Salcura explains: How to Prevent Itchy & Cracked Winter Skin

For people with dry, itchy and cracked skin, winter can really be a challenging time with the skin having to work overtime to keep up with all the demands we put on it. The colder, wetter weather means bundling up, putting the radiator on full blast, hot showers and warm drinks. However, all these actions can have a negative impact on our skin, with our skin not being able to retain enough moisture leading to drier, itchier and sometimes even cracked skin. When outside, our skin has fewer benefits of sunlight and Vitamin D as we cover-up and the days are shorter and less sunny. On top of that, the kind of clothing we wear can aggravate our skin, especially the more synthetic fabrics like tights can add to our skin feeling itchier and more irritated. Once we have made it inside, we turn the temperature up to a pleasant warmth, but unfortunately, those higher temperatures dehumidify the space we are in, which means less natural external moisture for the skin. Additionally, many of us tend to turn up the shower to a very hot temperature and in areas where water is known to be very hard (like London), the hot, hard water, will be your skin’s worst enemy. Lastly, as we secretly all already know, the foods and drinks we consume during the Winter season tend to not be the greatest for our skin, especially with alcohol being a big reason for further dehydration for your dry, itchy skin. Luckily, our skin is always working hard to support and protect us. If we provide the right tools and nutrients, we can ensure our skin will help us get through another winter without too much dryness and itchiness. 

Avoid wearing clothes that are very synthetic

This might be a tricky one given that it is the party season, but more natural fabrics tend to be gentler on the skin. Do be aware if you have a wool allergy, however, as that might be even more aggravating on the irritated skin! Additionally, if you know you suffer from very sensitive skin, it might be worth considering using more skin-friendly, natural washing powders, as more synthetic powders might irritate your dry skin. Particularly ingredients like phosphates are not just bad for your skin, but also for the environment!

Shower less and turn the heat down when you do

We tend to shower quite a bit more than is necessary which will disrupt our natural skin balance and possibly strip our skin of its natural oils. It might sound crazy but showering every other day instead of every day or more than once a day, will really help your skin.Additionally, try and use shower products that do not dehydrate or aggravate the skin. Check the ingredient list in your shower gel and try to avoid ingredients like Sodium Laureth Sulfate, heavily fragranced (Parfum) and peroxides. 

Help your skin by feeding it hydrating and moisturising ingredients both inside and out

Drink plenty of water and herbal teas, try and avoid caffeinated drinks like Black Tea and Coffee. Other drinks that might be helpful are water-infused drinks (or make them yourself to avoid any unnecessary sugars), like cucumber water, coconut water or aloe vera drinks. Feed your skin the healthy nutrients it needs to ensure it gets deeply moisturised.

Look out for oils that have a scientifically proven ability to help itchy and cracked skin. Non-fragrant oils like Argan, Borage and Sunflower significantly hydrate the skin and have antioxidant properties so they can help defend the skin against the cold winter weather. Ingredients like Jojoba and Shea Butter are known to provide an enormous amount of emollient benefits, which will help your skin retain its natural moisture level. And more unique ingredients like Sea Buckthorn and Zeolite, ingredients which can be found in our Bioskin range for dry, itchy and cracked skin, are natural powerhouses to support the natural moisturising factor of the skin and feed the skin the vitamins and minerals it needs to be strong and help you through the winter!

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