Five Tips for Skin Care in the Dry Season

With the approach of winter months and the dry season, many people would be bothered by dry skin. Skin care in the dry season is definitely different from skin care in the warm, mild weather. This article is going to introduce five tips on how to keep your skin smooth and soft even in the cold, dry season.

Signs of dry skin

Being uncomfortable and unattractively, dry skin is characterized by rough, red, and itchy patches in parts of the body that is exposed to the dry air. Arms, hands, lower legs, ankles are some common places for dry skin to appear. However, it can also be found on the abdomen, thighs and even soles of the feet. Dry skin in serious cases can lead to cracks and fissures in the skin. Hence it is vital to know about useful tips for skin care in the dry season.

Tips for dry skin care

• Take warm, shorter baths: This is a very important tip to keep your skin from getting dry. You skin stays supple and smooth because of the protection of oil on its surface. Hot water tends to strip this oil from the skin, removing this coat of protection form it. For the same reason, long showers worsen the extent of skin oil deprivation and make the dry skin case more serious. To prevent dry skin, a 5-10 minute warm bath or shower a day is good enough. On exceptional cold days when you don’t sweat at all, you may take a shower every two days.


• Use gentle shower gels: Strong, harsh cleansers may give an impression of being more effective to clean. However, like the hot water, it can cause the oily coating on your skin to disappear and leave your skin dry and ugly. For better skin care, it is wise to choose an unscented, soap-free shower gel instead. For spa or bath lovers, you can in fact use bath salt and essence oil and skip the cleansers totally.


• Moisture damp skin: After a shower or bath, even after you’ve patted your skin with a towel, it is still damp or moist. This is the best moment to moisture your skin. Don’t wait until the skin is totally dry and tight. Apply immediately a skin care lotion to the whole body, paying special attention to the more exposed or vulnerable areas. This layer of skin protection will help to lock the moisture in your skin and prevent it form drying up.


• Turn on the humidifier: This dry skin care tip should be easy to comprehend. A humidifier in the sitting or bedroom will help to keep your skin hydrated in winter months when the humidity is low and even indoor air is dry.


• Eat omega-3 foods: No skin care tips are complete without an omega-3 diet! Essential fatty acids can help fortify the skin’s natural oil-retaining barriers, hence leaving the skin more resistant to dry air and water loss. Some examples of omega-3 rich foods are cold-water fish (salmon, halibut, sardines), flaxseed, walnuts, and safflower oil.


• Put on coconut oil: Coconut oil is a great skin softener and helps you improve dry and hard skin conditions. It is also as an excellent massage oil and smoothener for the skin.

With the dry skin care tips listed above, hopefully, the reader can have her skin well toned, look young and fresh for the festive seasons that are to accompany the cold, dry season.