It is the time of the year when our skin needs some extra love and care. Cold weather in winter and low humidity levels steals the natural moisture from the top layer of the skin (dead skin layer), resulting in dry and flaky skin, sometimes leading to cracking and bleeding. Adding to that are the indoor heat, hot showers and harsh soaps.
Following are some basic tips and tricks that you can incorporate in your daily routine in order to combat with the problems of dryness, chapping, redness, itching and keep the skin more healthy and hydrated.
1. Avoid hot showers: Hot showers feel heavenly in the winters, but they are harmful as they disrupt the lipid barrier of the skin, leaving it dry and unhealthy. Instead, opt for lukewarm water to prevent moisture retention from the skin.
2. Use mild cleansers: Cleansers can be extremely drying to the skin. As it is a crucial step in skincare, go for mild ones for both your body and face, something which contains moisturizing ingredients like emollient, occlusive and humectant. This will prevent extra dryness.
3. Moisturizing is key: Moisturizers are your best friend in the winters. Moisturize right after you wash on the damp skin to seal the moisture onto the skin. Choose moisturizers with natural elements like jojoba, aloe, chamomile, lavender, etc. Moisturize the dry areas of your body overnight, like your hands, feet, elbows, knees and face.
4. Protect your skin: After moisturizing, wear gloves and scarves to keep yourself warm and cozy. Winter sun is as harmful as the summer sun, so make sure to apply sunscreen at least 15 minutes before you step out.
5. Hydrate your lips: Lip balm is an essential as our lips tend to get super dry in the winter. Make sure you don’t use mint or fruit flavored ones as they cause evaporation of moisture, leaving the lips even drier.
6. Hydrate from inside out: Winters cause extreme dehydration in our body which reflects on our skin. Drinking at least 2.5 to 3 liters of water everyday is thus crucial. Try to incorporate lemon juice, watermelon, apples, oranges, kiwi etc. to hydrate your body from the inside.
7. Sheet masks: Sheet masks are face masks that come in sheet form loaded with hydrating serums. It is very famous in Korean skincare. Try brands like Innisfree and Face shop (available online) as they provide that extra moisture to the upper layer of the skin, making it soft and supple.
Roy 
Souryasree Bhattacharya