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6 Ways to Stay Hydrated in the Winter

Winter weather can do a real number on skin. All moisture has left the air outside and we crank our heat up inside. This dry environment will cause any water in your skin to evaporate, just like a puddle evaporates off the pavement. Cold air is a moisture magnet. When humidity is low the air will pull moisture from its surroundings and unfortuantely, that includes your skin. This process is called transepidermal water loss, a process that leaves your skin dehydrated and feeling tight, dry, and sensitive.

Here are my favorite 6 tips to combat winter dry skin.

1. Adjust Your Routine

Close the lids tightly on the products you have been using and put them aside. It may be time to switch a few of your products each season. As long as products are stored in a cool, dry place with the lids on tight, they can be put aside for a few months and can be used again when the weather changes. If you are using a gel cleanser, try switching to a creamy cleanser (like Peptide Firming Cleanser.) Or upgrade to a thicker moisturizer. As the seasons change, so should your skincare.

2. Use a Humidifier.

Humidifiers pump moisture back into the air so it can stop stealing the moisture from your skin. This will allow your skin's moisture barrier to repair itself and your skin will be able to hold onto its own moisture. Just make sure you are using purified water in the humidifier and be sure to keep it clean so mold does not form.

3. Seal in Moisture Fast

You have a 60 second window from the time you get out of the shower until moisture evaporation starts to occur. So start applying your hydrating skincare routine immediately after drying off. At the very least, make sure you spray a hydrating toner like Perfecting Toner onto your skin right away. Its the fastest and easiest way to stop water loss after showering.

4. Cut Back on Caffeine.

When its cold outside I tend to drink more hot coffee than water...anybody else? I have to make a conscience effort to up my water intake this time of year. But caffeine can dehyrate your skin so keep it in moderation. Your skin will thank you.

5. Skip Super Hot Showers.

While a long, hot shower feels amazing, extreme temperatures do your skin no favors. Keep showers and baths warm, not hot.

6. Rely on More than a Moisturizer.

I’m going to use my analogy of a raisin and a grape. Think of a skin cell like a grape. When it is hydrated and healthy it has a nice glow to it and its plump and smooth. But if you were to dehydrate it, aka remove the water, it shrivels into a raisin. When skin cells lack water your skin will appear crepey and you will notice every little imperfection. To get your skin from shriveled raisin to plump grape you will need to hydrate the skin at the cellular level. This does not mean using a thicker moistuizer per say. Why not? Because no moisturizer on the market can penetrate the skin enough to get to the cells. It is just too thick a product. It is meant to stay at the surface of the skin.

So how do we hydrate the cells? My favorite combination is using a moisturizing toner right after cleansing and then applying a hydrating serum to the skin while the toner is still damp. The toner acts as a delivery system to get its own moisturizing ingredients to the cells and it takes the serum (like this one) along with it.

Once the skin cells are rehydrated, now its time to seal it in with a moisturizer. A moisturizer seals in moisture that is already in the skin. You can apply the thickest, creamiest moisturizer on your skin until the cows come home but unless the skin is hydrated from the inside out, you will remain a raisin. Moisturizers lock moisture in the skin and will prevent trans-epidermal water loss.

With a few precautions, your skin can stay healthy and hydrated all winter long.

Are you ready for colder temps and snow? What's your favorite part about winter?