As temperatures begin to drop, our skin is faced with a unique set of challenges. Winters are not forgiving to your skin and come with issues like dryness, peeling and irritation. Cold, dry air and indoor heaters take away your skin’s moisture. Dry skin gives rise to a whole bunch of new problems like roughness and scaly or itchy skin and premature aging of skin.

Skin is a protective barrier of your body that protects from things like pollution, allergens and irritants, and keep things like water in. Cold temperatures and decreased humidity levels affect the skin and disrupt the delicate balance of water, fat and protein that make up this barrier.

Taking care of your skin might seem like a feminine connotation for most men, but logic says if you have skin, you have to take care of it whether you’re a man or a woman. You might have heard that men’s skin is different from women’s skin as it is thicker and may contain more sebaceous glands than that of a woman’s, but rest assured it is still prone to dryness, acne and all those skin issues that women face.

Take proper care of your skin this cold season by following these 5 tips:

 

Use Sunscreen

We all carry around a sunscreen for UV protection in summer heading to a beach, but tend to take it easy in fall or winter. Whenever you are going outside it is important to remember sun protection, even when its raining. The sun still rises and sets in fall and winter and so a good sunscreen application is vital to good skin.

Reapplying sunscreen every two hours is essential maintenance for men too. Experts recommend a broad-spectrum lotion, meaning it covers UVA and UVB rays. Sunscreens usually feel thick and sticky when applied on the face along with other winter products. Try to find a lightweight sunscreen especially for winters. You can also get a moisturizer that contains SPF 30 or higher. This will prevent damage to your skin and provide it with UV protection as well.

 

Avoid Over-Exfoliation

Scrubbing your skin in summer comes naturally because your skin gets oily and pores start clogging up making way for blackheads and whiteheads. Exfoliation is essential all year round to scrape off dead skin cells, but during winters its important to reduce exfoliation especially if you have sensitive skin. This is because exfoliation strips off the protective layer of skin that also keeps the moisture locked in. Winters are a time when its dry and your skin needs as much moisture as possible to stay healthy. Men usually tend to over exfoliate because they shave.

Do not exfoliate everyday. If you live in a windy area, restrict exfoliation to once a week otherwise it’s best to exfoliate two times weekly in winters.

The most easy and gentle way to exfoliate is by using your regular facial cleanser and washing using a washcloth. Apply light pressure and scrub using circular motions. Be gentle and remember that scrubbing vigorously can result in blotchy and irritated skin.

 

Moisturize and Use a Humidifier

All skin types need to be moisturized, though the kind of moisturizer will vary for every skin type. If you have oily skin a light moisturizer will do the job but if you have dry skin, you may need more heavy duty creams to keep it hydrated.

Cleanse and moisturize your skin twice a day. Look for ingredients that are scientifically proven to help your skin heal rather than buying anything that looks pretty. Find a product that contains hyaluronic acid as it binds with water and helps maintain moisture throughout the day. You can even go ahead and find a specific eye cream with hyaluronic acid or vitamin E to stay away from wrinkles. The ideal way to find a suitable product would be to talk to your dermatologist and figure out which one is best for you.

The best way to retain moisture in your skin in winters, is to use a humidifier in your living and working areas. Experts say that even adding 5 percent more humidity to where you live can make a huge impact. When temperatures decrease and the air becomes drier, it pulls the moisture out of your skin as well.

Humidifiers fill the air with moisture, rejuvenating dried out, itchy, cracked skin. Adding humidity to the air artificially in an environment where you spend your day, can work wonders for your skin, overall health and winter flu as well.

 

Be careful with Shaving

If you close shave everyday, you need to be very careful during the winter season. The ideal time to shave is immediately after a hot shower. This is because it opens your pores and helps in exfoliation too. You can even apply a hot washcloth to open your pores in the face for a few minutes before shaving.

Use a good shaving cream that moisturizes and protects from nicks and cuts. After you are done shaving, apply a moisturizer to minimize any irritation caused by shaving.

Make sure your razor blades are clean. Whenever you pick up a beard trimmer over your skin, you pick up oil and dead skin cells. Do not forget to clean it with alcohol each time you use it. Using disposable razors and disposing after one use is the ideal thing to do.

 

Drink Water

Your summer routine, days at the beach, hot weather and constant sweating are all reminders for you to stay hydrated during summer season. But as winter strikes your door, you tend to wrap yourself up in layers and your water intake also declines. There are less visible reminders to make you drink enough water and you don’t feel that thirsty in cooler weather than you would during hot summer days. But this does not mean your body doesn’t need water.
 

In fact, your skin needs the most water to survive the dry cold air. Your skin is also an organ and just like any other organs cells, skin cells are mostly made up of water.

Winters can be more tempting to drink hot beverages like coffee and tea that can dehydrate you even more. Make sure you drink plenty of water to keep your body and skin hydrated at all times.

 

About

Amanda Bentley has 5 years’ experience in the food and beverage industry and currently works as a Content writer at Qavashop (www.qavashop.com).  Qavashop.com is an online store for all the "coffee aficionados" located in the GCC. Apart from providing its customers with quality coffee machines and consumables, it also provides them with skilled, knowledgeable advice on how to make their own restaurant quality espresso at home.