Beauty tips: Combat winter skin
Carmen Prins
Posted Thu, 20 Apr 2006
Winter is near, and once again the cold air, strong winds and rain will do their best to dry out your skin. But there's no need to become discouraged at the thought of dry facial skin, chapped and cracked lips, and dry hands and feet. Dealing with these winter problems is easier than you think.
"For the winter season, all your products should be more moisturising than what you need for summer," says Beverley Warner, a beautician at a skin care clinic.
"You can change your foamy cleanser for a milky cleanser, your toner should have less alcohol in, so that it doesn’t dry out the skin, and the moisturiser should be heavier in texture, in order to add more moisture, as well as prevent moisture loss," she said.
Dealing with problem winter skin can be an effort, but you don't have to spend hours on beauty treatments. Beverley gave us a few, quick, effective solutions for the following common winter problems:
Dead layers of skin cells still build up and need to be removed; so your face and body should still be exfoliated and steamed during winter.
Steaming opens up the skin's pores and in this way, the ingredients will be able to penetrate the skin better.
Paler complexions are common during winter. One way of getting back your summer glow is to use a more nourishing facial.
Using a self-tanning lotion during winter is completely safe and you can still be seen with a gorgeous tan.
And just because it's winter doesn't mean you can throw out the sun protection lotion. "We do get exposed to artificial light which can still add to pigmentation problems, therefore you should wear a high factor sunscreen at all times," Beverly said.
Taking good care of the skin is an all-year-round process. Still, winter's an ideal time to treat yourself to luxurous beauty treatments, as we tend to spend so much time indoors. Pamper yourself!
After a hectic day, take a relaxing bath, moisturise yourself from top to bottom with a rich creamy moisturiser, put on your warm, soft, winter PJ's, cotton socks and gloves, and snuggle up in bed, ready to drift off to a revitalising beauty sleep, during which the skin will be fed and restored.
