Want To Get Rid of Dry Skin?

Winter is here and the ever changing weather really does a number on our skin. Humidity is also lower and the decreased natural moisture in the air contributes to skin dehydration. And the indoor heat we use to keep warm exacerbates the problem. Fortunately, there is a simple two-step process to help our dry, cracked, chapped skin.

The first, and most important, step in promoting healthy skin is to exfoliate. To some, that may mean scrubbing with the most abrasive thing you can find as often as you can but you can actually over exfoliate which leads to--- yes, you guessed it--- more dry, cracked, chapped skin. The very thing you were trying to combat. The type and frequency of exfoliation should be determined by your skin strength. Sensitive skin should use a lesser abrasive product, like a sugar scrub, and only use it one to two times per week. Stronger skin can use a more abrasive product, like a salt scrub, up to three times per week.

Moisturizing is the second part of the solution. Moisturizing twice per day in the winter will help stave off dry skin (if you have been exfoliating regularly; if you aren’t then you are just basically gluing dead skin cells on top of each other with your moisturizer). The best time to moisturize is right out of the bath or shower, while you are still damp. Skin absorbs products best when it is damp because the follicles are still open. The deeper the product penetrates, the more healing it actually does versus the product just resting on top of the skin and only producing short term results.

Ingredients in your skin care products is of the utmost importance. The more man-made chemicals there are the worse it is for your skin. Look for products that are made with 100% natural ingredients. Some of the best ingredients for your skin are olive oil, shea butter, aloe vera gel, cocoa butter, and vitamin E just to name a few. Essential oils can also play a big role in healing your skin. Many essential oils have hydrating and regenerative effects.

A special mention about lip products---many commercial brands are made with petroleum (or petroleum derived ingredients). Petroleum ingredients leech moisture from our skin so your lips actually become drier which means you keep applying more. It is a vicious cycle---break the addiction by using a natural lip remedy!