Dry skin can be such a battle during the cold, dry winter months. There is nothing fun about dry, itchy skin that flakes and cracks all the time. And while most of us enjoy the thought of maintaining soft, smooth skin all year round, the reality is that it is hard to do… especially with chemical laden lotions and body rubs.
Natural skin care is super important, especially when it comes to dry, needy skin that soaks things up like a sponge. Apply harsh ingredients and you are asking for even more maintenance during this time of year. Let’s take a look at several ways to lose the dry skin and keep a beautiful, moisturized body all year long!
Image by : mfrietsch
Ditch the soap.
Okay… I know this may sound strange, but hear me out. Most people purchase soaps and body wash from the convenient store around the corner without knowing the damage these cleansing agents cause. Commercial soaps might make you smell nice and clean, but they also strip your skin of important oils that protect and moisturize. Try switching to a cold-pressed natural soap.
During the winter, avoid using soap on your legs, arms, and middle. These areas usually aren’t dirty or smelly; washing them unnecessarily will cause your skin to stay dry and itchy. Instead, focus primarily on the important areas where bacteria have a tendency to build-up. A great alternative to a soapy bubble bath during the cold season is an herbal tea bath. Steep some rosemary, lavender, chamomile and rose petals and pour into a tub of warm water for a soothing and naturally cleansing bath.
Use natural moisturizers.
Did you know that most commercial lotions you purchase at a department store can actually dry out and damage your skin more than moisturize it? It’s true. Take a look at the label… you might see alcohol, petroleum by-products, parabens, artificial fragrances and many other ingredients that half of us can’t pronounce. These ingredients destroy your body’s defense system, leaving is susceptible to all sorts of damage and the inability to restore its natural oils.
Before you reach for lotion, why not try some natural moisturizers. One of my absolute favorite moisturizers is argan oil. It is the closest to your body’s natural sebum, it doesn’t leave an oily residue and it works great for even the most sensitive skin. Another great oil is jojoba oil. If you aren’t into liquid oils, I recommend you give a natural “lotion” bar a shot – 3 simple ingredients cocoa (or shea) butter, coconut (or sweet almond) oil and beeswax. Together, these ingredients moisturize and protect your skin naturally!
Image by : MeiTing
Maximize your nutrition.
With all the holiday parties during this season, it’s hard to focus on good, wholesome eating habits. While the sugary, colorful desserts and Grandma’s famous dishes are certainly delicious, they really don’t help your dry skin situation. Your skin needs foods high in fatty acids, fiber and raw nutrients.
Whenever you can, incorporate fresh, wholesome foods into your diet. Focus on raw nuts and seeds, dark leafy greens and veggies, raw milk and organic butter, organic meats (including organ meats) and lots of water. Your body will be able to put these nutrients to good use and your skin will be noticeably happier.
Protect your skin from the elements.
Always keep your skin well protected during the harsh, cold weather. This means bundle up before going outside to face cold wind, dry air and freezing snow. Your skin already works hard to protect your entire body, so help it out every once in a while.
Be sure to moisturize your face, including your lips, before heading out for long periods of time. It is much better to prevent windburn and chapped lips than to treat them later. Wear ear muffs and good gloves to prevent frostbite on your extremities. If your fingers do get freezing cold, allow them the warm up gently and slowly. Never run hot water on frozen fingers!
A few other ideas.
There are plenty of other things you can do to save your skin from the dry winter. Make a homemade sugar scrub to gently remove the dead, flaky skin. Run a humidifier in the house. Lather on a homemade hand and foot cream right before bed, cover your hands and feet with socks, leave them on overnight and wake up with soft supple skin!
What natural solutions have you tried for seasonal dry skin?
Great tips! My favorite to use on my hands is coconut oil!
My feet are always dry, I use coconut oil all over including my feet but they are still dry. Any suggestons?
I love the thick layer of moisturizing I get from hard lotion bars. I rub them on my feet after a shower, put socks on, and a few days later, there’s a huge difference!
Also, dry brushing seems to help my skin a lot.
Thanks for your blog. I have a dry skin. This blog was very helpful for me. I usually used to apply moisturizing cream and coconut oil for my skin.
With two tablespoons of honey mixed into two tablespoons of milk to evenly. Use the milk-honey mixture to scrubs or facial masks then let it stick for ten minutes. After that, rinse with warm water. Do it every days.
Good luck
This is a great post, I completely concur on NOT sudsing up the whole body. We haven’t done that for years. Just this year we switched to a completely natural soap and for my kids bath, I just put in a little burts bees wash. They get completely clean just by the water, and when I run out of that I just plan on using Epsom salts and a little all natural soap. We also stopped using shampoo and conditioner for the most part, just rinsing the hair once a week or so, and my hair has never looked better. The kids and my husbands hair look great too. I think our heads make oil in measure with how much we strip away.
Anyway, I am really writing to mention that I have a suspicion that I am getting dry skin from the chlorine in my shower. I have been taking long hot showers to help with sinus drainage and whenever I do this, I come out and my legs are so scaly and itchy. I am thinking of getting a chlorine filter even though they are $100….has anyone else gotten one and seen a result in their skin? I know it is the biggest, most absorptive organ we have, this really hit me when I tested the use of Epsom salts in my bath when I needed magnesium. It is instant absorption.
nice tips, need for try at home. Thanks..
I don’t use all-natural soaps from cold-pressed vegetable oils at all, since they make my skin itchy and scaly. Only soap-free beauty bars. However, they also dry out my skin. Washing with clay really dries out my skin. Even herbal powders dry out my skin. Plus, I never use hot water. I’m wondering what else I could use.
So, I need to apply a moisturizing lotion or oil every time I use a skin cleanser. However, I don’t wash my whole body with a cleanser every time I shower. Just on the parts where I sweat most.
I use soap-free beauty bars and herbal powder alternatively, since the powder makes such a mess. Does that make any sense or am I messing up my over-sensitive skin even more?
Hello Kate,
Thanks for the valuable suggestions, these seems to be very useful while i also have dry skin. I don’t use natural soaps as well as any synthetic product. I always try natural things like oils etc. I also have some beneficial tips for Acne and skin. see this… https://benefitsuses.com/oils/uses-of-coconut-oil-for-acne-keyword-coconut-oil-for-acne.html
Thanks
Discussion in this article is very good, and I liked 🙂
Wow nice tips 🙂
Wow, there are nice tips. I have to try it. Thanks for sharing
Thanks a lot for sharing this amazing article. Its true that winter season dry out my skin so bad. I’ve read that shea butter and virgin coconut oil is a great home remedies for dry skin too.
great article, you are great at sequencing every word
I really enjoyed reading this article, and every post on this website is very good and well composed.
send regards for success
Thank you!
I never though about checking my shower water for chloride in AZ, which caused my back to breakout and very dry skin. I’m glad I read one of the person blog. I have eczema mild but causes itching on my back
I’m going to order facial stuff hope it will help my dry skin. Glad I found this blog. I can’t have any perfume in face cream must be all natural.
Debra Blackburn
We are so sorry you’ve been struggling, but we are so glad you found our blog helpful and can hopefully get some relief. Our online store has amazingly reviewed skin care products if you want a clean, all-natural, perfume-free skincare line. We also have an educational guide that discusses skin care needs for different skin types. Feel free to check out the guide here: https://earthley.com/product/earthleys-skin-care-guide/ref/modernamama