I live in New England which means we have cold winters and it’s important to learn how to keep skin hydrated.   How does the cold weather affect our skin?  The low moisture in the air and the dry heat inside the house causes your skin to lose moisture.  If moisture is not replaced, the skin will dry out and peel, crack and even bleed.

I have pretty normal skin most of the year, but cold air dries it out really bad.    If I don’t take care of my skin during the cold months, it can crack and if it gets really bad, bleed.  My hands suffer the most with all the hand washing and dish washing I do.  My daughters also suffer from dry skin and usually their skin will get dry and itchy.   It’s not fun.

I’ve learned over the years different ways to keep skin hydrated during the cold months not just for me, but for my entire family.   Below are things I do to keep skin hydrated in cold weather.  Try them and let me know how it goes!

How to Keep Skin Hydrated in the Cold Weather

Wear Gloves & Scarves

Keeping the cold air off your skin will help it from drying out.  The wind is very harsh on our skin and gloves and scarves can protect it.   I like to put moisturizer cream on my hands before I put on my gloves for extra softness!

Use a Humidifier

Dry air dries out the skin.  When it’s cold out and you have the heat on in the house, the air inside and out is dry and can dry out your skin.  Using a humidifier keeps the air in the house moist and may even help you keep your heat a tad bit lower as it’ll warm up the air and be better for your skin.  We use a humidifier in our room every night during the cold weather months.

Drink Water

While it hasn’t been proven that water keeps skin hydrated, our body needs water so drinking it won’t hurt you, that’s for sure!  Your skin is the last place to get water so if you are dehydrated, the water will never reach your skin.

Don’t use skin products that contain (bad) alcohol

Alcohol dries out your skin.  Soap and skin products that contain certain alcohol’s will dry out your skin.  This isn’t just important during cold weather months, but during warm weather months too.  Read the labels on everything that you put on your skin.  Good alcohol’s like cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol are fatty alcohols which are used as emollients & thickeners in skin-care products. They are not irritating and can be beneficial for dry skin.

Moisturize with a good Hand Cream after washing hands

Washing your hands will dry out your skin.  If you use a good moisturizer or hand creme after washing them, you’ll keep your skin hydrated and soft.  I love Vitabath’s Hand Creme and right now the Fresh Citrus Twist is my favorite scent.   The first ingredient in this hand creme is water!  I love that.   You’ll find lots of oils in it as well that are all good for the skin.  Like Sunflower Seed Oil.

Sunflower seed oil is rich in linoleic acid. It helps the skin maintain a healthy amount of essential fatty acids, to maintain the skin barrier and decrease trans-epidermal water loss. It also has anti-inflammatory properties.

You’ll also find the “good” alcohol – cetyl alcohol which, ask I said above, is actually good for your skin.

Exfoliate your Skin

Exfoliating your skin will remove the dead cells from the top layer of your skin.  By removing these dead cells, you’ll eliminated the possibility of clogging your pores, which can cause acne.   But more importantly,  it will allow moisturizer to penetrate the skin more.  Plus dead cells will leave your skin looking dry, dull and rough.

I like to use Vitabath Exfoliating Sugar Scrub and right now I’m using the Fresh Citrus Twist scent.   I use this once a day, usually at the end of the day to wash away all the dead skin cells.  Vitabath’s exfoliating sugar scrub is gentle enough to use every day and believe me when I say your hands will feel so great after you use it!  I even take in the shower and use it on my legs. They are usually pretty dry as well in the winter.  It contains Shea Butter, Coconut Oil and water along with a lot of other good ingredients to help you battle dry skin in the cold weather months.

Eat the right foods

Foods that are essential fatty acids like Salmon, flax seeds and olive oil can help cells stay hydrated.  Try adding 3-5 servings of fatty acids a week to your diet and over time you’ll see a difference in how hydrated your skin is!

Do you know other ways to Keep Skin Hydrated?  Let me know!