We are in the midst of February. It's cold and wintery and our skin is probably starting to feel it a bit. We have the warm central heating in our homes, we then have the cold blast when we go outdoors, the drying heater in the car and then the air conditioning in offices, shops, restaurants and gyms. Let's face it, it's a lot for our skin to deal with!
Here are my top ways to keep your skin hydrated right through until those clocks 'Spring' forward into those warmer months...
INTERNALLY
Water intake is obviously a must and very important for our skin. Bored of water? Why not make an infusion with some cucumber, mint, fresh lemon slices or berries.
Hot drinks almost feel essential at this time of year, but try and cut back on the caffeine and swap some of your teas and coffees to herbal decaf ones to stop the de-hydrating effects of caffeine. Lemon and ginger is delicious and super warming.
If you are a wine drinker and like a glass of vino in the evening, maybe slowly cut back to once or twice a week or have half wine and half soda water. Alcohol can have terrible ageing effects on the skin including sallow colouring, puffy eyes, fine lines and wrinkles!
Consume lots of fruit and vegetables with a high water content. This is a great way of getting more water into your diet without having to drink litres of water all day. Try water-dense foods such as cucumber, water melon, celery, plums, peaches and lettuce - great as an afternoon snack or in a smoothie
Take a good omega supplement. This can be seen as an edible moisturiser and can really benefit dry and dehydrated skins (especially eczema and psoriasis too!). Why not try my favourite ones here
EXTERNALLY
Treat your skin to a humidifier. This can really counteract the drying effects of central heating. Keep it in your bedroom so your skin won't dry out as you sleep.
Apply face oils morning and night to 'lock in' moisture. I love face oils under my makeup to give a lovely dewy finish. Why not try The Emmaline Tsui Face Oil here
Try having a play with your own natural face masks. For dry skin look for full fat ingredients such as greek yoghurt and mix with some honey? Or mash up an overripe avocado and apply to your face. (Please patch test any face masks first incase of irritation)
As tempting as it is to increase the shower/bath temperature to warm you up in the morning, try not to go too high. This can really dry your skin out and make you feel quite tight and itchy into the day.
I hope these might help stop that dry, tight feeling we can get with our skin
Thanks so much for reading
Emmaline