How to Banish Winter Skin Dryness & Get Your Glow On
February 27 2023 – Grace Steven
All through the warmer months you’ve been basking in your summer glow. Your skin is hydrated and glowing. Life is good. And then the temperature drops, wiping out your glow and replacing it with dry winter skin. Blergh.
Winter skin dryness is a thing. While you can’t change the weather, there are some things you can do to minimise the negative effects of the cold on your skin.
The perfect storm of winter skin killers
But first, it’s always good to understand why. What is it about winter that causes your skin to go haywire?
Well, there are a few things going on. It’s like a perfect storm of sorts. A perfect storm of skin havoc. Here’s what’s happening:
- The cold weather impacts the moisture in your skin. While your skin produces more oil in the warmer weather (hello glow), the cooler weather has the opposite effect. It literally sucks the moisture from your skin.
- In winter you’re also more likely to have longer, hot showers to warm up. How good are hot showers in winter? But hot showers can also dry out your skin, exacerbating the problem even further.
- Then you add indoor heating to the mix and the problem gets even worse. More time spent inside in winter equals more time in heated environments. The result? You guessed it… it only serves to dry your skin even more.
The different types of winter skin problems
Winter skin dryness is what most people experience. But how does it manifest?
It can be different for everyone, but some people experience:
- Itchy skin
- A rash
- Skin breakouts
- Flaky skin
- Aggravation of other skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis and rosacea
Ultimately, winter skin dryness can be unpleasant, uncomfortable or, in really bad cases, unbearable.
Banish dry skin in winter (and embrace your natural glow)
So what can you do about it? If chasing summer around the globe is out of the question (we wish!) you can make some other subtle shifts to your winter skincare routine to help manage dry skin in winter. Hello glow!
Turn the heat down on your showers
As amazing as it is to step under a super hot shower in the middle of winter, it’s not doing your skin any favours. Try turning it down a few degrees. Think of the good it will do for your dry winter skin.
Have a milk bath
If you’ve never had a milk bath before, you’re missing out! Soaking in a warm bath with a few added spoonfuls of bath milk can do so much good for dry skin. It’s designed to hydrate and nourish skin while also gently cleaning and exfoliating. Plus soaking in the tub is a great way to squeeze some self care into your day.
Try a body oil
A non-greasy body oil can do wonders to moisturise and smooth your skin. Body oil can actually seal the moisture into your skin for a longer lasting hydrated-skin feeling.
Plant-based oils have been shown to be very beneficial for skin. Whether it’s the enriching properties of avocado oil or the anti-inflammatory jojoba oil, body oil may do more for your skin than just make it feel good.
The trick with body oil is to massage it in while your skin is wet. This helps to lock in the moisture.
Use handmade soap
One of the benefits of handmade soap is that it doesn’t dry your skin. Commercial soaps contain chemicals that can strip the natural oils from your skin. Not what you want when winter skin hydration is your goal. Instead, handmade soap is allowed to cure naturally, which keeps all the good natural oils inside. It’s good for the soap and it’s good for your skin.
Spoil your winter skin with The Soapstress
Our formulations are based on natural plant oils, each chosen with a specific purpose. With the addition of our essential oils and scents, our soap and body products are luxuriously indulgent and nourishing to help you combat winter skin dryness.
Browse our range and discover the beauty of our products for yourself.