How to prevent dry skin in winter naturally?

The days are becoming colder and many of you are asking how to prevent dry skin in winter in a naturally. The dry skin problems are, of course, connected with the cold weather. That's why I rushed to write this blog post and help you solve some dreadful issues with dry skin.

Why does your skin get dry in winter?

It doesn’t matter how you keep your house warm: with wood, oil, electricity, … your skin becomes dry, flaky, or even severely chapped during winter. The problem isn’t so much in the low temperatures, but in the fact that there is less moisture in the air when it becomes cold. The higher the temperature, the more the air is moist. Ever wondered why a cold jug of beer mists up on a hot summer day? Yep, that’s exactly why. During winter, the cold wind and temperature differences between the freezing air outside and the hot air inside cause our skin to dry even faster.

A very thin layer of skin cells, called stratum corneum, protects our body from drying out. The stratum corneum consists of a layer of dead corneocyte cells, which form a leakproof layer consisting of a lipid layer and protein rivets. Extremely dry air destroys this structure, and the skin starts cracking, peeling off, and becomes red.

To keep your skin healthy and moist, you first need to make sure that the lipid-protein layer of the stratum corneum protective cells is effectively protected and nourished.

What to do first to prevent dry skin in winter naturally?

The best you can do when the temperatures become colder is to use the smallest amount of water as possible. You can still keep the skin hydrated, but you do so from within. You can drink tea, water, natural juices, you can eat oranges, tangerines, …

Did you know that the Inuit avoided cleaning with water on the coldest days, because they were afraid to wash out the layer of protective oils that protected them from cold?

Of course, this would be impossible to do in our world today. Besides, we don’t live in such extreme conditions. Still, if you want to avoid dry skin, it would be best if you don’t shower too many times (even if it sounds a bit weird). Don’t get me wrong, what I mean is only not to exaggerate with loooooooooooong showers with boiling water.

Hydrating creams are not suitable for skin care during cold winter months, as they don’t protect the skin from drying out.

Water destroys the protective skin layer. A similar (and even worse) effect that clean water has are the so-called hydrating creams, which contain a high percentage of water (usually 80%). The feeling of hydration and moisture is very short-term, as the water in these hydrating creams destroys the natural protective layer of the skin, because it washes out the lipid protective layer. What’s more, such creams contain strong emulsifiers, which have surfactants’ properties. Surfactants are compounds that bind oils and water together. And do you know, why the surfactants are also used in the laboratory research? As protein denaturants (the ones who destroy the proteins’ structure). So, they also destroy the protein rivets, which hold together the structure of the protective cells in the skin in the stratum corneum. We all know what happens when water reaches temperatures below 0 ˚C – it freezes. You can imagine what happens with these 80% of water at -10 ˚C on your skin and in it!

What else to avoid to prevent dry skin in winter naturally?

Warm water and aggressive cleaning agents extract lipids and proteins from the protective layer. That’s why the skin becomes as dry as sand – and cracks. It can start to peel off and itch. During the colder days, avoid washing hands with liquid soaps containing SLS, SLES and similar sulphate surfactants. Consider this especially for the body parts that you can’t protect from the cold with clothing (face, hands).

The best you can do is to use gentle cleaning agents, like natural soaps. They don’t dry out the skin and protect it with natural glycerine. In cosmetics, the glycerine is considered as a humectant. These are compounds that bind moisture and make sure that the skin stays hydrated.

Why are your hands dry first and how to prevent that in winter naturally?

The skin on your hands is thinner than on other body parts and contains less oil glands. That’s why it dries out faster and you start feeling the dry skin on your hands first and outmost. When exposed to low temperatures, keep your hands protected with gloves or put them in your coat’s pockets. And of course, don’t forget to protect them with creams that are based on oils and waxes. These creams protect your skin in the best possible way.

What can help you prevent dry skin in winter naturally?

Ok, so now you already know, that the upper cells lipid layer is the one layer that protects you from drying out. Help it become stronger!

