HOW TO BEAT DRY WINTER SKIN

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I have slowly had to adapt to the colder climate of Chicago and find things that are "fun" about winter. So far it's basically been about the clothes: fun coats, boots and cozy sweaters which I would never be able to wear in LA; at least not for any functional reason. It's also been an opportunity to explore new skincare— richer and more emollient formulas I wouldn't have normally used since I hadn't really experienced dry skin until now.

Dry skin, or xerosis, happens when the skin does not hold on to moisture. In the winter, this often happens as a result of exposure to dry, cold air. 

Why should you care if your skin is dry?

Well for one, it can create discomfort of tightness and itching. This applies to skin all over the body including the scalp, which is skin after all but often overlooked! Secondly, dry and dehydrated skin leads to the appearance of fine lines, dullness and overall lackluster skin-- all of which are considered some of the first signs of skin aging. 

What can you do about it?

You don't need to go buy a whole new skincare regimen but maybe restructure or prioritize products based on ingredients and incorporate some lifestyle changes as well.

  • Skincare

    • USE: anything with glycerol, ceramides, hyaluronic acid- these are considered ‘humectants’ which attract moisture. You also will want to use ingredients known as ‘emollients’ which helps to seal that moisture within the skin. This includes ingredients such as: olive oil, argan oil, honey, squalane. 

    • AVOID: anything alcohol in your skincare products (internally too, we'll talk more on this!) they tend to dry out the skin BUT not all alcohols. There's something called fatty alcohols and these are ok to use in skincare, they include: cetearyl, stearyl, cetyl and behenyl alcohol. Quick flashback to chemistry class to understand how or why there are different alcohols: an alcohol simply describes an organic compound bound to a a hydroxyl group --so there are many types! 

  • Haircare

    • Haircare really translates to scalp care. If your hair is feeling more dry, you will also want to avoid any hair products with alcohol because guess what- if you dry out your scalp, your hair will also be dry. Fun fact: the products likely to dry your hair out more are going to be any volumizing products because they work by absorbing the oils for more volume and lift. 

    • Use less heat styling because this will dry hair out further. You can always wear a hat, afterall its winter and that’s a good enough excuse to not do your hair anyway. Bonus- hats protect your scalp against the harsh weather ;)

    • Oil masks to help restore moisture. You can use oils such as amla, argan or coconut. 

  • Products I’m liking this winter:

  • General

    • Invest in a humidifier for the home. Especially if you're using your heater more than usual which really dries out the skin

    • Moisturize from the inside out! This might sound weird but what I mean by that is to incorporate foods high in essential fatty acids which help maintain and protect the fatty layer in the skin to keep skin plump and hydrated. This includes foods such as: avocado, olives, wild caught salmon, sardines, walnuts. If you dont already take a fish oil, now might be a good time to start. Read more here on why you should take one, dry skin or not, and you can find some of my favorite, high quality oils in my curated online dispensary. Bone broth is another great inside-out consideration; it contains hyaluronic acid which is an essential component of what keeps skin hydrated along with a ton of other benefits that you might notice for your skin.

    • Stay hydrated. Drink plenty of water, magnesium and electrolytes. All of these ensure adequate hydration at a cellular level. 

    • Optimize digestion. When digestion is poor, we can’t absorb all the nutrients from our food. For example: fats are absorbed in the intestine, so poor digestive health can worsen dry skin/hair. Not to mention, potentially other health issues can arise since all cells are coated by a fatty cell membranes. Consider taking a digestive enzyme that contains ‘lipase.’

Try these tips, let me know how it goes and feel free to share any of your tips with me too! Any questions or want to schedule a consultation for further inside-out skin support? Lets make it happen! Reach out here