We love the colder months. You can wear all your cute sweaters and leggings, drink hot beverages, enjoy comforting soups, and put the mosquito repellant away. However, have you ever noticed that some people seem to age significantly every winter? There are three major reasons for this: UV light, dryness, and stress.
Here we will give you some tips to avoid these pitfalls of the winter months so that you can maintain your glowing beauty, outside and in.
Stay Out of the UV Light
Remember, UV light produced by the sun is THE major cause of skin aging. The UV light comes out of the sun regardless of the air temperature and it goes straight through clouds. You can get a sunburn on the coldest, gloomiest days of the year.
1- Wear a Cute Hat
Whenever you go outside, put on a hat. Make sure it has a brim or a visor to shade your face. There are many hats available these days that will keep your head warm and dry, protect you from UV rays, and make you look really good.
2- Wear Your Sunscreen
Your basic skincare routine all year round, even in the winter, should include a base layer of sunscreen with an SPF of at least 25. Avoid the chemicals and stick with a sunscreen that uses natural minerals to reflect the sun’s rays. If you are spending some time outside during daylight hours, re-apply a fresh layer of sunscreen every hour.
Hydrate
The dry heat indoors combined with the weather outside can dry you out until you look like a withered prune. Don’t let this happen to you.
3- Avoid Hot Showers
Hot showers are certainly soothing and relaxing, but the exposure to the hot water will just dry your skin out even more. No, you don’t have to switch to cold showers; take a warm shower instead. Your skin will thank you.
4- Skip the Soap
Instead of washing your skin with soap, which strips the oils out of your skin and causes it to dry out, switch to a gentle, natural cleanser.
5- Change Your Skin Products
In the winter, switch to using an oil-based moisturizer during the day, and apply a moisturizing mask overnight to soothe and renew your skin.
Relax and Destress
Stress and anxiety will wreck your skin just as much as the weather and UV rays will. Many people find the colder months to be very stressful. They get too involved in “the holidays” and they forget to take care of themselves. Remember, you have to take care of yourself before you can take care of others. Incorporate de-stressing into your daily routine.
6- Meditate
Meditation has tremendous health benefits. Unfortunately, the mere thought of “wasting time” meditating tends to stress many people out even more. You don’t have to sit motionless while meditating. You can meditate while walking, gardening, and even cleaning. It’s easy to incorporate a period of meditation into your daily skincare ritual.
7- Exercise
It may not be as fun to exercise when it is cold but get out there anyway. Put on your cute hat and sunscreen, dress for the weather, and get moving.
We think the colder parts of the year should be just as fun and just as healthy for your skin as the warmer months. Glowing, beautiful skin is only possible when you are healthy inside and out.