The best remedy to protect your skin from drying out during winter is to nourish it with products that are based on oils and waxes. Such creams don’t freeze easily below 0 ˚C. What’s more, they will also protect your skin from UV rays. The cream, based on cold-pressed oils and raw butters, gives a natural protection from UV rays.

Do you know which oil has the best moisturizing effect? Olive oil. If you don’t have a good protective cream at home, you’ll do your skin a bigger favour if you put on some pure olive oil. The olive oil’s chemical structure is very similar to our skin’s lipid protective layer. Jojoba oil also has the similar structure. But olive oil is unique when it comes to dry skin care also because it contains the magical compound, called squalene. Only olive oil has it in high concentration. Squalene is an important humectant in our skin’s sebum, where it can be found in the concentration of 12% up to 20%. With age, the squalene’s amounts start to fall. Mature skin consequently becomes dry faster and loses elasticity. No wonder that squalene can be found in many skincare anti-age products.

My advice to you for preventing dry skin during winter naturally is to choose products that are based on coconut oil, grapeseed oil, shea butter, cocoa butter, and beeswax. Beeswax is one of the key ingredients to look for in a winter skin care product. Together with waxes in our sebum, it forms a leakproof barrier which cold air and wind cannot break. Not to mention all the protective elements in the wax that give extra protection and help avoid infections, smog, and harmful effects of the UV rays.

It’s wrong to think that greasy creams are not suitable for acne-prone and greasy skin on your face. It’s the other way around! The most useful and effective means for skin care are … oils. You only need to avoid the ones that contain ingredients with a comedogenic effect (meaning that they close pores).

How to prevent dry skin on lips in winter naturally?

Our lips, like our hands, are also especially sensitive when it comes to unfriendly winter conditions, as the skin on the lips is thinner. It is commonly known that lips become even drier and chapped if you lick them and they can also itch unpleasantly. This also happens because of the before mentioned effect that water has on the protective skin layer.

During winter, protect your lips with natural balms that are based on butters and natural waxes.

Avoid using mineral ingredients for lip care to prevent dry skin in winter naturally

Not only is the use of such ingredients ecologically controversial, but their structure is also not suitable for our skin composition. That’s why mineral ingredients do not reinforce the skin’s lipid bilayer. Besides, their effect on our health is questionable. We need to be aware that more than 50% of the ingredients that we put on our skin, is absorbed into our organism. Not to forget, that it is common for paraffin to lower the natural capacity of the skin to hydrate itself. That’s the main reason that the long-term use of lip balms, which are based on mineral oils, forms a dependence, as the skin is not capable of hydrating itself anymore after time. And once you enter this vicious circle, it demands you to use the lip balm again and again.

My recommendation to prevent dry skin in winter naturally:

1. The Calendula and lavender salve is perfect for nourishing and protecting hands, face and lips. If you apply it on your feet before bed and put on a pair of socks, you’ll wake up with soft and warm feet in the morning.

2. Natural lip balms, like the Lavender and calendula lip balm, are 100% natural lip balms. They are based on oils, butters, and waxes that’s why they give perfect protection for the lips during winter. You an get them in a tin box or in a push-up tube.

3. Natural soap bars, made with cold process and based on olive oil. That’s why they are rich in natural glycerine, which is the side product of the soapmaking process.

4. Scrubby soap bars are an effective remedy for very dry skin, especially for skin that peels off and for people with bad circulation problems. I recommend the Lavender Scrub soap.

5. To keep your face clean, I crafted a special soap called Natural active face soap. I added clay, active charcoal, goat milk, beeswax, butters, and oils. This soap effectively cleans skin on face and keeps it moist at the same time, because it contains natural glycerine that was formed in the soapmaking process.

6. The Lavender touch body butter is suitable to moisturize your skin and protect it after showering. It’s rich in natural butters, oils, and vitamins.

7. Detox Sugar Cane Body Scrub is suitable for extremely dry skin. I recommend using it at least 1x per month. This peeling has essential oils that work stimulatively on our body and soul, but it also contains unprocessed fats that keep your skin soft and nourished after the process.

Katjuša

Sources: My curiosity, love for knowledge and the ungovernable wish to get to the bottom of the things.