Many people understand that skin care should be adjusted in cold weather, but they forget that this applies not only to the face and hands, but also to the body. Body care products should be selected just as carefully, focusing on skin type, hygiene and grooming habits, external environmental factors. Jens Troy, an expert at the NIVEA Body laboratory, told Woman’s Day how to adjust skin care during the heating season and freezing temperatures.
Rule 1: cleanse your skin gently
In winter, to cleanse the body, it is better to choose products with additional caring components, because our skin already suffers from a lack of moisture and exposure to frost. Take a closer look at shower gels with oils: shea, argan, almond. You can also look for components such as aloe vera, panthenol, vitamins A and E in the composition. They will provide the body skin with additional care already at the stage of cleansing.
Rule 2: don’t forget about protection
In winter, due to exposure to frost and frequent temperature changes when leaving a warm room to the street, the skin of the body can be injured and cracked. Many people notice microcracks on the body, complain of redness. To protect the skin of the body from the aggressive effects of low temperatures, you should pay attention to products containing honey and beeswax – natural ingredients that have emollient, nourishing and anti-inflammatory properties. They strengthen the protective barrier of the skin and, in addition, restore its softness and elasticity.
Rule 3 and 4: adjust hydration and nutrition
It is best to use nourishing and moisturizing products for the body at night, so as not to go outside after the procedure. These creams and lotions often last for more than 24 hours, so your skin stays soft and well-groomed throughout the day.
In the event that you prefer to apply a moisturizer or nourishing agent in the morning, you will need to wait until the cream is completely absorbed. Otherwise, the water components in its composition can provoke hypothermia of the skin and spasm of peripheral vessels. This often leads to a failure of blood circulation and disruption of cellular nutrition.
Rule 5: Try Alternative Care
To avoid worrying about whether the product has been absorbed, you can try a washable conditioner that is applied to clean, damp skin in the shower and then rinsed off with water. For winter, this tool is indispensable, because after using the washable conditioner, you do not need to wait for it to be absorbed, because the ingredients that provide nourishment and hydration to the skin begin to act immediately upon contact with water.
Rule 6: remember about vitamins
In winter, a number of factors contribute to vitamin deficiency: a decrease in the length of daylight hours, and a decrease in solar activity, and a change in diet (a number of vegetables and fruits rich in vitamins disappear from our menu). To fill this shortage, we recommend adding foods such as tomatoes, pumpkin, carrots to your daily menu (they are rich in vitamin A); eggs, cheese (sources of vitamin E). It is these groups of vitamins that are especially important for the skin.
Rule 7: choose your clothes carefully
When the temperature drops to 10-20 degrees below zero, many are ready to put on any kind of clothes so as not to freeze, but it is important to remember that synthetic fabrics can have a negative effect on our skin. Often artificial materials are devoid of pores that provide air access to the skin, disrupt the process of perspiration, so in cold weather it is best to choose warm clothes made from natural fabrics – cashmere, wool, allowing the skin to breathe.
Rule 8: watch your water balance
Dry skin is one of the most common winter problems. The fact is that many factors affect the moisture content of the skin and the thickness of the protective layer that retains moisture. These are bad weather conditions (snow, wind and frost, sudden temperature changes), dry air of heated premises. If you are faced with the problem of dry skin, try to solve it comprehensively – replenishing the lack of moisture not only from the outside, but also from the inside: drink more water, use moisturizers, install a humidifier.
Rule 9: fight flaking
Exfoliation is a natural cell renewal process that removes dead cells from the top layer of the skin. Under normal conditions, it passes unnoticed for us, but it often happens that in cold weather the skin of the body begins to peel off very intensely. We recommend using a loofah or a gentle scrub to eliminate flaking. Remember that after completing the procedure, it is necessary to provide the skin with intense hydration and try to establish the water balance of the body, following the advice from the previous paragraph.
Rule 10: wear thermal underwear
Thermal underwear is a good option for particularly severe frosts. It not only often allows you to maintain health, but also reduces the negative effect that sudden changes in temperature have on the skin.