Kim'sBlog
5 Tips to Winter Proof Your Skin
As soon as there is a chill in the air and humidity plummets it’s time to think about protecting your skin from drying Winter conditions. Colder outdoor temperatures combined with indoor heating takes an immediate toll on your skin. The harsh elements can leave your skin reddened, tight, dehydrated, flaking and itchy.
We are here to help with some simple tips to keep you having a rosy glow and not become a dry red mess!
1. While it’s tempting to turn up the hot water in your winter time shower or bath, it is by far the number one reason you lose the oil barrier in your skin. If you feel itchy when you get out of your shower, that’s your acid mantle imbalanced (it’s crying!) Do your best to keep water tepid and not stay in too long and absolutely do not stream the shower onto your face. Avoiding soap and harsh alcohol based body washes will help keep your skin calm too. Remember to pat dry with a fluffy towel afterwards, do not rub your skin harshly. Moisturize before your skin is completely dry and consider adding a little oil to your favourite body cream. My fave is a cold pressed flax oil as it is very close in composition to your own skin’s oil and it’s not too greasy.
2. When you have already gone a little crispy sometimes no amount of moisturizer provides relief! If this is the case, it’s time to gently exfoliate the dead and redundant skin cells first. This encourages new cell turnover. It will feel like your products penetrate better and once you’ve added moisturizer you’ll protect the underlying skin cells.
Don’t overdo it though – once or twice a week for a scrub is all you need. If you like that feeling and want to do more often, opt for a body brush before you get in the shower. They gently lift dead skin cells, stimulate both blood flow and lymph drainage to help remove skin toxins.
Because we generally have less sun exposure, winter is the perfect time of year to invest in a salon strength exfoliation or a short course of gentle peels to address skin conditions like uneven skin tone and pigmentation.
3. Cracked lips are always the first indicator that your whole body is dehydrated. Again, removed the ‘crusty bits’ and use a quality lip balm that is not full of glycerin (they pull moisture from the air and when it’s not there, it pulls moisture from within – the result is the more you put on, the more you need!)
I am in love with the AP Buff Up Sugar Scrub – we will often add it to our winter salon face treatments. An amazing tip for increasing your body’s ability to absorb the water you drink is to add the tiniest pinch of Himalayan Salt – it’s the only salt that is actually hydrating! Pop some in your water bottle (you shouldn’t be able to actually taste it though) Try to limit your alcohol and caffeine too as they can both be very dehydrating.
4. Once you have gently exfoliated, you need to moisturize, moisturize moisturize! Adding a hydrating serum under your moisturizer may give you some extra help. Changing to a heavier consistency night treatment cream will also give immediate relief or you can even add an oil to your moisturizer to turn it into a night time treatment! If you are concerned about breakouts, make sure you ask one of the beauty professionals at Vivente – we’re here to advise. Once or twice a week use a mask. Choose a creamy or sheet mask instead of a clay based mask though. Sheet masks are like hydration bombs! They give you the instant relief you need.
5. Just like your skin needs nourishment on the outside, your skin needs nourishment from the inside too. Gut health has been linked to affect your immune system by up to 80%. Removing good fats from your daily intake always results in scaly looking skin. Foods rich in Omega 3’s help reduce inflammation, resist viruses (don’t we all need that at the moment!) and feeds the skin and your brain.
Vivente has been stocking the Bestow range of gut health oils and powders. They provide excellent skin nourishment, good oils and are high in antioxidants to fight free radicals.
If you can improve these five areas of skin plan you will keep looking younger for longer!
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