How to keep your skin hydrated through winter
Winter is well and truly upon us. And so are the potential months of dry and cracked skin. How to keep your skin hydrated through winter is a question that is asked of us a lot; so we want to address it.
Dry skin is very common in the winter, but at Nathalie Bond we believe some simple steps can be put in place to alleviate and prevent this from happening. Here are a couple of reasons why we get dry skin and how we might prevent it through a few simple solutions, and some Nathalie Bond products along the way!
Outdoor Humidity Levels
In the winter months, humidity levels outside drop. When the air outside is cold and dry, the water in your skin evaporates more quickly; this makes your skin feel dry and tight, and makes it look flaky. In fact, your skin loses more than 25 percent of its ability to hold moisture in the winter. Windy weather can also put pressure on your skin and make it look and feel dry and chapped. Be aware of this, and start protecting your skin by wearing clothing that protects it from the elements – especially gloves and scarves. We also recommend applying rich skin balm frequently to your skin, as this helps to lock in moisture. Please have a look at our selection of wonderful balms.
We tend to spend more time indoors with heating on. Dry indoor air not only dries out your skin, it also dries out your mucous membranes, leading to dry, chapped lips, dry noses (nosebleeds), and dry throat (hoarseness, sore throat). Maybe try to set your heater to a lowest most comfortable setting, and use a humidifier at night. The humidifier helps replace moisture in the air that gets sucked out by dry indoor heat.
Hot Showers/Baths
It is inevitable that we are drawn more to hot showers and baths at this time of year. We would be lying if we said this wasn’t something we looked forward to at this time of year! It’s worth bearing in mind, though, that too much hot water and soaking strips your skin of it’s protective oils and will leave it looking dry and shrivelled. We therefore suggest limiting lengths of hot showers/baths, pat drying your skins as opposed to rubbing, and ensuring you use oils to replenish the moisture lost straight after a bath or shower. You can look at our blog post on why we love oil at Nathalie Bond. Our organic body oils are also wonderful moisturisers.
Frequent hand washing
Dry, chapped hands are often caused by frequent hand washing, as well as the use of hand sanitisers, which often have a high concentration of alcohol. Although it’s important to keep your hands clean to avoid spreading germs, the exposure to soap and water and alcohol can strip your skin of its natural oils, leading to chapped hands, splits, and cracks that can bleed or even get infected. We recommend using washing up gloves when doing dishes, or working around the house, and avoiding creams, lotions and soaps with harsh chemicals and drying agents – such as parabens, SLS’s, Phthalates, Triclosan, Artifical Colours to name a few. It’s hard to avoid completely when you’re out and about, but for the home we recommend switching to a moisturising and nourishing liquid soap which will replenish not strip your skin. You can see a blog post on why our organic soaps are different to those on supermarket shelves.
Eating good food and rehydrating
You probably won’t be as thirsty in the winter as you are in the summer months when you’re hot and sweaty. However, you lose water through your skin every day, in any season — even when it’s cold and even if you don’t feel like you’re sweating. This is especially true if you spend a lot of time in dry indoor heat. Our bodies are made of 70 percent water, which keeps our cells plump and healthy. If you’re not drinking enough, your body (and your skin) gets dehydrated, which can make you look and feel shrivelled. So, make sure you get plenty of fluids in the winter months, even if you don’t feel thirsty!
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