How to Combat Dry Skin this Fall with These 4 Tips
By: Nicole Pyles
Nicole Pyles is a writer living in the Pacific Northwest. She currently works as a Blog Tour Manager for WOW! Women on Writing. Her writing has been featured in WOW! Women on Writing, Ripley’s Believe it or Not, The Voices Project, and Restless Magazine. You can follow her on Twitter @BeingTheWriter.
Ever so slowly, the fall season is creeping into the remaining weeks of summer. Pumpkin-spice-everything is on the horizon, school supplies are on sale, and the sun is setting earlier. While an exciting time of year, this may be the time of year your skin is at its driest. So, if you want to grab a bottle of lotion every time the heater turns on, you are not alone. However, you don't need to keep a Costco-sized tub of Lubriderm or Vaseline nearby for every time you to moisturize. There are other ways to combat dry skin this winter season that maybe you haven't even thought of yet.
1) Start from the inside out.
Your diet has a significant impact on the health of your skin. Foods rich in omega-3 fats can help prevent dehydration in your skin. If you are seafood fan, consuming fish such as sardines, anchovies, and herring as well as Alaskan salmon can be an excellent source Omega-3s. However, if the idea of seafood makes you shudder a bit, consider an omega-3 fat supplement such as krill oil for the winter season. If you're one of our many vegan readers, adding extra doses of foods like nuts, legumes, seaweed, chia seeds, and olive oil can help add those essential Omega-3s as well.
Plus, water is an excellent source of moisture for your skin. While it shouldn’t be your primary source of moisturizing your skin, when you aren’t drinking enough water, your skin does show it. The jury is still out on whether or not there is a direct correlation on drinking plenty of water and skin moisture, it still a good tactic to use to battle dry winter skin. Make sure you are drinking at least 8 glasses of water each day.
2) Add a humidifier to your room.
In case you haven’t heard, humidifiers are a great way to add moisture to a room and a fantastic way to help your skin retain its moisture. When your skin is exposed to the elements, such as dry cold air or heat from a fireplace or heater, it loses its moisture and that’s when you deal with dry skin. To manage dry skin better, purchase a humidifier. This is a great way for your skin to maintain its moisture and you won’t have to reach for that bottle of lotion as much. Not only that, when you have at least 30% - 50% moisture in the air, you will reduce your chances of getting a cold.
3) Skip hot showers.
We all love a soothing a hot shower to relax and rinse off the stresses of the day. Your skin, unfortunately, doesn't feel that way. When you take a hot shower, the high temperature of the water and the evaporation of the water when you step out of the shower, makes your skin drier. Switch to cooler temperature when you bathe and make sure to moisturize immediately after.
4) Selecting the right kind of moisturizer.
Of course, moisturizers are the best solutions to dry skin. But what kind exactly should you be using? According to the Harvard Women's Health Watch, the greasier and thicker the moisturizer it is, the more effective it will be. So grab that petroleum jelly! It’s one of the best ways to soothe that dry skin without clogging your pores. Make sure to reapply moisturizer after you wash your hands and ideally when your skin is still wet, so keeping a bottle of lotion right next to the sink can help remind you to use it.
Have any other tips to combat dry skin, or brands of moisturizers you absolutely love? Drop them below!