Photo by Arwin Neil Baichoo on Unsplash
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Winter is a fun season that brings warm family moments: sipping hot cocoa, sitting by the fire or bundling up to go play out in the cold, brisk air. However lovely, winter can also bring rough, dry skin which is never fun.
Dry skin in the winter is mainly caused by a lack of humidity in the air inside and outside. The air inside your home is being warmed by a heater which zaps moisture just as much as the dry wintry air outside. Using harsh detergents and soap on your skin can also cause your skin to lose moisture. There are several ways to combat dry skin naturally that won’t cost a fortune. These include hydrating from the inside and using some staples from your kitchen to quench parched skin.
- Drink more water. To achieve hydrated skin, the first thing to do is make sure that you are drinking enough water daily. Also, eating fluid-rich foods such as vegetables, fruit and soups will also help to keep you water levels high.
- Include good fats in your diet. Foods can also affect the moisture generated in your skin. According to Discovery Health, “foods high in essential fatty acids, such as omega-3 and omega-6, help your skin produce more lipids that strengthen your skin cells." Soy foods, wild rice, walnuts, flaxseed oil, salmon and other fish are some foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids and many oils such as corn and safflower oils are high in omega-6 fatty acids.
- Take a soak. Cornstarch and oatmeal are great ingredients to add to a warm bath to help ease itching and soothe dry skin. Simply sprinkle a handful of cornstarch and a handful of oats into your warm bath and soak your dry skin.
- Treat dry patches. After bath time, salt can be massaged into wet skin to remove dry skin. Olive oil, coconut oil or honey can be rubbed directly onto dry patches of skin to provide moisture. These can be left on skin for a few minutes and then rinsed off.
