How to Keep Winter Weather from Destroying Your Skin

 

Every year when the temperatures dropped below a certain point, like clockwork, my hands would break out with eczema- a super painful condition where my skin would tear and bleed. This made it hard to do anything with my hands, from driving to typing to holding things. But cold weather isn’t just an aggravator of eczema- it can dry out your skin further, accelerate signs of aging, and make your skin harder to manage. In this post, here are seven tips to keep your skin healthy in the winter!

 

1. If you are prone to eczema, use natural, sensitive-skin soaps and dishwashing liquid. I immediately noticed that switching to sensitive-skin dishwashing liquid helped my eczema to go away much faster and kept the eczema from breaking out in the first place. Doing this is always a good idea, but especially in the winter!

 

2. Up your Vitamin C intake. This vitamin is not just good for immunity and defense against winter colds; it keeps your skin healthy, vibrant, and moisturized! In fact, Vitamin C is necessary for your skin to produce collagen, a natural barrier against the elements. You can get Vitamin C from fruits, vegetables, many of our fruit-based teas (like Joyful Garden) and rooibos blends, and rosehip powder!

 

 

See also: Essential Oils for the Holiday Season

 

3. Drink more water than you normally do. An extra 2-4 cups of water is recommended for optimal hydration. You can get this from your favorite herbal tea!

 

4. Cut back on salt! Though it’s sometimes harder to do during the holidays, cutting back on salt is imperative. Salt irritates the lining of your pores, dehydrates your skin, and makes you retain fluids.

 

5. Cut back on excess fat and overt sweeteners. Excessive fats, particularly saturated fats, can lead to insulin resistance, and excessive amounts of sugar, especially in combination with fat, can cause glycation, which causes your skin cells to break down and age more quickly.

 

6. Use an oil or balm to seal in your moisturizer. Oil will keep your skin from losing water, keeping it hydrated all winter-long. Check out our store for our amazing selection of oils and essential oils to add to your oil blends.

 

7. Keep detoxing! Keeping your liver and kidneys clean will help your skin from having to bear the burden of keeping the rest of your body clean. It will also help to boost your enzyme production, which is necessary for your skin to stay young and hydrated, especially in the winter. Check out our amazing detox collection!

 

 

Got other tips to share? Comment below! We love hearing from you!