Following my last blog post about exfoliating I will be talking(sort of) about the next step: Moisturizing. Because it’s winter time I’ll be focusing on dry skin on your hands and feet.
The most I personally suffer from dry skin in the winter is just a random angnail(hang nail) here and there. I work in moisturizer all day giving massages so I get way more moisture than I need to combat the dry air, cold winds, frost and all the other havoc that Jack Frost pulls on skin.
So we all know that the cold sucks out the humidity from the air making it dry in the winter time. And that skin is mostly water.
No water = dry.
Simple right? we all learned this when we were 4 years old. But then why is it a battle keeping our hands and feet nice in the winter?
Some indicators of dry skin are:
- flaking skin
- red and chapped(small tears, swollen in some parts)
- itching and/or pain
- cuts that may bleed
Factors that Cause Dry Skin |
Things that Can help |
| Dry air
|
Get a humidifier or if you can’t afford that make sure to take a steam bath or shower for no longer than 20 minutes. Sauna’s are nice but the air is still dry and lots of heat no matter what is actually drying. Get a blast of cold from your shower after which closes your pores, locking in the moisture. |
| Outside in the Cold, Wind and Blaring Sun | You can still get sunburnt from the sun in the winter. The ice and snow reflect it more at all points (not just back out into space). Make sure to bundle up, wear gloves and good socks in your boots. |
| Genetic dry skin. (Born that way) | Moisturizer is your BFF. In the mornings use a lighter moisturizer, it gets sucked in quicker and doesn’t leave much of a residue. Thicker creams or even Vaseline or hydrocortisone at night for thick, dry, chapped hands.
Use nail oil/vitamin E gel caplets or olive oil to buff and rub into your nails and cuticles to help prevent angnails and peeling/chapped nails and finger tips. |
| No matter what the time of year or weather: drink plenty of water. |
On last tip: even if you have good nails, to combat the cold that can cause our nails to become brittle: invest in a good nail strenghtener. You can buy all brands, all kinds: matte or high gloss.
For example OPI has its normal nail strengthener and they have a whole line called Nail Envy that has a specific type of strengthener for every kind of nail issue.
Now to go moisturize my daughter’s hands, which inspired me to write this. Her poor hands are so dry and scaly hope her thick cream helps by the morning!
Sweet Cherry Spa 