4 Tips to Prevent Your Skin Drying Out

The cool dry air often also comes hand in hand with dry skin for many people at this time of year, so it is important to change our skin care regime to suit the seasons. If you suffer seasonal dry skin during winter, here are the 4 top tips to prevent it drying out:

1.     Maintain & improve your skin’s moisture barrier

Transepidermal water loss (TEWL) is a very common cause of dry skin. If you lock in the moisture to prevent the loss of hydration, your skin is less likely to become dry. This is where topical treatments are key, particularly at night. Use a layer of treatment oil for dry skin over your regular moisturiser every night to increase the protective barrier. The most suitable oils for dry skin include jojoba, avocado, rosehip, wheat germ & evening primrose oil.

We must also do our best to protect our skin’s natural sebum. The general consensus of my male friends is in line with dermatologist’s recommendations that shaving during or straight after a shower is the best time to prevent the stripping of the skin’s sebum. Avoid cleansing with harsh cleansers so as not to remove the skins natural protective layer as well.

2.     Improve the structure of the skin from the inside

Each cell in the body is surrounded by a lipid-membrane – these lipids are good fats. Increasing your intake of good fats with food and supplements are important, and can be achieved by supplementing with omega-3s, evening primrose oil and vitamin E oil (Mohajeri, 2014). Foods that contain beautiful essential fats for our skin include avocados, fish (especially salmon), nuts & coconut. You also need to ensure you are well hydrated with water! Zinc, silica and vitamin C are important nutrients for the integrity of the skin as well.

3.     Avoid dry conditions and add moisture to the air

Heaters and air-conditioning can cause the skin to dry out more during winter, so one of the most effective ways to prevent the dryness is to put the water droplets back in the air. Water misting machines have been proven to prevent or reverse the loss of water in the skin’s surface (Ohno et al. 2013) so they can be a great addition to the home or office. If you have to be out in the dry air then protect your face & lips with good moisturising treatments, and if you are particularly prone then you can do things like wear gloves and bulk up a scarf around the bottom part of your face – the more you protect your skin from the dry conditions the less dry it will become.

4.     Use a hydrating treatment mask

Once a week you can provide your skin with a beautifully hydrating treatment by applying a leave-on moisturising mask, or DIY with this following natural remedy:

Combine: 1 egg yolk, 1 tsp raw honey, 1 tsp sweet almond oil.

Method: Apply to the face and leave on for 15 minutes. Wash off with warm water then gently pat your face dry.

The nutrients and hydrating components of this face mask provide a beautifully nourishing treatment that will leave your skin soft and silky smooth.

Haley is a passionate Naturopath & nutrition expert, writer, and mum of 2 young children, with years of experience in the industry. She is a known as a real ‘nutrition nerd’ and follows the latest natural health research. As a Paleo and raw food enthusiast, she coaches people in healthy living, beauty and positive mindset. Haley has personally experienced the benefits of the SkinB5 natural acne treatment system and is happy to offer her guidance to help others regain clear skin. Follow her blog at www.aliveinwonderland.com & link with her on facebook at www.facebook.com/aliveinwonderlandhealth