How to Winterize Your Skin

Winter is beauty's enemy. Overexposure to dry, cold wind also damages the skin. In addition to their dehydrating effects, cold and wind put pressure on the epidermis, the horny protective top layer of skin, which is composed of dead cells. When the cold and pressure are extreme, the dead cells desquamate-they burst-leaving the living, young cells of the dermis layer exposed prematurely to the elements. As a result, the unprotected cells become inflamed, causing a tingling sensation on the skin, a problem that is particularly common among the elderly in cold season.

Dry skin suffers more than oily skin, but every type of skin benefits from these defensive measures:

Cold weather and cool winds aggravate dry skin condition; so adjust lifestyle and diet add warmth, lubrication, and moisture. Tone and moisture after each cleansing to preserve and replenish the moisture in your skin. Use a moisturizing night nourisher every evening. Apply a daytime moisturizer around your eyes and on dry-skin areas each morning. Take fewer baths and showers in cold season to avoid dryness. When you do bathe, add few drops of essential oil to the water to provide lubrication. Massage with oil before and after bathing. Add skin-pampering Ingredients to your bath to prevent skin dryness.

Wait 30 minutes after bathing, or washing your face, before going out into frigid air. Splash your face with cool water when you come back inside. Extreme temperature changes can burst capillaries near the skin's surface.