Table of Contents
In winter, the skin needs special attention
When winter approaches with a thick down jacket and fur shoes, it also becomes uncomfortable for our skin. The colder it gets outside, the warmer we love it inside: We turn up the heating and crawl onto the cozy sofa. But when the sun comes out on beautiful winter days, we go for walks in the freezing cold. Both stress the skin.
The heating air removes moisture from our skin, making it sensitive and rough. Due to the dry heat, the skin transports more water to the surface and dries out. Even in the cold air outside, the humidity is very low in winter, promoting dehydration. In the cold, the blood vessels under the skin contract to keep the warmth inside the body.
The blood supply to the skin is reduceds. The result: She is getting too little oxygen and nutrients, her metabolism is being put on the back burner, and she looks pale. The skin is more sensitive to sunlight, pollutants and irritants penetrate more easily.
At temperatures below eight degrees Celsius, the sebum glands also go on a general strike. The natural, protective film of fat is fed by hundreds of small sebum glands in the skin. As the temperature drops, these glands produce less and less skin oil.
In extreme cold, this fat production can even be stopped completely. In this way, a central component of the natural protective skin coat is lost. Due to the lack of a fat film, the water evaporates more quickly from the skin surface.
The low humidity at low temperatures and the dust-dry air in overheated rooms also promote evaporation. And the wind also has an unfavorable influence on the surface of the skin.
The weather felt on the skin is often well below the air temperature measured with the thermometer. For example, if there is a force of 5 wind at 0 ° C, the actual temperature is around minus 8 ° C (chill factor). The result: the skin becomes drier and more fragile in winter.
Also read: How to Make the Best Beauty Routine?
Blood circulation in the skin
The blood flow to the hands, feet, ears, the nose’s tip, and the entire skin are reduced in cold air. The renewal of the top skin layer is slowed down, and repair mechanisms are reduced.
Even defense mechanisms are reduced, and the risk of infections from viruses (warts), fungi, and bacteria increases. The skin has a lower blood supply on average because there are often fewer sports and leisure activities in the fresh air than in summer.
Result of all the stress: The skin reacts with tension, unpleasant itching, and flaking. A rough skin surface, wrinkles, or a pale complexion can result. All skin areas that are not protected by clothing, such as the face, lips, and hands, are, particularly at risk.
In the cold season, a significantly higher level of protective care is required to keep the skin healthy. The missing skin surface oil should be replaced.
1.5-2 liters of water, herbal or fruit tea every day
Skincare from the inside is also very worthwhile, especially in winter. One and a half to two liters of water, herbal, or fruit teas provide the skin with moisture every day.
A large part of the skin consists of water. With the help of water, it also secretes pollutants and degradation products. The drinks should be low in calories and preferably also caffeine-free.
Coffee and black tea are for enjoyment in between. The friends of the skin also include healthy foods. Fresh fruits and vegetables provide vitamins, trace elements, and moisture.
Citrus fruits, paprika, and kiwi, for example, supply the body with vitamin C and thus protect the skin from harmful external influences. Dairy products, whole foods, and fish also provide valuable ingredients that are good for the skin.
Facial care: individual and intensive
An intensive and gentle care program helps defy the icy winter air and the desert air in the office and living room. Fat and moisturizing factors are significant for regular skincare in winter.
Protects the skin from dry out and thus from harmful environmental influences such as cold and significant fluctuations in temperature and humidity.
This is especially true for dry skin types. A daycare product should therefore contain more fat in winter than in summer. High-fat water-in-oil-based creams, cosmetic skin oils, or a particularly lipid-containing oil-in-water-based cream are best suited to protect and care for the skin in winter.
A famous trick to outsmart the rigors of winter is to use night care during this time of year and during the day. A light powder helps to mattify any greasy sheen.
In very frosty temperatures, e.g., on the downhill slopes, it makes sense to use cold protection creams for vulnerable skin areas such as lips, nose, and ears. However, if you stay in heated rooms for a long time, these must be removed again to prevent the skin from overheating.
The composition of a cream can be recognized by its consistency: fat-rich are firmer and more rigid, water-rich are milky and lighter. At a temperature of eight degrees plus and below, it is advisable to use more heavy cream.
