- If you have a dry skin, then hot showers and that lovely soak you've promised yourself in the bath tub, is best avoided. Hot water strips the skin's natural oils, making it drier. Keep showers and baths brief. Sponging the body clean or skipping the daily bath can check the dryness.
- Always moisturise your body after a bath. When blow drying hair, aim the hot air away from the face as this again has a drying effect.
- This winter, indulge in some expensive creams or lotions. However, until you go out and purchase some, us the oil on your kitchen shelf, (most best you can deeply rely with is coconut oil) sounds frightful? Add a few drops of rose water to it and presto, you have a fragrant moisturiser!
- Immediately after a bath, smoothen some oil or lotion on the damp body as this is when the skin absorbs the moisturiser the best. Don't rub too vigorously with the towel. Simply, pat dry.
- Use soaps that have a high glycerin content or soaps with fatty substances as these will help keep the skin from drying out. Soap with a lot of fat content can become soggy fast, while those with glycerin do not really work up a lather.
- Avoid medicated soaps, as they contain drying elements that are harsh on the skin.
- Do you have those ugly cracks on the heels? If you do, it's time to take extra care of your feet. We don't usually forget to put cream or moisturiser on the other parts of our body during winter, but when it comes to the feet, we tend to skip them altogether. We neglect them, so, soak the feet once a week in warm water for 15 minutes with a capful of shampoo stirred in.
- The soapy suds will soften the dead skin cells. Brush and scrape clean. Pat dry and rub some petroleum jelly on them. Before snuggling in bed every night, don't forget to massage some cream on them. If you follow this regimen daily, your feet will stay soft and tender.
Dead skin cells:
- All of us exfoliate, as the experts say. Dry and dead skin cells on the top layer peel off, making way for the new moist cells underneath, removing roughness and softening surface lines. Once clogged pores are scourged, the skin can breathe better. The dead skin cells on the kneecaps, elbows and heels will benefit from natural, skin softeners like oatmeal and almond meal scrubs.
- Almond meal nourishes the skin and contains vitamin A which keeps it soft. Its granular texture easily removes dead skin cells, rub gently in a circular fashion wherever needed, even on the face.
- We may think that the winter sun is milder, but it still can be damaging to the skin. During this time, we tend to soak up as much sunshine as possible. Ultraviolet rays penetrate deep into the skin and ruin its elasticity, causing it to sag.
- If you have to be outdoors, keep in mind the time you spend both in the sun and wind. If you move about in the sun, you will only absorb 1/3 the amount as compared to if you are prone and simply sunning yourself.
- Too much sun makes the skin dry and saggy. Wearing sun glasses will prevent you from squinting. The skin around the eyes are thinner and hence must be treated with special care.
- If you are glowing, that probably is because you are eating well, exercising and staying stress-free. A nourishing and well balanced diet full of proteins, minerals, vitamins, fruits, vegetables and natural foods, will make your skin healthy too. It will be less likely to peel, crack or dry out.
- Remember, too much of anything in any form is not good. Rather, an excessive amount of anything only harms the body. Moderate eating, sleeping, exercising and working, take the middle path in life.
- With the advancing times, stress has become part and parcel of our lives. Meditate once in a while or even regularly, if you have to close the mind to stressful thoughts and let it free. Soon you will feel calm and tranquil. The good news is that, if you exercise in the winter, you will probably burn up more fat than in the summer. Whether you exercise indoors or go to the gym for a vigorous workout, it does not matter. The key to soft, beautiful skin is exercise. Exercise improves the blood circulation and does great things to you. Your glowing face, skin and body tells it all!
Natural skin care products and some reminders:
- It takes the skin about 20 minutes to absorb all that it can from the skin care product that you use on your face. Avoid the use of products with chemical substances, as these may irritate the skin since it penetrates the inner layer of the skin. Fruit pulps, vegetable juices, herbs and other natural products, when applied to the skin, make it glow.
- Before you apply anything on your face, always clean the skin thoroughly as this will help the beneficial properties of the pack, tonic or face mask to penetrate better into the skin.
- Natural products like sandalwood, gram flour, lime, turmeric, rose water, egg whites and curds contain certain properties that are extremely beneficial to the skin, as they nourish, cleanse and soften it. They also eliminate harmful effects of exposure to pollution.
- Honey which softens the skin, opens clogged pores and acts as a powerful moisturiser, can be mixed with other natural products and applied to the face, as a mask.
- Rose water, lemon juice and glycerin make a wonderful skin softener, which works like magic on dried and cracked lips, rough heels and hand and generally on the whole body.
