The biting cold, the dry air, and the whipping wind: winter in New England is no picnic. Whether you spend the majority of your time outside in the elements or inside at home or in the office, your skin is subjected to a lot more stress in the winter than in the summer. Here are 5 easy steps to help protect your skin from winter's effects:
- Use a daily facial moisturizer: The dry air that winter brings both indoors and outside sucks the moisture right out of your skin. Using a daily moisturizer, especially on your face, will reduce the effects of that harsh winter air.
- Use sunscreen: Not something we often think of doing in the winter, applying sunscreen daily is a must. Though the air is not warm, the sun's rays are equally dangerous and at times even more impactful than they are in the summer, should they bounce off the white snow. Whenever you see snow glare, think "sunscreen"!
- Protect your lips: Lips take a beating just like the rest of our skin. Make sure to moisturize them to protect them from the elements. We recommend a balm with shea butter like Aquaphor. Bonus points if your lip balm also has SPF in it, like ChapStick Sun Defense.
- Protect your hands: If you have dry, cracked hands, you're not alone. Painful skin cracks can easily develop on fingers and over knuckles this time of year. Prevent new damage with a hand moisturizer like Eucerin Intensive Repair Hand Cream, available at drugstores.
- Eat well: Put good ingredients in your body, and your body will be able to perform better even in less desirable weather conditions. Some foods even help moisturize skin, especially those high in omega-3 fatty acids, like fish, nuts, olive oil, avocados, and even oysters. If you don't typically eat well, consider taking a multivitamin with omega-3's, Vitamin E and zinc, which helps build collagen.
