You already know that cold weather can wreak havoc on your skin, hair, and nails. Exposure to the cold can drain your skin of moisture, and being inside doesn’t help much, either, since artificial heat leeches moisture from the air and makes for a very dry environment.
Cold Weather Beauty Must Haves
One University of New Hampshire study even concluded that cold weather can make us more likely to not just feel dehydrated but to actually become dehydrated because the cold makes us less likely to sense our body’s thirst! Protect yourself from dehydration and the beauty blahs that come with it by using these seven cold weather beauty must haves:
1. A Water Bottle
It’s not a beauty product, but it should be considered one. The best way to keep skin hydrated is from the inside out, and if you aren’t drinking enough fluids, you’re much more likely to experience dry skin and similar problems. Since you’re less likely to feel thirsty in cold weather, you need to remind yourself to drink enough. Having a water bottle always with you should help. Also, make sure to drink a glass of water with every meal or snack!
2. A Healthy Diet
Again, moisturizing and beautifying the skin should take place from the inside out. Besides getting enough to drink, you can ensure that your skin, hair, and nails are healthier this winter by eating a healthy diet. A diet high in vitamins A, C, and E is helpful in keeping skin repaired and protected. Winter is also an especially good time to focus on getting plenty of healthy fats like omega 3 fatty acids, which can help moisturize skin from the inside.
3. Argan Oil
This oil can help prevent stretch marks, get rid of scars, and even keep hair shiny. It’s a very versatile oil that has excellent moisturizing properties. A small bottle of argan oil goes a long way towards making your favorite beauty products more winter-friendly. Add a drop to the moisturize your love or your favorite lotion to boost its ability to heal your skin and help it retain moisture.
Photo Courtesy of Elle Valentine
4. Lip Balm
A good lip balm is an essential winter weather beauty item. You may want to experiment with different types, and you may even want to have different types on hand. A light, tinted lip balm is a great replacement for more drying lipstick in the winter. At night before you go to bed, you may want to slather on a thicker lip balm to lock in moisture and re-hydrate your lips. You can even use an all-natural emollient like lanolin (which you can usually find in the baby aisle at your favorite grocery store, since it’s often used by nursing women) if you want to avoid potentially harmful chemicals but still get smooth, moisturized lips.
Photo Courtesy of beautyandmakeup.net
5. Body Butter
During the winter, you should switch your lighter lotions to heavier body butters. While lotions tend to be water-based, body butters tend to be oil based. This makes them heavier and may mean they take longer to soak in. It also means that they’ll hydrate your skin more thoroughly, and that they’ll protect your skin from dryness for longer. If you like using all-natural options, you can even make your own body butter with organic oils.
Photo Courtesy of Shiny Cat Creations
6. Gentle Cleansers
Don’t leave your daily skin care routine the same during the winter. Instead, switch to milder cleansers for your face and body. Mild and moisturizing cleansers can be necessary even for those who tend to have oilier skin when the weather is warm. Experiment with a couple of different cleansers to find the one you like best for your wintertime skin care routine.
7. Humidifier
One way to prevent dry skin and hair is to keep a humidifier in your home. A good humidifier releases extra moisture in the air to make up for the moisture your heating system is sucking out of it. Running the humidifier at night, especially, can help re-moisturize your skin and hair to keep it healthy all winter long. If you don’t want to mess with a humidifier, you can also just heat some water on the stove to boiling or near-boiling and set it out around your home in pots or bowls for a few hours.
Daniela Baker is a blogger with CreditDonkey, a credit card deals website. As a beauty and fashion conscious mom, she says stock up on all these beauty essentials early in the winter season to prevent extra dryness. It’s easier to prevent dryness than it is to remedy it after you already have flyaway hair and flaky skin. You may want to save more money on your winter beauty needs with a cash back credit card that can give you money back when you spend on the things you need to stay beautiful this winter.