Wintertime is a time for family, peppermint lattes, Christmas movies, and all things wonderful- EXCEPT for dry skin. I don’t know about you, but when winter comes rolling around, my skin dries right up. Over time, I have found that exfoliating and moisturizing play a huge role in keeping my skin healthy and hydrated throughout the colder months! Problem areas can include face, body, and lips. So if you’re like me and experience dry skin during the winter, give some of these products a go and hopefully they will help you out!
Face
I have come to learn that exfoliating is a huge part in keeping your skin healthy and hydrated. I exfoliate both my face and my body. Exfoliating is great because it gets rid of any dead skin cells. There are many ways to exfoliate, as well as many accessories to help you. When it comes to exfoliating your face, you should only do it once or twice a week. If you excessively exfoliate, your face will dry out even more and produce oil to replenish the skin, which then may cause acne. So it’s best to only exfoliate once or twice a week, and then use a good face moisturizer to restore and hydrate your new layer of fresh skin (I use CeraVe day/night).
Usually I just use my hands to exfoliate my face with a standard exfoliating wash (I use St. Ives Apricot scrub), but there are also accessories like the Clarisonic, which really help the process. There are hundreds of different exfoliants out there to choose from. For example some can help with acne, boost brightness of the face, clear blackheads, etc. Take the time to find one that suits you, and your skin type for the best results!
Body
As for exfoliating the body, again just find an exfoliating wash you like, and a body lotion to accompany it. I really like using exfoliating gloves (I got mine from bath and body works) to assist me when it comes to exfoliating my body. After exfoliating and removing the dead skin off your body, you will feel so soft! Make sure to use a hydrating lotion to lock in the moisture (I use Vaseline Intensive Care) and you will be left with healthy, hydrated skin!
Lips
Believe it or not, they actually have lip exfoliants. I use one from Bath and Body Works when my lips get really dry and chapped (there are also DIY exfoliants). It looks a little funny having exfoliation grains all over your lips so usually I like to do this at home before bed. I find you only have to leave it on for a couple of minutes to get the job done. After I exfoliate my lips, I use Blistex (which is my absolute favorite). I use Blistex all year round as I find it leaves my lips super soft and never chapped! Exfoliating your lips is a once in a while type deal, but I recommend carrying some Blistex, or another high moisturizing lip chap on you throughout the Winter so you can quickly relieve the uncomfortable feeling of dry, cracked lips.
Use these products/ideas and they will help keep your skin healthy and nourished all winter!