A skin is considered dry when it lacks moisture and has scaling, itching and lines. Sometimes the dryness can lead to cracking which is not good at all as it can lead to other health hazards. Dry skin is the result of very low level of fatty acids or oils in the body. We have four elements of nature and they are water, air, earth and fire. If any of these elements were to attack the body from the outside, the first thing they will meet with is the skin.
The skin is the first defense your body has against hazardous situations and that is the more reason why it should be properly taken care of. Taking care of your skin is not only about beauty, it is about your health too. If you leave your skin to dry up and crack, this will give room to infections and other health issues. It is impossible to take proper care of your skin without first knowing what causes it to dry up and what you can do to restore it to its shiny look. Knowing the cause and solution will help in your quest to achieving a healthy skin. Below are 6 causes of dry skin.
- Change of weather
- Bathing with harsh soaps
- Excess scrubbing of the skin
- Instant toweling after bathing
- Psoriasis
- Thyroid disorder
Our skin is coated in a thin layer of fatty oils. It is this oil that helps to keep it moisturized. If you do something that will cause the removal of the fatty oils, the result is dry skin. In other situations it could result in dark or itchy skin but usually, the three of them go hand in hand and if you are not careful enough, the cracks will follow.
So how do you prevent the above listed causes of dry skin? Even though you and I agree that some are caused by uncontrollable circumstances like weather, environmental exposure and diseases?
I will briefly explain these causes and then give a quick solution to each of them. If you follow the advice here, you will gladly sit back and watch your skin glow again. So, here we go.
1. Change of weather:
Humidity level always falls anytime the temperature drops. This causes the air to be dried and dry air, leaves the skin dry.
Hot Climate
A very hot weather does not help the issue either. If you are constantly exposed to the hot sun, bathe long hours with hot water, stay long in the fire places etc, you will most definitely develop a dry skin because these things take moisture not only form the air around you but from your skin too.
When it comes to bathing, everyone most certainly loves the feel of a steamy or hot bath. But when enjoying the feel, do not forget that it removes moisture from your skin too and it will remove so much of it if you are the type who loves long showers.
Solution:
Avoid staying too long in the sun. If you must, make sure you put on clothes that will protect your skin. You can also wear face caps or hats, hand gloves and shades to protect your eyes. Same thing goes for long steamy showers and sitting long in front of the fire place. Even during winter or harmattan seasons, try not to over stay in the bath especially since you will be bathing hot water. As for the fire place, it is advisable to not sit too close to it so that you can stay long enough during the cold period. But don’t forget to not make it a habit even when a little rain falls. You must minimize it.
It will be wise to install a humidifier in your home and when need for it arises, just turn it on. One of its main benefits is that it helps to keep the air around you moist. Your skin can then absorb the moist air around. This is really, really important for improvement of dry skin. This link will take you to the second part of this article.
