dry skin), hair loss and scaly skin and in the winter you are definitely going to feel it.

Both topical application and oral supplementation are effective means of delivering EFA to the skin and systemic circulation.

See also

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