5 Ways You Can Naturally Win Over Itchy Winter Skin
Taking care of your skin every day is of utmost importance, regardless of the time of the year. You need to cleanse, exfoliate, tone and moisturize for 365 days.
But for the cold winter season, are you sure they’re enough?
During winter, one of the most common problems people face is itchy skin. If you already have dry skin prior to the season, the struggle can be twice as hard.
Winter mostly affects the skin on your arms, hands and legs. In severe cases, it can also cause dryness in your feet, thighs and stomach.
The bad humidity during the season is what makes your skin super dry, not to mention extremely itchy. To make sure your skin stays soft and smooth, here are the top 5 tips to getting over that annoying winter skin.
1. Take A Quick Shower
Forget about the long, hot showers as they can strip your skin of its natural oils. Without these oils, your skin will be more prone to skin dryness and damage.
As a solution, it’s best if you can use lukewarm water for showering. It can also help if you can limit the time you spent under the shower to only a couple of minutes.
While showering, keep in mind to use mild skin cleansers or natural shower gels. Pick a product that contains an extra amount of moisturizer to keep your skin nourished and hydrated throughout the season.
When drying, use a patting motion instead of rubbing your towel hard on your skin. Apply moisturizer within three to five minutes after showering to keep skin soft and silky.
Another good idea is to add a few drops of essential oils in your bath water or to apply them on your skin after your shower. Herlichrysum is one of the best oils to use during winter.
Not only does it has protective properties, but it can also help with your skin’s repair and restoration.
2. Use Natural Products
You don’t need to spend a fortune to find quality products for your winter skin. In fact, there are lot of natural products that work the same, if not even better, as expensive cosmetics.
The key to finding these products is to be keen about their ingredients. For your itchy winter skin, you can look out for the following:
- Ceramides can help your skin to retain water, thus preventing itchy skin. It’s able to reach the deepest layers of your skin and help retain moisture there.
Hemp seed oil is a great source of ceramides. It has around 60% concentration.
- Dimethicone and glycerin also work to retain water in the skin. They can be found in almost all types of plant oils.
- Hyaluronic acid provides lubrication and cushion to the skin. It can make it plump and hydrated despite the cold winter air.
- Lanolin and mineral oil are substances that can keep a hold of the water your skin gets to absorb during your shower. Fish oil is abundant in these substances.
3. Use Humidifiers in Your Home
Dry skin is the number one cause of itchy skin and the reason why it happens more commonly during winter is the heating you do to warm yourself up. Whether your heat source is gas or electricity, heating will make the air dry.
To address this, one of the best things you can do is to turn on a humidifier at home. It can fill the air with the right amount of moisture to prevent skin cracking.
You should, however, keep in mind to regularly clean and replace the water in your humidifier. This is to avoid the growth of mold, which is actually more dangerous for your health than dry skin.
Humidifiers are not expensive these days, in terms of actual cost and their electricity consumption. They also don’t require delicate care or technical skills to operate.
4. Wear Clothes Made From Natural Cotton
If you have problems with itchy skin on your stomach, legs, arms or back, the reason might not be the cold, but the material used for your clothing.
During winter, we tend to wear clothes that can keep us warm. Most of the time, these clothes aren’t made from very comfortable materials, such as wool, nylon and similar fabrics.
Although they can keep you at the right temperature, they can irritate and scratch the skin. Partner that with your already dry skin and it can result to minute tears and injuries.
For protection, try to wear cotton clothes instead. Therefore, buy your clothes from Canadian clothing stores, which offer high-quality cotton clothing..
Clothes made from such materials are equally effective in keeping you warm as wool and nylon- without the skin irritation and damages.
5. Make Changes in Your Diet
During winter, your skin needs extra care that goes beyond applying products. You need to nourish it from the inside out.
In short, to solve the itchy winter skin problem, you need to drink plenty of water and eat foods rich in omega 3 fatty acids.
These essential fatty acids can help your skin retain its natural oils and are best found in the following food sources:
- Avocados
- High-fat Cheese
- Dark Chocolate
- Eggs
- Seafood
- Nuts
- Chia Seeds
- Olive and Coconut Oil
- Yogurt or Kefir
Dehydration is not only a concern during the summer season. In fact, because you’re less likely to feel thirsty due to the cold weather, you’re actually at an increased risk for it during winter.
To combat this, make sure you meet your required daily water intake. In general, you should aim for 8 to 10 glasses each day, depending on your physical activity and needs.
Itchy winter skin can cause a lot of discomforts, but it’s actually relatively easy to solve. It doesn’t take any expensive products or a special skin diet to remedy the issue.
Being sensitive to your skin’s needs is one of the things you can do to win over itchy winter skin. By knowing what’s good and what’s harmful to your skin during the season should keep your skin happy and glowing despite the cold.
About the Author
Hannah Do is the founder of Thank Your Skin, a beauty blog dedicated to provide honest skin care advice and information. She aspires to help her readers achieve their most beautiful skin by sharing personal tips learned through both years of experience and thorough research. Check out thankyourskin.com to learn more about Hannah and her work. You can find her on Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook“
