It sure is dry in Central Oregon. High Desert life has its perks, but dry skin is not one of them! Now that the weather is changing, we all need to pay a little more attention to skin care. This is especially important if you have any type of skin condition such as eczema or psoriasis. Here are six tips for staying comfortable in your skin this Winter:
1. Update your bathing routine. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends:
Bathing in warm (not hot) water
Limiting your bath to 5-10 minutes
Patting dry instead of rubbing your skin with a towel, and
Immediately moisturizing while your skin is still damp
2. Avoid lotions, especially anything thin enough to pump out of a bottle. Instead, go for ointments and creams.
Look for products with these ingredients:
Jojoba oil
Shea butter
Lanolin
Mineral oil
Petrolatum
Avoid these ingredients:
Alcohol (except in hand sanitizer)
Alpha hydroxy acid
Fragrance
Deodorant soaps
Retinoids
3. Wear gloves!!
Protecting your hands from cold will go a long way
Get some rubber gloves for dishes and other activities that will result in wet hands
If your hands get really dry and cracked, moisturize, then wear thin cotton gloves to bed at night (same goes for your feet, with socks!)
4. Limit your time near the fire.
Bonfires are awesome in the Winter, but standing too close for too long can dry your skin
Wood stoves are also very drying. Keeping a kettle simmering on the wood stove helps.
5. Leverage humidity
Close the bathroom door when showering (careful not to overdo it here… too much humidity can lead to mold!)
Use a humidifier in bedrooms and living spaces
6. USE LIP BALM!! I can’t stress this one enough. Cracked lips are miserable, develop quickly, and are easy to avoid. I buy big packages of lip balm and keep them everywhere. I stuff them in my kids’ pockets and badger them to use it!
Avoid balms that make your lips feel tingly (like Carmex), because those are actually more drying in the long run.
Here’s to enjoying comfortable Winter skin!