Cares should be tailored to the individual skin type. Skin oils or high-fat creams on a water-in-oil basis help against dry skin. They form a thin insulating and protective layer on the skin, keep out the cold on a winter walk and prevent the skin’s moisture from evaporating excessively.
Peoples with oily skin or skin prone to acne are advised to stick to their usual care products even in winter so that the formation of sebum blockages and pimples is not promoted.
Young people, in particular, are often unsettled when it comes to fatty creams. Anyone struggling with blemished skin should use rich creams sparingly: “Don’t overdo it” is the motto here. The market also has special skincare series for young people.
Gentle skin cleansing in winter
The gentle cycle must now be programmed for skin cleansing. The cleaning agents should generally remove as little moisture and fat as possible from the skin.
Gentle cleansing milk is well suit. Moisturizing washing preparations, used sparingly, are the most gentle cleansing of the face in winter. Oils gently cleanse and leave a nourishing film on dry skin.
Facial lotions containing alcohol, facial brushes, or even a peeling would now be too aggressive and, following advice from the German Medical Association, are ban from the bathroom in winter.
Washing substances with a pH value similar to that of the skin (approx. 5.5) are particularly suitable. Tannins or anesthetic agents (slightly anesthetizing locally) from the pharmacy help against itching. Urea creams can also help reduce itching.
We recommend mild cleansing milk or toning facial toner to cleanse the face’s skin for sensitive skin. Frequent washing with soap or shower gel, on the other hand, would be an additional burden.
Cleansing foam or gel also removes fat from the skin. In general, one should be a little more careful when cleaning the face’s skin in winter.
Body care – and often: let your mind wander
But not only the face but also the rest of the skin needs intensive care in winter. Experts recommend very carefully applying a moisturizing emulsion to yourself from head to toe every morning after a shower or after a bath.
Tip: It is not suitable for your body skin to be expos to hot water for too long. The warm water begins to dry out the skin after about ten minutes.
A shower oil or bath oil as an additive has a moisturizing effect; it coats the skin with a fine film of fat. In such an enriched bath, you can then linger for a good quarter of an hour and relax and unwind.
In addition to targeted care, sufficient humidity in the heated rooms also helps keep the skin from drying out. It is best to open the windows wide for about five minutes three times a day to ventilate. Well-maintained humidifiers or fountains in the home can help increase the humidity.
A winter walk in the fresh air awakens the spirits, promotes a good mood, and is suitable for body and soul and thus – after proper preparation – also for the skin. Walking for thirty minutes a day stimulates blood circulation, and the skin gets a little oxygen treatment.
When you return home, hot tea and a lovely cuddle session with a good book pamper your body and soul and increases your well-being—a fountain of youth for the skin too.
Regular physical endurance exercise such as jogging or gymnastics in the fresh air is also good for the skin if you drink enough afterward.
Conditioning, alternating showers or alternating baths promote blood circulation in the skin; essential nutrients are transport faster to stress areas of the skin.
Also Read: 6 Tips For Naturally Smoother Skin
Bath additives & children’s skin
Bath additives – effective additives
Our soul is reflect on our skin. Relaxation and joy can be actual miracle cures for a radiantly beautiful complexion. Relaxing baths, for example, have a beneficial effect.
Bath additives with medicinal herbs such as lemon balm or hops can also have a relaxing effect. Those who prefer a stimulating bath additive should use medicinal plants such as mountain pine, rosemary, or spruce needle.
Witch hazel and chamomile additives have a calming and beneficial effect on sensitive skin. Even at the first signs of a cold, a hot bath with additives made from thyme, eucalyptus, or linden blossom can work wonders.
To keep the skin hydrated, moisturizing bath oils should be preferred in winter. Oil-replenishing oil baths provide the skin with nourishing substances while showering or bathing.
Then it is essential to dry the skin only very gently and carefully. If you rub vigorously, you immediately remove the nourishing substances from the skin’s surface and, in the worst case, even take some of the body’s sebum with it.
Only gently patted dry allows the care products to be completely absorb.
Children’s skin
Winter influences also strain our children’s skin. It is a little thinner than that of adults, and its sebum production is still low.
Children’s skin, therefore, also needs more care in frosty conditions and the heating air. A heavy cream protects skin areas that come into direct contact with the air, such as hands and face. Ideally, choose products specially designed for children.
