Winter Skin Care Guide to Showering

Winter is a magical time of year, but it can bring its problems. Dry skin is common, and it can be hard to know where to start to reduce the itchiness and make your skin feel smooth and luscious. Here are five simple tips for how you can try and care for your skin in the winter.

Check Your Temperature

It is tempting to crank the heat up on your shower and luxuriate in the warmth it provides. However, the sudden change in temperature and high heat can cause severe problems for your skin. While cranking up the heat may temporarily give some relief, it strips your skin of the natural oils it needs leading to dry, irritated skin. It’s better to have a quick lukewarm shower.

You should look to cut showers down to 5 or 10 minutes once a day to prevent skin drying out. 

Check Your Products

Winter means you are likely getting presents from someone, which can mean getting new shower and bath products. Before immediately breaking them open to use, it’s worth taking a second to check that they are suitable for you and your skin type. Do research into what products are ideal for you and read all the ingredients before buying.

“Highly fragranced soaps and lotions can be skin irritants, especially if you have dry skin. Some soaps are too harsh and will strip away your skin’s natural oils, causing it to be dry. Use a mild non-fragranced soap where possible,” recommends Emily Harris, a health writer at Coursework Writing Service.

Make sure all the soap is rinsed off thoroughly. If soap bubbles are missed and dry on your skin, they can further irritate you.

Pat Dry and Use a Body Brush

Once out of the shower, don’t rush to dry yourself by roughly rubbing the towel on your skin. Instead, pad yourself dry to protect the skin and reduce dryness. Once done, try using a dry body brush to remove dead skin and boost your circulation. This also has the benefit of helping reduce ingrown hairs making the skin extra smooth.

It’s essential to keep skin exfoliated, even during the winter. But try not to overdo it and stick purely to the dry body brush instead if you can. It’s much kinder to your skin than somebody scrubs anyway.

Moisturise

Moisturising is the top thing to remember during the winter; take some time to pamper your skin regularly. Look for moisturizers that provide skin hydration to help prevent dry skin and reduce the itchiness of dry skin patches. 

You want to moisturize as soon as possible after showering, preferably within 3 minutes of leaving the shower. This is an excellent way to lock in moisture and prevent skin dehydration.  

Layer up your products where you can without irritating your skin. Start by using your facial cleanser before adding a thin layer of hydrating serum. Lock it all in with a thick cream moisturizer before topping off with sunscreen. Even in the winter, when it feels like the sun is never shining, it’s essential to protect your skin from harsh UV rays.

Shower at Night

It may be better to shower at night to allow you the time to do the whole routine without rushing to get to work. This has the added benefit that it will help relax your muscles, leading to a more relaxed self-going to sleep.

Dermatologists think that showering at night is the best way to help you lock in moisture as you are not likely to be going straight out into harsh weather conditions.

Takeaways

Winter skincare may seem like a lot of work, but it may actually be as simple as changing up your routine and just taking a bit of extra time on you. Remember to make sure you use non-irritating products, reduce your shower temperature, pat dry, and moisturize. 

Take a few minutes out of your day to begin a winter shower routine; in the end, your skin will thank you for following one.